What is Real Time Messaging API: Everything You Need to Know About Here!
The rapid change in the means of communication and execution process in business is compelling everyone to shift to real-time messaging API. Be it a customer trying to connect to your sales team or your team member trying to connect with fellow teammates to discuss ongoing projects, all that one will look for is a real-time chat. A real time messaging API is an application programming interface, which upon integrating into a website or any application allows users to engage in real-time chat conversations.
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A brief on Real Time Messaging API
These real time messaging SDKs and APIs can be defined as within contrast to email, almost like a timeshifting communication, wherein Email is stored in a server, rather than sent directly to the recipient.
Real time Messaging API should be able to provide access to a server infrastructure with strong stability and broad features. These are the most essential requirements for any real-time chat and messaging at a scale suited to your business needs from a one-on-one conversation to a group chat.
Given the chat SDK (Software Development Kit) and documentation, it just takes a few steps to integrate the real time Messaging API into any application. The easy-to-integrate chat API enables you to make your application more effective without spending much effort.
Before getting started with in-depth learning, let’s know the most common capabilities that any Chat SDK and API can have
Real Time Messaging API with the Most Common Capabilities
Without further more delay, let's have a look at some of the most common capabilities that any in-app messaging API can have,
1. Sending Messages in One-to-one & Group chat :
Now, users can chat with one another directly or in a group chat simply by texting real time messages. This contributes to a healthy and quick user interaction, keeping them invested in your chat instead of any other secure messaging apps.
2. Send Messages including reactions and have fun interaction
Text all your thoughts in a message explaining a situation is not always possible. But, instead expressing emotions via stickers - sounds great, right!. Yes, texting messages with GIFs, audio messages, emojis, etc., can make your conversation the most interactive and fun.
3. Push Notification to have everybody updated
A better way to bring customers to your platform with a regular notification on current events anytime, anywhere. Sending an in-app notification alongside real-time messaging can increase the user engagement.
Well, these are some but there are a variety of real time messaging API features that you can add to your app and experience a real time user engagement.
Now, let’s move further with the scenarios that will really build the need of these best chat SDK android and iOS apps.
The 3 Interaction scenarios that urge you to have a Messaging API
The Real Time Messaging API is an empowering chat tool, by enabling this on a website or app you can create multiple communication channels. Integrating with the best chat SDK will allow you to take your business communications in a better direction and help your business growth. An easy way to enable hassle-free business marketing would be implementing a top 10 real time messaging SDK into your application. Right now, it is the most powerful real-communication tool.
Depending on your business needs, you may choose to create a single or multiple communication channels. Here are the three interaction scenarios that make you decide the need to integrate a real time chat API.
1. Collaborate with Global User with Real-time Messaging API
The chat API enables you to create a real-time communication network between your application users. It provides a conversational way to reach out to your customers in every channel by allowing users to interact via a one-on-one chat or a group chat. If you own a social messenger app or lifestyle mobile app or team collaboration apps like slack, you can prefer to have a real time messaging platform by integrating the instant messaging API, setting a user-friendly messaging environment. Furthermore, you can consider integrating a real time messaging API for Education platforms too.
However, the main feature that sets any good real time messaging API different from others is based on the responses it provides when the end user interacts with it via conversation threads.
2 . Instant Messaging SDKs to Enhance buyers and sellers Relationship
For a business platform or marketplace, the messaging needs vary. As here it is not just the users(buyers) who interact among themselves, rather they reach out directly to users (sellers) who sell their products or services through the marketplace. There is a huge potential to use chat API as buyers and sellers interact very often, contributing to business growth, all by enabling a higher level of selling automation. Moreover, the marketplace web service (MWS) supports the seller's chat SDK and API functions that are broader in scope and functionality to any other API functionality being offered previously
3 . Real -time Messaging API bridges bond among service providers and customers
For a web-based service or web-portals that offers on-demand services, real time chat service comes handy. The Chat API enables a service provider to interact with the user via chats and provide the necessary details. Moreover, embedding these instant messaging API can solve for transparent communication and enhance the post-purchase experiences for on-demand applications. An example of such scenarios is Ola, an on-demand riding service where the user searches for a ride and gets one based on the demand and availability of service at the moment. Few on-demand services include UrbanCompany and Practo. It helps to gain more audience and facilitates better financial institutions, healthcare providers.
With no restrictions on the number of users engaging via Chats, the scaling-up is easy.
How a Messaging Platform Benefits your Business?
Real Time Chat Platform holds an infinite number of use cases, the benefits it renders to your business are limitless.
The video Chat API enables you to implement live, real-time chat, and messaging within your app or website or portal.
A conversation is sometimes the start of a new business journey. It allows you to enable a new channel for advertising and marketing user engagement.
Realtime messaging helps to resolve issues and find solutions easy
A Service provider must make sure that they have a high-quality UI to give the users a better experience.
Pick the Perfect Messaging API matching the communication requirement of your business
A perfect real time messaging API is the one that renders you the features that match your communication requirements. For some businesses, a one-on-one chat is sufficient but for others may require an additional group chat along with one-on-one chat.
Therefore, below we have provided you with both - a variety of features as well as a comprehensive list of business’s instant messaging API services that can put your company in the hands of your customers. This is mainly to provide you with the clarity over the demand of these real time messaging APIs while planning to pick for the best.
Check for features to match with requirement :
One-on-one and group and open channel chat
Compatible across all platforms and devices.
Secure File & custom-data transfers.
Chat history & analytics.
Push notifications, Filters, and blocking.
Webhooks to receive real-time chat events.
Read receipts, delivery status, and typing indicators.
Online and offline status indicators
Evaluate the Customization of the Real Time Chat API:
Not all the Chat API for android available in the market is 100% customizable. Evaluating the customizing options, help you identify a right Chat API fitting to your business needs. Points to remember while checking for customization of the best Chat API for ios apps and android apps are the UI/UX design layout, Personalization capabilities, advanced search filters, security, and scalability.
Look in for the admin features of the Messaging Platform
It is important to make sure that the Chat API comes with all essential back-end or admin tools. An admin tool will enable you to monitor all the activities such as profile management, chat management, group chat monitoring, and much more. Note this is important to check beforehand as once you integrate a real time Chat API without these features, it becomes absurd.
Does the Chat API pass the platform compatibility?
Run a simple compatibility check to ensure the Chat API you pick is the right choice to integrate with your website or android and iOS application. Check for the technologies used such as HTTP, Push/Streaming, Ajax, WebSocket, REST, XMPP. Check the types of devices and platforms supported (e.g. Web browser / Android / iOS).
Use Case of Real Time Messaging API
Be it a social networking app or Business marketplace, or healthcare app the implementation of Messaging API's is huge. In simpler words, it co-exists in all places.
Healthcare Apps
With the Chat API for healthcare apps such as Practo or DocsApp, a patient can book an appointment, and consult a Doctor. Additionally, they can share diagnosis reports, prescriptions, and receipts over the chat securely.
Banking Apps
A chat API integration on a website or mobile app enables customers to connect with a support team in real-time. It helps an investor to connect with advisories and decide on their fund management. Authentic communication makes this API's an obvious choice for the banking sector.
Best 3 Real-time Messaging API & SDK Providers in 2022
Searching for the appropriate Messaging API solution can be challenging especially when you have plenty of options to choose from. Hence to make it simpler we’ve broken down the best 3 Real-time Messaging API & SDK providers to show you what they’re likely to offer you according to your business needs.
Solution #1 - Apphitect
It is one of the leading group chat API providers available in the market. The best part about Apphitect is that it is 100% customizable and comes with highly advanced chat features. Some of the top features being push notifications, offline messages, presence indicators, geolocation tracking, video and voice calling, and many more .
CONTUS MirrorFly is a self-hosted chat API and messaging SDK that provides you with 100% customizable messaging solutions. It offers around 150+ chat features. Get 3-tier security and compliance, access to centralized administration, and on cloud premises.
MirrorFly supports cross-platform messaging and proactive chat. Some of the best features of MirrorFly include 1-1 private & group chat, file & screen sharing, push notifications, proactive chat, and much more.
Solution #3 - Twilio
Twilio is a top-notch real-time chat platform API. It allows you to reach customers in over 180 countries and build communications flows for every interaction. Moreover, it enables you to reach your customers on their preferred channel at every stage of the customer journey, no matter where they are in the world.
Conclusion
Real time messaging APIs have become an integral part of the Digital business world. An all-device Compatibility and ready-to-use integrations and multiple chat API players out in the market choosing the right API for your business are of utmost importance. The customization of chat APIs and SDKs is what you may eye at integrating with your platform or application. Choosing a Best instant messaging SDK that works for your increasing the effectiveness in your business can help you grow your business.