Five years ago, it was fairly rare to see instant messaging features in apps. Now, however, it’s very common. If you’ve been trying to decide if you should introduce these features to your app, it’s the best way. Take a closer look at the benefits and drawbacks before adding chat features to your app.
Pro: It’s Easy to Implement These Features
Introducing instant messaging to an app used to take a great deal of time and energy. Now, thankfully, that doesn’t have to be the case. With frameworks like a chat SDK, you’ll be able to add these kinds of features to an app with minimal effort.
In many cases, the only reason that people choose not to add these kinds of features to an app is that they believe it will be a hassle. If this is holding you back, you should focus on finding a chat SDK that will make this process simple for you.
Con: These Features Can Be Abused
While chat features are highly appreciated and can come in handy, it’s important to remember that they can be misused. These features can be highly distracting, and people could engage in inappropriate behavior when using these features.
That’s why it’s important to look for a framework that will give you access to moderation tools. If you’re able to moderate and control how people utilize these features, you’ll be able to prevent many of these issues and allow people to enjoy these features simultaneously.
Pro: Chat Features Can Improve User Engagement
It’s important to make sure that the people that use your app are highly engaged. A lack of engagement can lead to a lack of interest, which can have serious consequences for your app. People tend to use the chat features in apps, and it’s clear that they’re a fantastic way to make sure that users stay engaged.
While adding chat to your website shouldn’t be the only thing that you do to boost engagement, taking the time to add these kinds of features using a chat SDK can put your app in a great position. Not only will you draw more people to your app, but you’ll be able to make sure that users continue to interact with the app.
Con: You May Experience Issues As Your App Grows
If the instant messaging features you add to your app do wind up being popular, a growing number of people will likely start to use your app. In some cases, your app may not accommodate this, which can lead to slowdowns and other issues for users.
How many users will these chat features be able to support? To prevent these kinds of problems, you’ll want to look at options for scalability when you’re evaluating an SDK. If you want to keep delivering a smooth experience to your users, you’ll need to find an app that can grow along with you.
Pro: You’ll Have All Kinds of Customization Options
People utilize instant messaging services in apps in all kinds of different ways. If you decide to introduce these features to your app, you’ll have a great deal of control over how they are implemented. You’ll be able to customize these features and use them in a way that makes sense for you.
From customizing the way your chat windows look to controlling the available features, you’ll be able to make important decisions about the experience that your customers have. A lack of customization can be frustrating, but this won’t be an issue that you have to worry about with the right framework.
Con: These Features May Require Monitoring
Built-in moderation can minimize the amount of work you have to do to manage your instant messaging features. However, likely, some monitoring will still be required. If you allow people to use chat features to access support, for example, you’ll need to make sure that someone is available to provide that support.
While monitoring can be a source of frustration, you may find that it’s worthwhile for the benefits that chat features provide. Using chat to provide customer support may be a way to streamline some of the tasks that you need to carry out.
Pro: Chat Features Can Provide You With Valuable Information
The more information you have about your target audience, the better. When your app has chat features, you’ll access the information that you need the most. You can collect information about the age and location of your customers, and you can find out more about common user pain points as well.
If you want to solve problems and improve the experience that you’re delivering on your app, you’ll need plenty of information. With chat features, you’ll have an easy way to collect this information. You can use the information you gather to solve common problems and deliver a much better overall experience.
It’s important to look at the pros and the cons before making any big decisions about introducing new features to your app. With that said, when you look at the big picture, it’s clear that the benefits of chat features outweigh the drawbacks. Instant messaging can do a lot to enhance an app, and if you have the opportunity to include these features in your app, you should jump on it.
