Today we will tell you precisely what you need to do to start a video-conferencing SAAS for your existing clients. We will give you a guide on how to factor in all the costs while developing apps for mobile as well as desktop. Along with that, we will discuss some money-saving tips and marketing tricks for launching a video conferencing app.
Ever since the Government locked down the cities, companies have discovered how much work can be done from home. After the sudden ban of Zoom from all the major countries, companies were looking for safer and better versions of Video conferencing apps for their own companies without risking the liable assets.
So the question is how to make most of this ever-rising trend and emerge profitable from this? This is where this guide is going to act like a teacher and take you through details of the Video Conferencing App.
Chapter 1: The Features of the App
When calculating the costs of the App, we need to factor in what kind of features we need to include in the App. Let us look at some standard features a Video Conferencing app must have.
Standard Features
1) Messaging: While the primary feature remains the video conferencing, it should have a functionality of messaging. With multilingual keyboards, emoticons and file sharing, it is essential to develop a messaging feature with functionalities similar to WhatsApp.
2) Audio Calls: Much like messaging, the App must have a fundamental feature of Audio calling. It should come with a button for switching from video to audio and vice-versa.
3) Groups: Creating professional and personal groups is an essential feature for any sharing and communications app.
4) Add Contacts: Now, this is a tricky part! While many apps offer to add contacts from your phone contacts and your email, many offer to give you separate numbers for calling and messaging. Make sure you choose what suits your audience the best.
Advanced Features
While these are some standard features, let us look at some advanced features that you may include for your app.
1) Screen Sharing: With people at home and live demonstrations and presentations happening over a video call, this feature is an absolute addition in the App. Be it for teachers, managers, guides or entertainers this remains a must feature.
2) Chatting: While people can talk during video calls, video calls are also used for live seminars and talks. Many people can raise questions and give feedback if there is a live chatting feature.
3) Polls: Much like chatting, polls can prove to be helpful for decision making in meetings.
4) Record: Again, a tricky one! Some prefer the record feature while some are against it. Recording can be optional, based according to the audience you are targeting.
5) Mute: Mute, disabling videos, virtual backgrounds are extra features you can add to enhance the user experience.
6) Data Encryption: Data encryption is a necessary feature considering the hike in phishing, data leaks and scams of data in today’s world.
Chapter 2: The Platforms
Aside from the development platform like ClearDB, you will also need to decide where and how you will be launching the app.
There are two leading platforms for Desktop version, i.e., macOS and Windows. You may want to develop for both. With all the features given above, you can develop a good video conferencing app.
Aside from that, you may not want to miss the mobile platform. Although it is challenging to develop an app with all the functionality that a desktop version has, developing one with basic functionality and good connectivity will come handy.
Chapter 3: How to Market the Video Conferencing App
There is a surge of video conferencing apps in the market. With a plethora of apps and big players like Google, how can you market this app and emerge profitably?
1) Start Small: The fact that the market of Video Conferencing App is itself a huge opportunity for even small players in the industry. You can start with having specific features that are focused on one group of business, like teaching. Start by capturing one market and then feature into another thereby slowly capturing a bigger chunk.
2) Target Based Marketing: What many apps are forgetting is how social media offers target based Ads at very reasonable pricing. That will hugely benefit your budget as a start.
3) Partnering with Local Brands: Offering services to local brands can be helpful from a marketing standpoint as well as revenue generation. Partnering with brands that have the same target audience and giving them lucrative offers will be a great marketing strategy. By doing so will help you gain an audience relatively easily with less marketing expenditure.
4) Targeting a Community: Various communities like artists, businessmen, lawyer firms, etc. can be given offers exclusively to use the app.
5) Offering a Freemium: Freemium is like a free trial. You can offer the users a free trial, and if they like the app only then, they will pay for the same.
Chapter 4: The Team
Depending on the cost requirement, a team can vary. But for a good app strategy you need to have the following people:
- Business Analyst
- Project Manager
- Android App developers
- iOs App developers
- UX-UI designers
- Back end developers
- Q&A Professionals
Chapter 5: The Costs
Calculating a budget is a tedious task. But if you consider the above factors like marketing, team features, etc., calculating the cost based on your region will be easier for you.
Let us look at some basic costs (Note: These costs may vary based on your region)
| Country | Hourly Rate | MVP |
| USA | $80 | $ 95,000 – 1,00,000 |
| UK | $70 | $ 80,000 – 1,00,000 |
| Europe | $50 | $ 30,000 – 80,000 |
| India | $25 | $ 30,000 – 50,000 |
Conclusion
With the trends pointing towards the video conferencing app, and millions of dollars being invested in those companies, we can safely say that Video conferencing apps will become profitable as soon as they are launched.
