How to custom-build a perfect real-time enterprise chat app like WhatsApp?

Founded by Jan Koum and Brian Acton in 2009, WhatsApp as a real-time chat app makes an inspirational success story for many out there. The instant messaging app WhatsApp has 1.6 billion users around the world in 2019. The number has surged to 2 billion users in 2020 and is still rising progressively. More than one billion messages are sent using WhatsApp every day. The app is dominating the world of instant messaging for its seamless communication and other fantastic features.

Due to its terrific usability, modern-day enterprise environment also needs such real-time chat app for effortless interoffice communication. This is because instant messaging app also aids employee collaboration and can boost efficiency and productivity of any business.

This blog is the best guide to building an excellent custom enterprise app like WhatsApp. Before we dive into the subject, we will touch on how blazing fast communication benefits your business.

Business gains through accelerated communication

Team collaboration is impossible without smooth communication. An enterprise-grade instant chat messenger ensures smooth communication and is speedier than email responses. Thus, a new communication channel helps you reap the following business gains:

• Increased Productivity
• Fast, reliable interoffice communication
• Improved all-hour connectivity
• High work standards: rapid decision making and duty allocation
• Data Security, group exclusivity and confidentiality
• Minimum local and international communication cost

Usually, developing a chat app involves two options: ready-to-use and bespoke solution. A ready-to-use chat app contains general features on which one can build other unique features as demanded by the app owner. Here is the set of a few good main and special features for you to consider:

Main Features for an instant messaging enterprise app

• Easy sign-in and registration options
• Chat groups
• Import contacts
• Flawless and appealing UI design
• Location sharing
• Multimedia files sharing
• Voice call and audio support
• Multidevice support
• Instant push notifications
• Data security

Special custom features for a bespoke real-time chat app

• Video calls
• Push notification control
• Block contacts
• Profile privacy
• Typing and last seen status
• Meeting alerts
• Screen sharing
• Chat trails and tracing
• Smileys/emoji
• Offline sync
• Scalable servers
• Chat Data and history backup
• Social integrations
• Self-destructing messages
• Calendar synchronization

Features that make difference

Self — Destructing Messages

Like Snapchat, you can also add this typical element of erasing the message after a while from the group

Calendar Synchronization

For ease of tracking and planning, Calendar sync lets you keep up with the events and tasks while planning your day

Payment Integration

Unified Payment Interface (UPI) A reliable and secure instant payment module

Virtual Payment Address (VPA) Lets users use the secure email address registered with a bank account that can be shared publicly for transactions.

Screen sharing

For real-time chat app, screen sharing enables employees to show real-time information through screen images

Scalable servers

An app with a powerful chat server can be scaled to add more people for efficient collaboration.

Technologies that help build a custom enterprise chat app like WhatsApp

It is imperative to know all about essential technologies and select the right platforms that help tailor-build the chat app as splendid as WhatsApp. Based on our recommendations and practices, a set of few technologies and framework that forms the backbone and front-end of the enterprise-grade chat app are:

PHP: An open source language used for its performance and versatility

FreeBSD: WhatsApp, which has sent over billions of messages every day on its platform, has been built on FreeBSD

Erlang: The programming language that was used to build the brilliant chat app Whatsapp.

Mnesia DB: A real-time database system for a real-time enterprise chat app written in the Erlang language.

MySQL: A highly preferred database system frequently found in app data management system.

Custom XMPP Server: A capable XMPP server customized to enable fast message delivery in a real-time.

HTML5 WebSockets: The WebSocket is an inherent feature of HTML5 that forms a firm connection between the server and the browser

Last words – Ready-to-use or bespoke?

Although there are a few ready-to-install chat app solutions, it is always a great approach to know pros and cons before opting for a solution. A custom-built real-time enterprise chat app is often sought by business owners for smooth, effortless collaboration among employees. Being a prolific enterprise app development company, Spaculus has engineered over 100 smart applications that help enterprises transform their business methods. Have your chat app built by our expert instant messenger app developers and experience resultant business advantages.