Today, office conferences and even a virtual meeting among friends is synonymous with the video conferencing app called Zoom. The app suddenly skyrocketed from obscurity into prominence, growing in its number of downloads by a staggering 730%. The projected revenues for 2021 is almost touching the 1 billion dollar mark. Not to mention the fact that the app was just making $60 million in revenue in 2017.
What made this app so successful and placed it on the podium along with stalwarts like Microsoft, Google, and Cisco? What is it that Zoom foresaw that the others failed to? What is the market for these video conferencing apps? Is there an opportunity for an entrepreneur to capitalize on this space? Let’s read on and find out!
COVID-19 crisis helped Zoom to reach its full potential
The COVID-19 crisis that has played the world has entirely altered the landscape of a lot of things that we had considered normal. One of the many things that have changed is the need for communication. Well, communication was always in its place and office meetings used to happen on a one-to-one basis. However, any meeting that mandated more than five people would always happen in a conference room.
Ever since the coronavirus made it a distant dream, the need for video conferencing for official purposes with multiple members had increased. Also, hanging out with friends has been replaced with these virtual meetings. Be it catching up with friends across the world or down the streets, video conferencing is the only way out.
Simply put, video conferencing had now become a game of numbers. In all of this, people aren’t ready to compromise on the quality of calls either. It should not be forgotten that internet speeds are relatively faster these days and it might be difficult to accommodate multiple video streams into a single video conference call.
Skype dominated the market for video call and it became the gold standard for any video conferencing tool. However, Skype failed to live up to the expectations of people in such a scenario.
Launching an app like Zoom from scratch will take time. However, there are white-label Zoom clones available for entrepreneurs to easily launch and run a video conference application.
What made Zoom successful?
Today, any success in technology can only be attributed to the company’s capacity to be clairvoyant. Remember that when Uber was launched, 3G internet was not even a year old, and there was only one operator in India. However, their patience was amply rewarded. Today with the increasing internet penetration and smartphone adoption, it has become quite common for any user to have a cab app.
The story of Zoom is not any different. When remote working was as an exception, there was no need for any video conferencing facility that could accommodate more than 100 members, leave alone 1000. Cisco was the place for webinars and online classes, and it wasn’t for everyone to participate because most of these online classes will be facilitated by big brands and Universities.
The coronavirus imposed remote working upon everyone even if they were to stay right next to their office. Besides, it led to increased dependability and relevance of remote working. Now, people could afford to not come to their office and still finish their work. Independent workers who are good now afford to collaborate with their clients but the need for communication and collaborative communication remains constant.
Zoom effectively filled this space by providing a platform that accommodates multiple people, presenting a flawless channel of communication.
The Other Factors
Come to think of it, Zoom did not re-invent videoconferencing. They just garnished an existing technology with the few features that enhanced the relevance.
The first differentiation that made Zoom successful was the variety they offer. Zoom was, by no means, monotonous because it had the facility for almost every corporate and personal need when it comes to video conferencing.
Zoom Meetings
Zoom Meetings offers enterprise-grade high definition video conferencing for corporate needs. It was ideal for conferences, online classes, and even for a casual video chat with friends. Integrated with Zoom meetings was a facility for calendaring and scheduling of events. The way it flawlessly integrated with the calendars of Google and Apple also served as catalysts for its popularity.
Zoom Video Webinars
Zoom Video Webinars, as the name implies, helps host an online event and this is where the company nailed its prowess in numbers. This broadcasting tool could accommodate either 100 interactive video participants for up to 10,000 view-only attendees. This would mean that you can either create a small scale webinar for a small group of professionals or even a large-scale broadcast for viewers to just watch. Even PayPal and Zapier monetized the broadcast. It also included features like questions and answers, raising hands, and attention indicators.
Zoom Conference
The Zoom Conference represents the pinnacle of what the company can do in terms of software and hardware integration. The Zoom Conference Rooms are available in multiple subscription models. It includes HD webcam, digital Signage, touch displays, white-boarding sessions, and event scheduling of events.
Besides, Zoom has made its flickers in spaces like enterprise telephony and corporate chat engines. Slowly, Zoom is taking over the entire space of corporate communication over technology. Typically speaking, Zoom is the perfect example of how you need not always be the first to be the best!
Several minor features
There are a few minor features that make Zoom a favorite among even the novice users. First of all, then it is extremely easy to scale. You can have a conference with one person and use the same app to have a conference with 1000 people. Moreover, the same app can host broadcasts for 10,000 attendees for a webinar. This scalability makes Zoom a preferred communication platform.
There is no compromise in the quality of audio or video. The intelligence that goes into Zoom makes sure that importance is given to the audio and video signal of the speaker. You can also record the entire session and the chat transcripts. The possibility to add custom backgrounds and touch up comes in handy. Enhancing the personality before joining a video call makes it a favorite among people who work from home and who might not always be ready in their full corporate regalia.
Creating a Zoom like an app
Creating a video conferencing app like Zoom involves putting together a lot of features and pieces of technology. Your app should allow users to check the camera before they join the call. They should also have a facility to disable video and audio in the click of a button.
Your app should have a facility where users can chat with each other because there are certain times when text communication can be more powerful. The same to you should also be used for file sharing and sending important documents. The app should also facilitate sharing the desktop and the screen of a specific application based on the conference’s need.
Your video conferencing app like Zoom shell facilitates recording the entire session because it can turn to be a big advantage for people who cannot make it to a conference. The recording should not compromise on the quality and at the same time, should not take up a lot of space on your hard drive.
Certain visual aspects make an actual conference better than a video conference. Some of them include live polling, hand raising, and questioning and answering as and when the meeting happens. Your app should open up facilities for all these things that make your app more congenial and versatile.
Although the focus is on corporate video conferencing, your app can also contain features like filters and icons. If need be, even digital avatars can get a not only to the corporate audience but also even for users who prefer it for personal use.
Conclusion
In the post-COVID-19 world of communication and corporate functioning, videoconferencing will not be a luxury but an SMS. This opens up a huge market for an app that facilitates multiparty video conferencing. However, to develop an app like Zoom would be quite an arduous task.
Alternatively, you can consider using white label clones of apps like Zoom. These Zoom clones are extremely easy to customize. They are also free from bugs that interfere with the basic functionality. All you need to do is get in touch with a company that specializes in the development of apps like Zoom. Ask them to create and customize a Zoom clone for you.