All about the rising trend of in-app voice calls

With the rise in popularity of chat apps for customer service, businesses worldwide are digitalizing their communications to keep up with customer expectations. Chatbots, instant in-app or chat app messaging have become staples for many communication strategies.  

But customers simply want low-touch and high-quality service. It’s important to understand when to use text-based or voice communication to offer the best possible solution to end-users. 

Source: Salesforce survey 2022

So, end-users are still looking for support over voice calls despite the rise of digital communication. On the Infobip platform alone, voice and video calls increased drastically 2023: 

That tells us that there is a time and a use case for each solution. Finding a balance means integrating voice with digital in-app experiences to give end-users more freedom when it comes to getting the kind of support they need from brands. 

That’s where in-app voice calls come in. Let’s run through how voice calls within messaging apps work, how brands and end-users can benefit from it, and examples of in-app calls in action. 

Voice calling within messaging apps enables the option of audio or video calls over a chat app or other application. Depending on the capabilities of the chat app platform, calls can be one-on-one with a friend, group or conference calls with multiple people, or even customers connecting with businesses. 

Messaging apps have streamlined and improved time to resolution for multiple use cases like onboarding, answering FAQs, sharing locations, product registration and much more. But it’s important to understand that text-based communication is not always the best solution for every query. There are many situations where a voice call would simply resolve an issue faster.

For example: 

Aside from the fact that it makes resolving complex issues much easier for both agents and customers, chat app users are already accustomed to making calls over OTT channels. Chat apps have made connecting with friends and family worldwide fast, easy, and affordable. The same goes for connecting with brands. Why not keep communication with end-users consistent and familiar by enabling voice calls over their favorite chat apps?

One of the biggest benefits of in-app voice calling is that you can offer real-time support to customers, branching off their text-conversation. Transitioning customers between channels is smooth and simple, allowing them to continue their conversation as a live agent takes over and helps them resolve the issue in real-time. 

Connecting over voice calls gives customers a stronger sense that their issues are being addressed because agents are only focused on the customers query, removing any delays between responses that you get in text-based conversations. Live agents can also offer more information in real-time, collect instant feedback, and get a better understanding of the customer’s intent and needs through a voice call. This allows you to build a stronger relationship with customers, reassuring them that they are getting the support they are looking for.

Switching from text to voice calls is simple. It doesn’t require any additional effort from the customer, and with the right processes and tools in place, you can offer customers a seamless and easy experience with customer service. Businesses can use a template with a click-to-call button or utilize phone icons to display calling options within the app. This allows the customer to conveniently access calling features, without any need for copying and pasting phone numbers, or switching screens. 

Customers are no longer just loyal to brands, but to the last experience they have.  

If a customer can’t resolve their query on the first try, you run a higher risk of them churning. With in-app voice capabilities, you can quickly transfer the customer to a voice call to offer better customer service than you can on a chat app – decreasing the chance of churn. 

There are a few ways to incorporate voice calls into messaging apps:  

A great way for brands to enable in-app voice calls is over a chat app that has everything set up and ready to use. Viber has enabled calling for B2C interactions with Infobip, so end-users can simply open their chat with a brand, select which team or department they want to connect with and instantly start a free call.  

Brands can choose how they want to establish the call, be it through PSTN, SIP trunk, WebRTC, or through Conversations. If a brand is already using Viber for Business with Infobip, it’s easy to integrate calls into their account with Infobip’s help. 

Vecindapp provides software solutions for residential communities in Colombia. These communities value privacy and security, and often need to get in touch with staff for:  

Front desk staff can quickly start a call through the Vecindapp portal via Infobip Call Link (over WebRTC) or residents can send a request for a call via WhatsApp or SMS and reception calls them through the same process. Check out how fast and simple it is: 

Vecindapp saw 95% cost reductions and increased staff efficiency with a reliable and private call solution.  

Although digital in-app experiences are here to stay, human-to-human interactions are essential to providing quality customer service. By integrating voice calls into messaging apps, brands can offer well-rounded support to customers, catering to their needs and speeding up time to resolution for complicated use cases.  

OTT channels like Viber are starting to offer businesses new avenues for engaging with customers, by using a classic and familiar channel like voice. Adding calling capabilities in messaging apps simplifies the customer journey, removes pain points, and creates more loyal relationships with customers, all thanks to the flexibility of switching to a call with the click of a button.