Voice Call API – A Complete Know-How Guide For Developers

We have come across many sayings that suggest your communication can be qualitative only if your input is of high quality. And in an era where digitalization is happening at a much faster rate, users expect a latency-free voice call communication with their peers or with businesses. Thus, forcing many companies to add voice calling features to their applications. This is where voice APIs come into play.

These voice chat SDKs enable businesses to seamlessly integrate advanced features into their existing chat software, allowing developers to build a custom voice chat app in minutes. So what is it, and how can it be beneficial to a business? We will discuss a lot of other questions in the post below.

Let us not beat around the bush and head straight to the context – 

What is a Voice Call API?

A voice call API (Application Programming Interface) is a tool that allows developers to seamlessly integrate voice calling features into their existing web and mobile apps without having to develop or build a feature from scratch. Plus, several third-party providers offer VoIP services to handle exquisite features like call routing, real-time audio transmission, call recording, and more.

Plus, we can also say that a voice chat SDK acts as a plug-and-play component where developers can plug the capabilities they need into Android, iOS, or web apps and foster real-time communication without any hassles.

Why Use a Voice Call API?

The first thing that comes to mind is the time and complexity involved in building a voice communication solution from scratch. It is hard to build, challenging to scale, and expensive, as you need to hire developers to do the work. If you choose to self-host, you also need to invest in an on-premises chat server and more. And along with this, I will also explain some other reasons like:

1. It is simply free to start
2. Reduced infrastructure cost as a third party owns it 
3. A single developer is sufficient to look after the integration process
4. Complex features can be added in minutes
5. Highly secure and compliant with stringent regulatory standards
6. Highly scalable as the user base grows
7. Can be updated in minutes, and third-party providers will handle all updates
8. Reduced hosting cost as data and app can be hosted on the provider’s cloud
9. Less time required to develop and maintain the app

Best Voice Call API Providers

Listed below are some of the top API providers of voice call solutions that help businesses to build a customized chat app, without any lag, with crystal-clear calling capabilities, and excellent deployment options.

Mirrorfly

MirrorFly is one of the best CPaaS providers of in-app chat, voice, and video call APIs, which is highly regarded by developers for building custom voice chat solutions with advanced calling capabilities, faster integration, and enterprise-grade security. Additionally, they are recognized for facilitating over 1 billion conversations with ultra-low latency and a 99.999% uptime Service Level Agreement (SLA). Just not this, they also offer SaaS and self-hosted solutions to build engaging apps.

Apphitect

Based in the UAE, Apphitect has built in real-time instant messaging elements that help businesses create rich voice call apps for Android and iOS. Additionally, they provide pre-built UI kits to facilitate the creation of intuitive designs and offer cloud storage support as well. You can integrate with any number of apps, and scaling is easy with Apphitect. 

Twilio

If there is a popular programmable voice API in town that brings the phone services to users, then it has to be Twilio, which allows users to send and receive calls and messages. Also, Twilio powers personalized interactions by allowing users to connect across any platform. And with their REST APIs, developers can integrate any voice chat features and give access to carrier networks, too. 

Plivo

From enabling developers to add voice calling and instant messaging to apps, to supporting carrier connections with over 1,600 local carrier networks, Plivo is a cloud communication platform that supports 195+ countries. It comes as the most affordable solution with an easy-to-deploy option. Just now, this platform also allows developers to add SMS communication in any web language with the help of their SDKs.

Vonage

Vonage is a cloud communication API provider that offers a range of rich features, including audio calling, group calling, SMS, messaging, and SIP trunking. Additionally, they support multi-factor authentication to enhance the app’s security. However, the most surprising part is that Vonage covers over 1600 carriers in almost 225 countries around the world. 

Benefits Of Voice Call API

Trust me, there are several benefits that voice call APIs offer to businesses, thus making them the most sought-after option by developers. To name a few:

1. Scalability – Today, cloud-based voice APIs offer excellent scalability, allowing them to easily handle high call volumes without requiring additional infrastructure. So when you use an API to build your app, you need not worry about the number of users using the solution.
2. Configurability – When you opt for third-party voice API providers, you can create a custom voice calling software by adding features that your business would desire. This flexibility is one of the best benefits for enterprises.
3. Cost-effectiveness – The cost of expensive telecom infrastructure and skilled professionals is not mandatory when you use voice chat SDKs. Additionally, by utilizing cloud-based SDKs, you can significantly reduce operational costs, making it the most cost-effective option for companies.
4. Customer Satisfaction – As voice APIs enable developers to add features such as automated IVRs, group voice calling, click-to-call, push notifications, and more, they improve the user experience, thereby helping customers appreciate personalized interactions.

Core Features of a Voice Call API

Your choice of robust voice APIs should include the basic voice call management attributes necessary to make and receive calls, as well as record them. Apart from this, they should also have the following features:

1. Text-to-speech – Allows users to receive the messages in their desired language.
2. Smart IVRs – They are known to handle customer service operations intelligently, be it call routing, integration with other channels, call recording, or AI sentiment analysis.
3. Real-time notifications – Help users receive notifications when a call or voicemail is received, allowing them to take necessary actions.
4. Integration with other systems – The voice APIs you choose should support seamless integration with other communication systems, such as SIP, CRM, Salesforce, and more.
5. Audio streaming – It allows multiple participants to join the call by enabling the initiator to send an invitation link or message. 

Choosing the Right Voice Call API Provider

You might be confused about which API provider to opt for when building a voice chat application. But let me tell you that a good API is one that offers unmatched scalability, great flexibility, and perks such as –

1. 100% customization – gives the ability to customize their entire set of call and chat features based on the business needs.
2. 2. Self-hosting option – lets developers host the app and data on their own servers so that they get complete control over it.
3. Compatibility – The APIs should support multiple programming languages, including React, React Native, Python, .NET, and others.
4. Developer support – In case you are unsure about the integration process, they provide developer support to expedite the integration.
5. Full source code access – Should let developers access their entire source code so that they can make changes as they wish based on internal needs.
6. Whitelabeling – Help retain your branding elements, such as logos, icons, and themes, within the application to boost your visibility.

Wrapping Up!

So this was all about voice APIs, their definition, and what to look for while choosing the API provider in town. With this part complete, the next step is to put the content into action and utilize voice chat SDKs to build a robust and flexible voice calling solution tailored to your business needs.

Also, when you opt for voice chat SDKs, you can benefit from complete customization capability and a self-hosting option that most of the providers do not offer. Along with this, they also offer over 1,000 call and chat features that are truly amazing!