SOUDAN: Developing a Video Consultation Marketplace That Charges by Call Time

Overview

As remote interaction spread rapidly, ITO Technologies Inc. envisioned a place where people could easily buy and sell skills and knowledge, such as English conversation, fortune-telling, and personal advice, through one-on-one remote calls. Because the consultation fee is determined by call time, it is a service where a dropped call or a gap in the time record leads directly to a billing error.

We handled everything from design to development, testing, and operations, and developed SOUDAN, an iOS and Android app connecting experts with people seeking advice, along with an admin panel for the operator. It was first released as a beta version.

Challenges

• Because call time becomes the billed amount as-is, stable calls and accurate time records were essential
• In addition to video calls, screen sharing and recording had to be offered within a single service
• No existing calling component met all the requirements

What We Did

• A mechanism that accurately records the start and end of each call and keeps it as the basis for billing
• Screen sharing, recording (stored for 14 days), and support for voice-only consultations without showing one's face
• Filled the gaps in existing components by building custom parts tailored to iOS and Android respectively
• Automated everything from booking and payment to monthly transfers of earnings to experts

Results

• Call-time-based billing, screen sharing, and recording delivered on both iOS and Android
• After the beta release, the service was operated for about a year and a half
• The relationship continued after the service ended, and we are working on our next project with the same client

Facing Both "Can It Be Built?" and "Will It Be Used?"

While the technical challenges were solved, acquiring users through advertising did not go as planned, and the service ended after about a year and a half of operation. Because the approach was to build big before going to market, the real user response could only be confirmed after release.

From this experience, we place great importance on an approach that checks early on, together with our clients, whether a product will really be used. It means having users try a prototype with a narrowed set of features from an early stage, and building it out while watching their response.

We support new businesses with both the technical ability to give shape to even complex systems and an approach that builds small and validates quickly.

Our Scope of Work

• Design, development, and testing
• Development of the iOS and Android apps and the operator admin panel
• Post-release operations

Client Information

Company Name

ITO Technologies Inc.

Business Overview

• Plans and operates new services under the mission "Bringing new experiences into your life." (Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture)

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you handle billing based on call time and distributing earnings to experts? Yes. In this case, we recorded the start and end of each call as the basis for billing, and automated everything up to the monthly transfers to experts.

Can we check the market's response before building something big? Yes. We propose an approach that first checks user response with the minimum necessary features, then builds out further while gauging the response.

Can a smartphone app support both iOS and Android? Yes. In this case, we provided the same experience on both, and where the shared framework fell short, we built custom parts for each platform.

Related Information

• Build small and test the market's response → PoC/MVP development
• Development of apps and web services involving payments and calls → System development

Related news

• Soudan, a Marketplace for Skills and Knowledge, Released

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