Challenge: Pet Media Group sought to improve the high latency messaging experience of Sendbird by migrating to a new and more flexible API provider.
Strategy: After careful evaluation of top real-time communication providers, PMG chose to migrate from Sendbird to Stream because of its global edge network, flexible SDKs, and superior customer support.
Result: Only one month after integrating Stream Chat, PMG has seen an 8% increase in its NPS score, lower latency, and greater future opportunities to customize the in-app experience for its 250K MAU with Stream's video, audio, and moderation APIs.
About Pet Media Group
Pet Media Group (PMG) is a leading provider of online marketplaces dedicated to pet adoption, facilitating the rehoming of over 1.5 million pets annually. With a commitment to trust, safety, and convenience, PMG serves pets and their caregivers through a network of trusted local brands. Recently, PMG integrated a new chat feature into its marketplace platforms to streamline communication and payment transactions, enhancing user interaction and satisfaction.
Challenges with Sendbird
PMG encountered performance issues with their previous chat solution, Sendbird, particularly regarding latency and server location challenges.Â
PMG's Engineering Manager, Zoran Marjanovic, says, "The main issue we had was that our server with Sendbird was located in Japan while our users were located in the UK. We experienced a lot of latency loading the chat and sending new messages. Our original plan was to migrate to another Sendbird server in Europe, but they did not provide adequate support, so we decided to thoroughly evaluate other chat providers and eventually decided to use Stream."
These issues prompted PMG to seek a Sendbird alternative that could better support their growing number of marketplaces and improve overall user experience. After thorough research, PMG identified Stream Chat as an ideal replacement due to its global edge network capabilities, flexible libraries, rich documentation, and robust support for migration processes.
The Decision to Migrate from Sendbird to Stream Chat
Key factors influencing PMG's decision to migrate to Stream Chat included:
- Global Edge Network: Stream Chat's global edge network effectively addressed Sendbird's single Japan server latency issues by ensuring faster response times for its 250K MAU across different geographical locations.
- Flexible Libraries and SDKs: Stream Chat SDKs allowed PMG to customize chat functionalities according to their specific needs, including seamless integration with existing payment features.
- Migration Support: Unlike Sendbird, which required a manual migration process, Stream Chat offered a dedicated bidirectional data sync tool and comprehensive support during the data migration phase.
The Integration Process
The migration of several apps from Sendbird to Stream Chat posed challenges primarily related to Sendbird's data handling and import procedures. PMG had to migrate historical data incrementally, coordinating closely with Stream's support team for each process phase. Despite these challenges, PMG appreciated Stream Chat's automated message synchronization, commitment to data portability, and simplicity in integrating the new solution into its architecture.
Features and Performance
PMG highlighted several impactful features of Stream Chat, including improved SDK connection management and enhanced message loading speeds between channels. These enhancements directly contributed to a better user experience, especially in critical functionalities like video previews and real-time payment status updates.
Marjanovic says, "If your chat solution is reliable, the user experience is better, which means users will be more engaged, and engagement leads to more in-app transactions."
Key Metric Improvements
Following the migration to Stream Chat, PMG observed significant improvements in key business metrics:
- User Satisfaction: PMG reported increased user satisfaction (NPS) scores from 72% to 80% post-migration, reflecting improved platform reliability and user engagement.
- Retention and Engagement: While specific metrics are being monitored, initial feedback suggests potential improvements in user retention and engagement due to enhanced chat functionalities and smoother user interactions.
Support and Customer Experience
PMG reported a high level of satisfaction with Stream Chat's enterprise customer support, noting prompt responses and direct access to engineers via Slack channels.Â
Marjanovic explains, "The Slack channel made it feel like we were all on the same team. Whenever I had a question, I'd get a response from Stream's engineers almost immediately, which differs from our previous support experience with Sendbird, which was very delayed and handled via email."
This accessibility proved instrumental in resolving immediate issues and optimizing platform performance post-migration.
Marjanovic adds, "We even received a complimentary code review from Stream's engineers. They were really interested in learning how we were using the API and wanted to ensure we were set up for success."
Future Outlook and Recommendations
Looking forward, PMG aims to leverage Stream Chat's capabilities for future growth initiatives, potentially integrating video and audio functionalities into their platforms to further increase engagement. They also expressed interest in seeing improvements in Stream's moderation tools to enhance operational flexibility and scalability.
Conclusion
Stream Chat has significantly enhanced PMG's marketplace platforms by addressing critical performance issues and providing robust support for complex migration processes. With improved user satisfaction and operational efficiencies, PMG continues to innovate within the pet adoption sector, supported by Stream Chat's reliable infrastructure and responsive customer service.
By migrating from Sendbird to Stream, Pet Media Group has not only resolved its initial challenges but also positioned itself for future success in a competitive marketplace landscape.Â
Marjanovic adds, "Stream's SDKs and developer experience are far better and more flexible than Sendbird's. We ran into so many limitations while using Sendbird, but now with Stream Chat, we can customize the user experience to meet our exact needs."
PMG expresses high satisfaction with Stream's real-time communication APIs and services, highlighting its pivotal role in supporting its global growth initiatives and customer satisfaction goals. Based on their experience, PMG would recommend Stream to other marketplaces seeking a reliable, scalable chat solution with strong support and innovative features tailored to enhance user engagement and operational efficiency.