{"id":10135,"date":"2021-03-18T06:58:43","date_gmt":"2021-03-18T06:58:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arkasoftwares.com\/blog\/?p=10135"},"modified":"2025-03-03T18:57:49","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T18:57:49","slug":"launch-your-saas-based-virtual-classroom-website-and-mobile-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.arkasoftwares.com\/blog\/launch-your-saas-based-virtual-classroom-website-and-mobile-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Launch Your SaaS-based Virtual Classroom Website and Mobile App"},"content":{"rendered":"

Students\u2019 learning in schools and colleges remained mostly uninterrupted because universities and schools quickly adopted virtual classrooms and learning management systems<\/a><\/span> (LMS) software. <\/span><\/p>\n

Though they tried to provide maximum leverage, regular zoom like WebEx or Zoom doesn\u2019t fulfill a classroom\u2019s needs from a learner\u2019s, a teacher\u2019s, an administrator\u2019s, or a parent\u2019s point of view. They did not fit the requirements of online education and teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n

At first glance, this software has features like screen sharing, chatting, recording, annotations, etc. But when used by educators, it became clear that they didn\u2019t provide enough 2-way interaction, assignments, study material, and many other essential features to make a classroom.<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual online classrooms app <\/span><\/a><\/span>must provide the near-real experience of a real classroom online by covering all the necessary functionality and providing support for many more features.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>What is a Virtual Classroom?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

A virtual classroom is an online system to emulate a real classroom. It allows participants (teachers and students) to communicate, play videos, show presentations, interact with fellow participants, make smaller workgroups, submit assignments, and take roll calls<\/span><\/p>\n

.<\/span>A virtual classroom has an interactive whiteboard that can be shared, allows for discussions to occur in real-time, conducts online tests, presents reports, and uses the resources digitally. <\/span><\/p>\n

Many of the virtual classroom system’s features include audio & video streaming<\/a><\/span> and recording, voice and video calls, group calls, instant chat, screen sharing, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"<\/p>\n

The benefits for such systems now need no more advocacy as the COVID-19 pandemic, and its shutdowns made people take notice of such systems closely.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>How do Virtual Classrooms benefit Users?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Virtual classroom systems are technology platforms facilitating the delivery & consumption of e-Learning content within a virtual learning setting. The benefits are many, and critical advantages are listed here:<\/span><\/p>\n

Online classes: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Anyone can host online live classes from their home, offices, or even outdoors. Individual trainers, school teachers, and professors can start their channels for teaching. <\/span><\/p>\n

Institutions like schools, tuition centers, colleges, and universities can offer virtual online classes for all students in every class.<\/span><\/p>\n

Anywhere & anytime teaching: <\/span><\/h3>\n

The training and teaching can happen even when instructors and learners are moving. They can access online e-Learning<\/a> content and can attend live sessions from any connected device.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"<\/p>\n\n

Employees training: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Virtual classrooms have made it easy for businesses to deliver training to their workforce in remote areas, including agents, employees, partners, and vendors in a real-time face-to-face manner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Host Virtual Seminars: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Host web-based seminars or webinars for a select audience with invitation-only access. These sessions can be technical webinars, academic or business conferences, product launches, or online meetings with regional managers<\/span><\/p>\n

Virtual offices: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Office collaboration becomes much more convenient, with all team members simultaneously working. You can conduct office scrums and meetings conveniently at any time of the day.<\/span><\/p>\n

Live help desk: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Virtual classroom systems are deployed in live customer support where the client and the company representative meet online to resolve their issues.<\/span>
\nA virtual classroom system is a dream-come-true scenario for numerous people – students, teachers, businesses, and employees – and delivers immense benefits to all of them.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>What Is Virtual Classroom App?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Students and instructors can join a virtual classroom using a website, desktop software, or increasingly a mobile app<\/span>.<\/span> They all are different interfaces for the same system centrally hosted on a web server and deliver all contents to its users.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"VirtualA mobile app is the most popular way among the students as they are passive receivers of the instructor\u2019s content. The mobile app has almost the same features and functionality as the website or the desktop app but still has a few limitations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The shared screen shows very small in any orientation; scribbling anything is difficult, you cannot see all participants simultaneously, and if a call comes, you may experience disruption. <\/span><\/p>\n

Submitting assignments using the app may be difficult for the students, especially in junior classes. One can conduct live quizzes and image editing with relative unease.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a<\/span> virtual classroom mobile app<\/span> is your best bet if you are on the move and don\u2019t want to miss any classes. As an instructor, if you have prepared your class resources, you can also conduct a good class online from your mobile from anywhere. As the attendance is automatically recorded, your complete responsibilities are taken care of.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>How to Deploy Virtual Classroom Software?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Deploying a virtual classroom system requires a heavy-duty server with massive bandwidth and top-of-the-class IT infrastructure.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are an IT company, you can do it on your premises but for non-IT companies or schools and universities, hosting such a webserver is not a good idea from a maintenance point of view.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In any case, the following two options are available for deployment:<\/span><\/p>\n

In-house and on-premise deployment<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you decide to keep things under physical control, then on-premise deployment of virtual classroom software<\/a><\/span> is preferred. Usually, this kind of system is built in-house with the local IT team, and its complete maintenance is their responsibility. This kind of deployment is considered more secure than the ones publicly hosted on a cloud.<\/span><\/p>\n

The system availability is dependent on the Internet connectivity you have from your local ISP, and any local disturbances or outages will bring the whole system to a standstill. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, you have complete flexibility to customize and tune the platform for your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also a massive capital investment and recurring expenditure and requires long-term vision and dedication of the management, IT team, and users. <\/span><\/p>\n

The time needed to bring such a system from the idea stage to a live, usable system may be from 6 months to 2 years, depending on the features included.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cloud-based deployment<\/span><\/h3>\n

The cloud-based or off-premise deployment uses SaaS, or Software as a Servi<\/span>ce, paradigm. <\/span><\/p>\n

As the complete system is hosted on a public cloud, none of your users need special hardware or software other than a basic PC or smartphone with an Internet connection.<\/span><\/p>\n

The customizations are done by your service provider, and you may not get 100% of what you need. Most users\u2019 needs are met as the service providers do extensive market and requirements analysis.<\/span><\/p>\n

The time to launch such a system is usually within a few days to weeks, depending on the amount of customization needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

It works like an online subscription to a virtual meeting platform like Zoom<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>Again, with SaaS-based virtual classrooms, you have two options \u2013 open-source and free platforms and closed-source but paid systems.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

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\nhttps:\/\/live-arkasoftwares.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/uploads\/2021\/03\/animated_medium20220531-1738-13nqdco-1.mp4<\/a><\/video><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Open-source platforms<\/span><\/h3>\n

Open-source systems are freely available for you to deploy, customize, and use. But you might struggle with the intricacies of customizations, user management, <\/strong>content management, and deployment. <\/span><\/p>\n

You will have to rely on the community of open-source developers, which can be unreliable, or hire an IT expert<\/a>,<\/span> who can be ill-trained, for support.<\/span><\/p>\n

Proprietary SaaS platforms<\/span><\/h3>\n

Proprietary virtual classroom systems are a paid service, which may seem an unnecessary expense in the beginning. But when you get on-time delivery, reliable customer support, customizations, regular maintenance, and updates, the costs are worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can now focus on your core operations \u2013 teaching and learning \u2013 while your service provider takes care of the rest. Usually, the support is available 24\/7.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/span>So, what is SaaS?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

In cloud-based services<\/a><\/span>, SaaS, or software as a service, is a delivery model where software hosted on a cloud is licensed to clients for use as they go.<\/span><\/p>\n

The license fee is usually in the form of a subscription fee. <\/span>Any individual or business can subscribe to such software online and needs a basic PC and stable internet connection to use it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Being a web-based service<\/a><\/span>, it is most readily available on any device \u2013 PC, laptop, tablets, and smartphones. Being accessible from the Internet, SaaS applications can be used by users on the go and, therefore, are used by organizations whose executives are always traveling.<\/span><\/p>\n

SaaS is a way of delivering applications over the Internet as a service, and nothing is installed on the user machine. The user data is also stored securely on the cloud but can be downloaded or saved in private cloud storage.<\/span><\/p>\n

The service provider ensures smooth access to the application and provides security, availability, and performance assurance as QoS parameters in the SLA (service level agreement).<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>SaaS Characteristics<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Just like a bank, SaaS software protects the privacy of each client while providing reliable and secure services on a massive scale.<\/span><\/p>\n

Like a bank, the users all use the same systems and technology and don\u2019t have to worry about anyone else accessing their personal information without authorization.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"SaaS-based<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The key characteristics of the SaaS model are:<\/span><\/p>\n

Simple deployments<\/span><\/h3>\n

They don\u2019t require the latest or too much hardware equipment, allowing clients to outsource most IT responsibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

Scalable<\/span><\/h3>\n

A school or university using SaaS-based virtual classrooms can accommodate any number of student batches and that too very quickly. Even if all the batches are running concurrently, the system does not break down or slow down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expanded Geography<\/span><\/h3>\n

Schools and universities can now take courses and learning material available to their students at any geographical location. They simply need a computing device with a stable Internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Simple and intuitive<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Almost all virtual classrooms have great and easy-to-understand intuitive designs. They are easy to use and don\u2019t require any t<\/span>raining to use the system.<\/span><\/p>\n

No one-time purchases<\/span><\/h3>\n

SaaS systems are usually subscribed to and paid a subscription fee. On-premise software, on the other hand, is paid for upfront. The regular subscriptions allow schools and businesses to link their expenditure with their recurring incomes spread over a long period.<\/span><\/p>\n

Multitenant Architecture<\/span><\/h3>\n

All users and applications share a single infrastructure and code base maintained centrally. The SaaS vendor can update easily, maintain readily, and innovate quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easy Customization<\/span><\/h3>\n

Most SaaS applications provide the facility to each user to customize them according to specific needs and preferences. These customizations are unique to each user or group of users and do not affect the common codebase and services. SaaS also allows us to turn on or off many business processes as needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

Better Access<\/span><\/h3>\n

SaaS assures 100% access to data from any connected device. It does not allow unprivileged users to access with the use of strong authentication tools. The updates to a central database ensure that everyone sees the same information at the same time.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Read Also: IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS – Best Cloud Computing Service Model<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n\n

<\/span>What is the SaaS-based Virtual Classroom business model?<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

The SaaS-based virtual classroom model has the following actors \u2013 the service provider, the institution or client, and the end-users.<\/span>
\nThe SaaS service provider company<\/a><\/span> has the responsibility for the development, customization, maintenance, and updates.<\/span><\/p>\n

It maintains the servers, database, IT infrastructure, load-balancing, and other issues. They are generally paid every month a fee from customers called a subscription.<\/span><\/p>\n

The client can be an individual, a school or a university, or any business that needs to conduct online sessions, classes, assessments, training sessions, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

They provide their associates \u2013 teachers, trainers, executives, etc. \u2013 devices to prepare and deliver an online live session or assessment.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"Virtual<\/span><\/p>\n\n

The end-users include the teachers, students, and administrators who use the system for teaching and learning. They also use the system to share resources, take attendance, submit assignments, and meet in breakout rooms.<\/span><\/p>\n

The SaaS-enabled virtual classrooms\u2019 business model is that the complete system is hosted on a cloud and accessed on a web browser. <\/span><\/p>\n

The clients -schools, universities, training institutes, and businesses \u2013 pay the service provider a monthly or annual fee for access. The end-users just log into their accounts and get full access.<\/span><\/p>\n

Recurring payments<\/span><\/h3>\n

The primary source of revenue for a SaaS business is a recurring membership fee. It gives the clients and their end-users access to the software\u2019s services, products, and features. <\/span><\/p>\n

Clients do not buy expensive hardware, nor do they license software. As a service provider, you need to be concerned about receiving payments every month or year as opposed to only once.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer retention<\/span><\/h3>\n

The SaaS business model\u2019s most beneficial aspect is that your clients become dependent and loyal to\u00a0<\/span>your services. If your solution truly solves an integral business problem and core functions, they will not go anywhere soon.<\/span><\/p>\n

This loyalty can make them your clients for years and become a steady revenue stream. In SaaS businesses, customer retention is often more important because it is the only thing to keep your business profitable.<\/span><\/p>\n

As a result, the SaaS model puts immense value on developing long-term customer relationships, upselling, services, and referrals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Consistent updates<\/span><\/h3>\n

SaaS providers regularly provide frequent and small updates to their services to fulfill customer demands and introduce new features. <\/span><\/p>\n

These include security patches, bug fixes, better interface, faster load times,<\/strong> more flexibility in reporting, support for more devices and form factors, etc. <\/span><\/p>\n

As SaaS provider hosts their products, they can update all instances consistently simultaneously at a time of their choosing. With proper communication with clients, service providers can assure their clients that their needs are served regularly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Customer relationship<\/span><\/h3>\n

As each client is only renting your software, it means that every cycle, you must earn your revenue from them. Therefore, an excellent customer relationship is needed at the forefront of all their operations. <\/span><\/p>\n

The client managers must nurture and develop individual relationships with their clients\u2019 key contacts to ensure continuity in revenues.<\/span><\/p>\n

No Infrastructure<\/span><\/h3>\n

Customers need not invest, run, and manage expensive hardware and network infrastructure. Similarly, as a servic<\/span>e provider, you need not build the cloud infrastructure to host your SaaS virtual classrooms. <\/span><\/p>\n

Like your solution, the cloud provides Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS, where you can rent as advanced systems as needed and scale them almost instantly. That leaves you to focus on what you do best and outsource the rest.<\/span><\/p>\n

Easy Integration through APIs and Web Services<\/span><\/h3>\n

Integration with other applications and offline systems is needed in many situations. For example, to receive the students\u2019 payments for tuition, you need to integrate the payment gateway<\/a> <\/span>for all major banks and cards.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

\"API
\nWith an open API from the beginning, your users can easily integrate your services with other applications and their legacy systems.<\/span><\/p>\n

It also opens the possibility to extend your ecosystem to a third party and independent developers to start using your APIs and create a robust value system for your solution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Web services will also help you launch your desktop and mobile apps more efficiently at a later date to provide your customers with more options to access your services.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

Related-<\/span> A Detailed Guide on API Development For Mobile Apps<\/a><\/span><\/h4>\n\n

<\/span>Key Business Metrics<\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

With a SaaS business model, you need to understand the key metrics to indicate if you are on the right path. With their knowledge, you can plan to improve them. The following are key business metrics to determine the shape of a SaaS business:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. LTV: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Lifetime value is the total revenue you will earn from one client over the life of their account. Monthly and annual retention-rate numbers are significant but don\u2019t focus on how much each retained customer contributes each month and the success of your upselling efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. CAC: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Customer acquisition cost is the total expense incurred on sales and marketing efforts to acquire a new client. Each new customer costs considerable time, effort, and money to sign up for your solutions.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the additional MRR (discussed later) offsets the CAC for that customer, then you may be on the right track for LTV to outpace CAC. Being too careful about controlling CAC could mean fewer efforts and, therefore, missed opportunities for additional revenue.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. MRR & ARR: <\/span><\/h3>\n

Monthly or annual recurring revenue are the lifelines of a SaaS business. They indicate the assured income that a business expects on a monthly or yearly basis. It is a crucial statistic that allows management and investors to monitor the current state of your business and for you to plan for future growth.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Churn rate: <\/span><\/h3>\n

The ratio of your clients leaving your services over a period \u2013 month or year. For a startup SaaS business, even a low churn rate can be extremely devastating.<\/span><\/p>\n

A high churning can be fateful for even large companies indicating that everything is not as good as you believed it. Either your customer service is inferior, or you are not able to keep up with the changing demands, or simply there is a competitor with a better and less expensive solution than yours.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Retention rate:<\/span><\/h3>\n

Opposite of the churn rate, it indicates your ability to retain clients with each cycle and is the firm basis for growth. <\/span><\/p>\n

A high retention rate over a period may mean satisfied customers, but it could also mean that customers don\u2019t have a viable alternative yet. So, you must keep it high and improve with each passing billing cycle.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Build or Buy?<\/span><\/h3>\n

SaaS-enabled solutions are available for many of our modern business computing problems. For virtual classrooms, they are almost a tailor-made solution. So, should you buy (lease) a solution from a third party or build your own SaaS solution?<\/span><\/p>\n

There are clear advantages of developing your software and SaaS solutions<\/a><\/span>, but not everyone can avail of this option. It takes a considerable commitment in terms of resources, human resources, financial investments, time, and in-house expertise.<\/span><\/p>\n

7. The Build dilemma<\/span><\/h3>\n

Even if your business has the muscle to gather all the above, there are still some important questions you need to ask before deciding to build:<\/span>
\nIs this the main operational area that we deal in?<\/span><\/p>\n