TemplateFREE⏱️ 60-120 minutes
Chat Feature Spec Template for Product Managers
Free template for specifying real-time chat and messaging features in SaaS products. Covers channels, threading, message types, moderation,...
Updated 2026-03-05
Chat Feature Spec
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Frequently Asked Questions
Should we build chat in-house or use a third-party SDK?+
For most products, start with a third-party SDK (Stream, Sendbird, PubNub) and customize the UI. Building real-time messaging from scratch is a multi-quarter investment in WebSocket infrastructure, message ordering, delivery guarantees, and offline sync. A good SDK handles the hard infrastructure problems while letting you own the UI and business logic. Evaluate SDKs on: message delivery latency, threading support, moderation APIs, mobile SDK quality, and pricing at your scale.
How do we handle chat in products with external users (customers, partners)?+
Separate internal and external chat with clear visual distinctions. Use different channel types or a distinct "external" badge. Apply stricter moderation to external-facing channels. Limit external users' ability to see channel lists, member directories, or search internal messages. Consider read-only channels for announcements to external users, with a dedicated feedback channel for two-way communication.
What is the right message retention policy?+
It depends on your industry and user expectations. Default to retaining all messages with admin-configurable auto-deletion (30, 90, 365 days). Regulated industries (healthcare, finance) often require specific retention windows. Give admins the tools to configure retention per channel. Always support message export before deletion so users can archive important conversations.
Should we support voice and video in chat?+
Not in V1 unless your product's core use case requires synchronous communication. Text chat with threading, mentions, and rich media covers 80%+ of collaboration needs. If you add voice/video later, integrate it as "start a call from this thread" so the context carries over. Building reliable voice/video is an entirely separate engineering challenge from text messaging.
How do we prevent chat from becoming a noisy distraction?+
Three mechanisms: smart defaults for notification levels (DMs and mentions notify; channel messages do not), easy mute controls (one-click mute per channel), and daily digest emails as an alternative to real-time alerts. Also consider a "Focus Mode" that suppresses all chat notifications for a configurable period. Track your notification opt-out rate as a leading indicator for over-notification. ---
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