We look at some of the best solutions for office messaging platforms in the workplace and discuss their benefits and drawbacks. As new solutions come on the market, we will continue to update this page, so bookmark it and return frequently. Because technology software evolves at such a rapid pace, the best solution today may not be the easiest alternative tomorrow.
People have discovered that working from home allows them to maintain a healthy work-life balance, but working from home does not always provide the same level of communication with colleagues as working in an office. That is why businesses should have the right tools in place to ensure that team chat apps and interactions are as effective remotely as they are in the office.
Proper instant messaging is one of the most important tools that companies with a remote workforce require. An online messaging tool for business, when deployed and used correctly, can be a critical component of your ability to maintain communication with your workers and coworkers while also trying to foster productive capacity.
How Did you Choose The Best Office Messaging App For Your Business?
On the market, there are three most popular office messaging apps for business. We’ve thoroughly examined all 3 of them and gathered a list of criteria to consider when conducting your research.
Communication
How well does the tool handle internal company communication?
Is it possible to communicate with people outside of the program?
Some apps focus on internal communication, while others allow you to communicate both internally and externally. Before selecting a solution and deploying it to your organization, it is critical to consider what kind of needs you require for your organization.
Collaboration
Business instant messaging software isn’t just for chatting about the latest news. It can also serve as a platform for your team’s collaboration to work on a project, share files, and more.
Simpleness of use
Complex business instant messaging tools will slow down deployment and acceptance by your team. A tool that is simple to use and learn will help your company become more efficient, whereas a complex tool will become a hindrance to your organization as your team spends more time trying to learn its intricacies rather than using it to do their job.
Design
Even in the workplace, software design is important. In their personal lives, users are accustomed to well-designed tools, and they expect the same in their professional lives. A preferred business instant messaging tool will have a modern, user-friendly interface.
Platforms for assistance
The best business instant messaging software will be cross-platform, so your team will be able to chat and stay in touch, share files, and collaborate on all company plans whether they are using a Mac, PC, Chrome OS, Android, or iOS.
Pricing
While most business solutions are expensive and use a recurring subscription model, having a reasonable pricing plan will be critical in selecting the right instant messaging software for your company because it will be difficult to change in the future if you choose one that you cannot afford in the long run.
Best Office Messaging Platforms To Look Out
While some video calling options allow for a large number of participants, it’s likely that this isn’t enough to compensate for the lack of essential features. Good business office messaging apps typically include extra features such as the ability to create threads in chats based on specific messages and status settings. Additional benefits, such as task management and file sharing, are also appreciated.
Troop Messenger
Troop Messenger is yet another office messaging app that you might not be familiar with. However, the attractive pricing options mean that it is unlikely to remain under the radar for long.
You get messaging, voice and video, file sharing, screenshots, usage analytics, and fingerprint security for a buck per user per month. Screen-sharing apps, some privacy chat features, and the ability to edit sent messages are all included in the Enterprise plan.
Troop provides 50GB of free storage space, with the option to upgrade to 1TB. Troop Messenger is also self-hosted, making it not only an affordable but also a versatile business instant messaging solution.
Slack
Slack is frequently lauded as the best business instant messaging and collaboration tool. That’s because Slack has more integrations than anyone else and one of the largest user bases. Organizations can easily streamline communications and have more relevant conversations with Slack’s public and private channels, thread-based chat, and direct messages.
Screen sharing, voice and video communication, and useful features such as automated reminders and keyword alerts are all included. This latter alerts you whenever a word of your choosing is mentioned. Slack offers two-factor authentication, data encryption, enterprise key management, and other security features.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is one of the newest solutions for office messaging in the business world. It was created in response to the growing popularity of Slack in the workplace. Because Microsoft already has Microsoft Outlook, they now have multiple communication-focused products, with Outlook focusing on external communication and Teams focusing on internal communication.
Apart from chat, the other major component of Microsoft Teams is video conferencing, which it excels at. Furthermore, it provides powerful internal and external communication tools, as well as integrations with other office apps for presenting work.
T-bot and Who-bot, two different bots, welcome you to the platform and allow you to search the company intranet and extract relevant information. Nearly 200 other integrations are also available in Teams. Internal communication on Teams takes place in threaded group chat rooms or through private chatting.
However, it is one of the more perplexing video meeting platforms available, with a relatively steep learning curve. Furthermore, for some of the more advanced features, users must have other Microsoft services integrated, which can quickly become difficult.
Brosix
Brosix has created an all-in-one office messaging app for businesses of all sizes. You get more than just an internal team chat with Brosix. You get a flexible business solution with dynamic productivity tools, strong security, and extensive administrative control.
Communication and collaboration are facilitated by voice and video capabilities, screen sharing, and a native whiteboard solution. Broadcast messages allow you to target your message to a specific audience.
Unlike other business messengers, Brosix’s unlimited-size file transfer never limits file transfers by size or volume. Businesses that want to improve customer service can easily implement the engaging live chat solution.
Mattermost
Businesses looking for an open-source instant messaging app should look no further than Mattermost. What exactly is open-source? This gives you the ability to muck around with the source code, tailoring it to your company’s specific requirements.
Custom branding and login page design, the ability to customize languages in the UI, and even the ability to add encryption on both the communication and server levels are all available with Mattermost.
Messaging can take place one-on-one or in groups via public and private channels. Voice, video, and screen sharing are also available. Because Mattermost is a self-hosted program, you must install it on your server. There are numerous open-source integrations and connections available.
Conclusion
Having the right office messaging app for your company can mean the difference between a productive and a non-productive remote workforce. The ideal solution for your team is one that allows for seamless collaboration without becoming a burden. Culture will play a role in the effective use of office messaging software for business.
