There's a broad range of team chat apps to choose from, so how do you know what's right for your team? Keep reading to learn more about the advantages and best features of business messaging apps that will improve team communication — and more.
Think of all the ways you communicate with your co-workers. Of course, there is email, but what other channels do you use on a regular basis? Text messaging, video conferencing, internal instant messaging, Facebook messenger, screen sharing, video calls, chat rooms, audio calls...the list goes on.
The best collaboration apps truly do help team members collaborate more because now you don't have to go to several different places to check messages in different programs. A good business chat app offers a web browser version, Mac and PC applications and native mobile apps for Android and iOS.
We've all heard the phrase, 'Did you get my email?' Today’s business professionals are inundated with hundreds of emails per day and some messages will inevitably get lost in the shuffle.
Team chat apps are great for short, brief communication. Rather than writing an introduction and a couple of paragraphs, messaging apps encourage sending short snippets of critical information and requests in real time, like:
'Here's the Q2 project management report for the new product launch. Is there anything else you need?’
'This potential customer has a price objection. Does anyone have a strategy or response that has worked for them in the past?'
Team members can customise communication with group chat streams and direct messages and choose when they receive notifications so they aren't getting distracted constantly. Furthermore, the format of the messaging app encourages more robust ongoing conversation, as opposed to email where conversations can seem to end rather abruptly.
Our modern workforce is increasingly spread out across multiple offices across a range of time zones, adding a layer of challenges to effective team communication. Many organisations now have a completely virtual work environment where team members work from home and communicate online exclusively.
When you can't stop by a coworker's desk to ask a quick question or ask them how their weekend was, employee engagement can become difficult. Team messaging apps help employees within and in between departments communicate and engage with one another in a quick, easy manner. No matter where they are, they can send a quick message or answer questions via a mobile app or computer.
No more waiting for a colleague to scan in a document or fax an invoice. Those days are long gone! With business messaging apps, team members can upload and store documents in real time. They can even create collaborative documents that multiple people can edit, update or modify in real time without sending updated reports back and forth via email.
With the right app, team members don't have to search for documents or shuffle through old emails to find what they are looking for. Each department or project team can have their own virtual workplace with a group chat stream, store and share files, upload reports and record meetings.
Additionally, using a robust business messaging app helps to eliminate the need for so many meetings. Rather than have a status meeting or weekly hour-long department meeting, communicate on a regular basis within the app, so everyone is always in the know. Fewer meetings means saving time, increasing productivity and likely, happier employees!
Increasing communication, collaboration and productivity aren't the only benefits of team chat apps. Business messaging apps also help encourage accountability to goals in a transparent environment. If something isn't documented, there's no way to prove it happened. Messaging apps provide a running track record and documents commitments team members have made to one another.
The best collaboration tools foster accountability and personal responsibility to individual and group goals and targets in a public space. When everyone on the team or chat stream can view their goals and commitments, people are more likely to achieve them to uphold their reputation. Team members can even make public to-do lists, so their managers can see their progress on projects in real time without having to ask.
Now that you know the benefits of team messaging apps, how do you choose the right one? Slack and Hipchat may have been the first to gain popularity for team messaging apps and sure, you can send gifs — but do they truly measure performance?
Samewave is more than a social network for businesses. It is social performance management software that takes team messaging to the next level. Our software gives companies the ability to not only communicate via chat, but also measures productivity and accountability towards goals with the power of Promise-Based Management.
Teams can participate in custom chat streams and direct messages, create and upload documents, collaborate on projects, and more. Samewave can generate meeting minutes, create custom, visually-appealing reports and send them automatically based on your preferences.
Our solution includes native applications for PC and Mac desktop computers as well as Android and iPhone mobile apps. Your next business deal doesn't wait until your boss answers their email in the morning. With Samewave, teams can communicate anytime, anywhere, on any device.
If you are ready to boost productivity, drive engagement and create the most productive teams, download Samewave and introduce it to your business leaders today.
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