Staying in touch with your team members can be challenging when you’re constantly on the go. Fortunately, several stellar work communication apps can make it easier.
Many managers struggle to keep tabs on their employees, especially when everyone’s working different shifts. While texting and WhatsApp can help, dedicated work communication apps are more professional. With the right app, you’ll always know when an employee sees your message, and you can stay in touch with your entire team at once. Here are our top five recommended work communication apps.
What To Look For in Work Communication Apps
Finding the right team communication app starts with ease of use. Not every employee you have will be accustomed to chatting directly within apps, so you’ll want something with intuitive features that are easy to understand. Overly technical apps will turn off your employees.
Ideally, your communication app will offer direct and group messaging and audio and video call capabilities. Look for administrator features that allow managers to easily manage their teams and control important company data.
If you use multiple software for the workplace, check the integrations available through the app. Integrations make it easier to keep files and data all in one place.
1. Slack – Best for sales teams
Slack is consistently rated one of the best team communication apps, especially among companies in the tech industry. The intuitive app can be used on desktops and mobile devices, making it easy to send and receive messages wherever you are. Slack integrates with numerous other software and project management tools, including Zoom and Google Drive.
Slack’s a great tool for remote teams, but it may not be the best option for companies that have on-site workers who don’t sit at a desk all day. People who aren’t logged into their Slack account may miss messages, although Slack will notify them via email eventually. Users can also enable push notifications on their mobile devices.
While Slack has a lot to offer, there is one drawback: the Slack administrator must have a work email address to invite others to join the group and have one-on-one communications. They can send the invites to their employee’s personal email accounts. The recipient must follow several steps to join the company’s Slack workspace.
Key Features
- Group and one-on-one chats
- Include attachments like PDFs, graphics, and videos within communications
- Video conferencing
Pros
- Over 2,600 integrations with software and other apps
- Highly intuitive interface
Cons
- Must have a work email address to invite new people to join a Slack chat
- To get the most out of Slack, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan
2. Connecteam – Best all-in-one team communication app
Connecteam is a top contender among work communication apps with its feature-rich offering. With Connecteam, you can stay in contact with your team through a downloadable mobile app through the Apple and Android stores. It’s easy and requires minimal setup to get started.
One of Connecteam’s strongest features is its in-app chat. Connecteam provides separate communication channels, including one-on-one, group, and company-wide chats. Simply switch between channels to contact the people you need to reach. Plus, Connecteam allows administrators to manage the content exchanged within conversations, so they can quickly delete any inappropriate messages.
With Connecteam, you’ll gain access to the employee directory, which is essentially a digital phonebook. Rather than saving your employee’s private phone numbers to your phone or other devices, you can access them directly within the app. The directory helps eliminate confusion and ensures everyone knows how to reach their colleagues.
Connecteam offers a fun social newsfeed feature to keep everyone engaged. With the app, you can share important company news and congratulate team members for a job well done. You can also create surveys and polls to keep a pulse on how team members are doing.
Key Features
- Chat within the app
- Social newsfeed
- Conduct surveys and polls
- Share events
- In-app company directory
Pros
- Simple, easy-to-use interface
- A comprehensive solution to common workforce management issues
- Excellent customer support
- Inexpensive, with a free plan option available
Cons
- Integrations still in development
3. Chanty – Best for project and task management
Chanty is a comprehensive work communication app ideal for project management teams, especially those working remotely. With Chanty, you can easily share your screen, schedule video calls, and chat between individual team members and groups. Another interesting feature is its capability to turn a simple message into a to-do task, which helps keep major projects on track.
Chanty integrates with multiple apps, including Trello, GitHub, Google Drive, and Dropbox. Through Chanty, you can easily access important files and share them with other employees. Team members can organize their most important messages through the pinning feature, ensuring they don’t lose track of meaningful conversations.
Unfortunately, Chanty is a little on the pricey side. If you’re looking for a basic app to communicate with your team members and share important updates, it might not be the right solution for you. Chanty also lacks a few useful features that other apps include, like a social news feed and administrator’s panel.
Chanty is best for medium and large-scale businesses with global remote workforces. It’s probably not the right solution for businesses that need to manage on-site employees who aren’t desk-bound.
Key Features
- In-app chat
- Audio and video phone calls
- Share computer screens
- Pin important chats
Pros
- High-quality screen sharing
- Includes a few useful communication features, like turning messages into tasks
Cons
- Not the best work communication app for on-site employees
- Lacks key features other apps provide
4. Troop Messenger – Best for secure communication
Are you concerned about data privacy and security? Troop Messenger may be the right fit for your organization. It offers end-to-end encryption for all chats, audio and video calls, and conferences. You won’t need to worry about losing critical data essential to your organization, like client details and proprietary information.
With Troop Messenger, you can send one-on-one messages, schedule audio and video calls, and participate in group chats. Troop Messenger also has file-sharing capabilities for text documents, PDFs, PowerPoints, images, and videos. Users can preview any shared files before they open them.
Troop Messenger allows users to share their computer screens among team members like other work communication apps. While this feature is helpful for a remote workforce, it’s probably unnecessary for teams that don’t sit behind a desk daily.
Troop Messenger’s robust security features attract companies in various industries, including government, intelligence agencies, and defense manufacturers. While Troop Messenger advertises its platform, especially to those types of organizations, any business can use it.
Key Features
- Group and individual conversations
- Features a desktop app alongside its mobile offerings
- Users can share their screens
Pros
- File-sharing capabilities
- Includes recorded audio messaging
- Company phone directory
- Allows push notifications
Cons
- Security features may not be necessary for every company
- Expensive
5. Microsoft Teams – Best for healthcare teams
Microsoft is a significant player in worker productivity software, so it’s no surprise they’ve developed their work communication app. Known as Microsoft Teams, the software is available on both desktop and mobile devices. Through Microsoft Teams, users can easily schedule video and audio calls and chat directly within the app for instant communication.
As a mobile app, Microsoft Teams is accessible to anyone with an internet connection, no matter where they are. It integrates with the most popular Microsoft software programs, including Excel, Word, and PowerPoint. Users can share their files quickly and easily with team members.
While Microsoft Teams is great for communication, it’s not the most straightforward. Employees may struggle to understand the app’s various features at first. It also lacks many features other communication apps offer, like an employee phone directory and social newsfeed.
Key Features
- Supports audio and video calls
- Options for group conferencing
- Allows screen-sharing
Pros
- Integrates with other Microsoft software
- Good video quality
- Free option available
Cons
- User must have an active Microsoft subscription to access Teams
What Are Work Communication Apps?
Work communication apps allow employees and managers to communicate directly on a single platform. They can improve collaboration and allow for individual and group chats through text and video calls. Some apps include file-sharing options, so teams don’t need to email files or access them through a database.
With a team communication app, you’ll find it easier to keep your employees engaged and working toward company goals. You won’t need to worry about losing track of essential conversations like you would through email or SMS.
What Are the Benefits of Work Communication Apps?
Team communication apps offer lots of desirable benefits. Through your app, you’ll retain all communications in one place rather than having scattered emails and texts on different platforms. They’re ideal for companies with remote workforces or teams that don’t work directly in front of a computer daily.
Work communication apps can improve accountability within your workforce. Instead of wondering whether an employee read your latest email or saw your text, you’ll see a read receipt whenever they view your message. Plus, staying in touch with your employees is much easier than using email and SMS messages that can be overlooked.
