After the pandemic, the world has adopted new ways of conducting business. Apart from traditional methods of being physically available at the workplace, companies have shifted towards remote working. It has benefitted organizations in several ways. It improves cost-effectiveness, increases employee productivity, and improves employee satisfaction.
After all, what’s the point of being physically present in the office when you can deliver high-quality work at the ease of home? However, an effective solution is needed for the teams within an organization to collaborate efficiently and be on the same page. That’s where chat room technologies make all the difference.
In this article, we will discuss the 5 top chat room technologies that effectively promote communication within organizations and help them succeed.
What are Chat Room Technologies?
Chat room technologies are applications or platforms that promote real-time communication within or outside the organization. This communication can be in the form of video chat, text chat, or voice chat. It requires the internet to interact with other people through these team chat apps.
Team chat apps have become necessary for modern organizations to thrive in the world. Several communication applications are available, including Discord, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, etc. However, some team chat apps are designed with the businesses in mind.
Business chat rooms have some unique features that set them apart from others. These include ease of use, file sharing, filtering features, screen sharing, etc. Organizations can also integrate AI chatbots into chat rooms by leveraging the expertise of the best AI chatbot development company.
5 Best Chat Room Technologies For the Workplace
Enhanced communication within an organization is only one aspect that we discussed about chat room technologies; they do much more than just that. They can also be used to provide customer support or improve engagement. Here are the 5 top team chat apps to increase employee productivity:
- Slack
Slack is one of the most used and renowned chat room technologies. It enhances employee productivity by facilitating communication. Successful businesses use Slack to improve collaboration within the organization. Its several extraordinary features, including advanced search functionality, message threading, etc., make it a go-to choice for every business.
Users have the power to choose whether they want to communicate one-on-one with a colleague or create a channel for a group discussion. Multiple channels can be created to make it easy for users to discuss a single project in a specific channel. These channels can be private or public for anyone within the organization to join.
Pros
- Can create multiple channels to facilitate collaboration within the organization.
- Can set reminders for meetings of messages to get notified before the time.
- Advanced search functionality to find past conversations easily.
Cons
- Expensive plans for shorter teams.
- Too many notifications can cause a disturbance.
- Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a workspace that has emerged as a solution to promote real-time communication within and outside organizations during the pandemic. It is user-friendly and requires little to no effort to set up. It can do everything a user needs to work remotely and more efficiently.
Users can share documents and screens for better collaboration. Moreover, you can record the meetings and revisit them for better understanding. Its integration with Microsoft Office 365 makes it one of the best team chat rooms for online meetings and document storage.
Pros
- Seamless integration with other Microsoft Office applications.
- Bots are available and can be created for engagement.
- Easy access to previous meeting notes and recordings.
Cons
- Limited channels and users supported.
- Document sharing is complex and can be simplified.
- Skype
Most of us have used Skype once in our lives, whether for business collaboration or personal use. Users can use it to make free one-on-one or group voice and video calls. Screen sharing and live subtitles are some other standout features of Skype.
Skype is a team chat room technology for businesses that is extremely easy to use and available for every operating system. So, whether you are a mobile user or a desktop user, you can enjoy its features and enhance productivity.
It empowers organizations to gather all employees and stakeholders to promote collaboration and make bigger things happen.
Pros
Has an intuitive and easy-to-use interface.
Free version with most of the features that are enough for communication locally.
Has screen sharing capabilities.
Cons
Sometimes, call quality drops depending on the internet (requires a strong internet).
Limited conferencing participants.
- Zoom
Talking about chat room technologies and not mentioning Zoom is no less than a crime. It has solidified its position as one of the best team chat apps in the era where more and more businesses are shifting towards remote work.
Its features are no less than those of any of the above-mentioned video conferencing platforms. It empowers users to take collaboration to the next level by recording meetings, screen sharing, virtual meetings, changing video backgrounds, etc. You must give it a shot to enhance your business productivity.
Pros
- Supports meetings with hundreds of participants.
- Has a user-friendly interface.
- Allows users to add virtual backgrounds.
Cons
- Hidden charges and pricing tactics.
- Customer support isn’t supportive and provides inadequate responses.
- Google Chat
Google Chat was once known as Google Hangouts. It has rooms with the same purpose of simplifying and organizing communication as other team chat technologies. What sets Google Chat apart is its seamless integration with Google’s suite of apps.
Among its main features of facilitating collaboration, Google Chat allows you to quickly generate a response with smart compose. Moreover, like many social media platforms, including WhatsApp, you can now edit the messages you send. Businesses must try it to communicate seamlessly within the organization and with stakeholders.
Pros
- Seamless integration with Google Workspace applications.
- Familiar interface for users already using other Google Workspace applications.
- Offers customization features and advanced search functionality to enhance the experience.
Cons
- Occasional glitches and bugs in Google Chat.
- There are a few features and notification settings.
Conclusion
Chat room technologies are pivotal in promoting communication and collaboration within an organization. They have become necessary tools for organizations to stay competitive in the highly digital era. The online chat rooms not only facilitate collaboration within an organization but allow companies to engage with their clients efficiently.
As far as the question of what team chat app you should choose is concerned, the choice of a business chat app depends on your unique business requirements and budget.
