Team chat apps are emerging as modern ‘work hubs,’ allowing users to collaborate with colleagues, clients, stakeholders, and management from anywhere. As workplaces become increasingly hybrid following the pandemic, it is no surprise that team chat apps are becoming the cornerstone of communication, particularly in enterprises that operate from multiple physical locations. Apart from interaction, businesses focus on team chat apps to integrate with other popular apps to optimize workflows. Modern workplaces rely on team chat apps for more than just communication. That is true for remote teams, but the appeal extends much further. Even companies with a shared physical workspace rely more and more on team chats to get things done. Team chat apps allow everyone to choose whether to participate in, or at least see, relevant conversations while also allowing people to ignore messages that are irrelevant to them.
What is the use of the team chat app?
A team chat app allows you to communicate with people worldwide by sending and receiving messages in real-time. Users of a chat app can receive the same engaging and lively interactions through custom messaging features as they would in person. This also keeps users conversing on your platform rather than looking for a messaging solution elsewhere. Adding personalized chat features to your app, whether private chat, group chat, or large-scale chat, can help ensure your users have a memorable experience.
According to a recent survey, approximately 39% of employees worldwide believe that people in their organization do not collaborate enough. Despite this, nearly three-quarters of employers consider teamwork and collaboration “very important.” It is clear that effective internal communication within teams is very important to a company’s success.
This blog will show you how to use team chat apps like Clariti to improve team communication in the workplace. It will also delve into assisting your employees in better bonding and sharing ideas with one another while saving time and creating a more efficient work environment.
Why does your business need a team chat app?
Conversations between team members within chat apps spread a sense of productivity, transparency, and trust. It naturally makes people feel more at ease sharing information across the teams.
For instance, if you are a software development company, assume your developers communicate with clients through a team chat app. Your sales team can resolve customer inquiries using the same app. Apart from that, the developers and sales team will be able to conduct internal discussions in the same medium.
As a result, your company can provide immediate responses to clients and customers, as well as an efficient workflow among various internal teams. Furthermore, having all communication in one location will allow for more creativity, idea sharing, and greater innovation.
Top factors to consider while choosing a team chat app
To help you with your research, here are the top factors that are “must-haves” for any effective team collaboration application.
1. Usability
A good team chat app should make life easier, not harder. The tool you select must be simple, allowing your team to become proficient with the features within days, not weeks. If not, it may increase the complexity of the workflows.
2. Platform/ device compatibility
The ability of team chat apps to work across devices is a key feature. When a team member needs to communicate with a colleague from any available device and platform (Android, iOS, or Web), the app must be able to do so.
3. Organized collaboration
Team collaboration apps are more than just chat applications. They should include features that promote meaningful collaboration within organizations. For example, a team member must be able to make audio calls to a colleague while also being able to make video calls during an important meeting or seminar.
4. Scalability to business size
How big is your business? How many divisions does it have? Every discussion within the app does not necessitate the participation of all members of your organization. It could be within teams or among individual members. Your app must be able to scale in accordance with the current size of your business. It must also be capable of expanding to function efficiently as your organization grows.
5. Integration capabilities
It is not just about having conversations; businesses are looking for smarter ways to make their workforces more agile. Getting the team chat apps to integrate with other popular integrations and extensions has become a requirement for most businesses. This improves process connectivity and project management efficiency.
6. Security and privacy
Perhaps the last on our list, but this factor is critical in companies that share sensitive information across departments. When conversations or file sharing with confidential data take place, chat apps must provide complete end-to-end encryption to ensure safety and privacy.
Ways to facilitate team collaboration using chat apps
1. Avoid one-way communication
There was a time when many businesses relied solely on one-way communication. Back then, decisions were made entirely by upper management, and employees were merely expected to carry out orders with no opportunity to contribute ideas or feedback to management. Although it may provide complete control, one-way communication will suppress ideas from your employees and stifle your growth compared to competitors who listen to their employees.
2. Promote office chats
Office chat features like Group Chats and Private Chats are ideal for encouraging two-way communication. These features will enable employees to share their ideas and feedback, as well as assist employers in developing a company culture that promotes open communication. Furthermore, through the Admin Portal, management can maintain complete control over their chat network.
3. Decide the right form of communication
It is nearly impossible to improve something if you do not know what prevents you from doing so. Traditional communication methods such as email, fax, and memos may have served a useful purpose in the past, but they may no longer be relevant in today’s modern workplace.
For example, email is probably not the best way to have a meaningful conversation with someone. Many successful businesses are replacing email with instant messaging tools like Clariti. Because they recognize that relying too heavily on one particular rigid mode of communication stifles their development. The challenge is to replace outdated communication methods with a robust, powerful, flexible and secure team chat application.
4. Share the latest information
It is important to engage the employees and keep them informed of any policy changes, no matter where they are. From new employee introductions to significant policy changes to training schedules, these and other news and announcements necessitate a secure, dependable solution that ensures seamless communication.
You can communicate with freelancers, remote teams, and non-desk workers across departments and locations using team chat apps, while still ensuring engagement and inclusion.
5. Avoid aimless meetings
Ineffective meetings have become a worldwide epidemic. These ineffective meetings fill calendars and impede progress toward the most important goals. Typically, these types of team gatherings result in aimless chit-chat. More physical meetings are also not the answer to improving team communication.
Final thoughts
Each business is different from the others. Given this, it may not be entirely prudent to expect an existing team chat app to meet all of your team’s requirements. This is because most apps are built on a standard protocol. There is no need to search for such an app with all the required protocols to improve your team’s collaboration. Clariti is right at your place. It is a free tool you can easily get into with a sign-up. Clariti has a unique feature: “content-rich subject chats”.
Clariti’s subject chat makes team communication better than other team chat apps. Without having to search for context, these subject chats provide all the information you need to understand the topic at hand. If you use Clariti, you can expect to save time by reducing your e-mails and becoming more productive at work. Why not give it a try?
