Discuss and chat with colleagues
Facebook Workplace and Microsoft Teams are the latest apps for business chat. But there are many more apps that let you stay in touch with colleagues. We have listed the best apps for business chatting and collaboration.
- Microsoft Teams
- Facebook Workplace
- Slack
- Skype for Business
- Other business chat options
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is a direct competitor of Slack, the best-known name in business chat. It is a so-called ‘chat-based work environment’ so that you no longer have to exchange e-mails. Teams can work together seriously in the app, but also have a nice chat. Because everything is housed in separate channels, the really important things don’t get snowed under. The app is linked to Office, Skype and other Microsoft services.
The idea is that with Microsoft Teams you have one place to work and consult and do not have to keep switching between different productivity and communication apps. It works closely with Office 365, but also with other online storage services. You receive notifications when there are messages in the channels you subscribe to and you can alert colleagues to something by using the @ symbol.
Microsoft Teams allows nested conversations so you can respond to a specific message. Microsoft has also thought about relaxation, because you can send gifs to colleagues thanks to Giphy. With so-called ‘Connectors’ you can link other services to Microsoft Teams. Of course, the emphasis is strongly on Office use. It has a built-in document editor, although you can also open the documents in a local app.
Workplace by Facebook
Hanging out on Facebook all day at work, who wouldn’t want that? Facebook hopes that people will continue to use the Facebook platform during working hours and has therefore introduced Workplace. With the Workplace by Facebook app you can chat with colleagues for business, where the business account is separate from your private Facebook account. So you don’t have to worry about friends and relatives joining the discussion.
There are different groups within the app, so that the conversations can also be split up per department. Just like on Facebook, you can share messages with colleagues, to which others can respond. You therefore have to exchange less e-mail. The biggest difference with Slack is the price. At Slack you pay a few euros per month per user, while Facebook has opted for $1 per user per month.
On the other hand, Slack is a fairly open system that works with all kinds of services. With Facebook Workplace you are dealing with a somewhat more closed system. It is nice that employees do not have to be trained, because everyone has posted a Facebook message at some point. You can also create groups with employees from external companies, for example if you are collaborating on a project.
Slack
Slack is by far the best known service for staying in touch with colleagues. You don’t have to work at the same company to collaborate with this app, and you can also switch between multiple Slack teams quite easily. With teams and channels you keep an overview, so that you only see discussions that are important to your position. You can also have 1-on-1 conversations with colleagues.
Thanks to the extensions, you can extend Slack in all kinds of ways and let it work together with external services and bots. For example, at the iCulture editorial team we use a bot to forward all incoming news tips to one channel, so that the entire editorial team can view them. You can also set reminders and spice up your conversations with a gif.
Slack is free for small teams, but only keeps the most recent messages. If you want to go further back in time, you pay a few euros per user per month. In return, you get an unlimited and easily searchable message archive, an unlimited number of integrations with services and apps and extras such as secure login, 10GB storage per team member and group calling. There is also a more expensive option with more storage, single sign-on and some other extras.
Skype for Business
OK, it’s getting a little confusing. In addition to Microsoft Teams, the company already had Yammer (see below), Microsoft Lync and they also have Skype for Business on the Mac. With this service you can chat, meet online and share your screen. It’s all done in one app that’s compatible with Office.
With Skype for Business, you can confer with up to 250 people, even if they don’t use the business version. They just need a phone or internet connection. With the service you can, for example, give a remote PowerPoint presentation or share documents. The version for Windows has been around for a while and there are also apps for iOS and Android. The service costs approx. 2 euros per user per month.
Fair is fair; Skype for Business and Teams are very similar. Microsoft itself is also aware of this, because Skype for Business will be replaced by Teams on July 31, 2021.
Other business chat options
There are even more apps that should make planning and collaboration easier, so that you don’t have to exchange email as often. Some are more focused on scheduling tasks (where you can then discuss), while others are more focused on chatting itself.
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Viva Engage (Yammer) (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 14.0+) – Yammer is Microsoft’s messaging service. There is a good chance that Microsoft will stop it now that Teams is becoming increasingly popular. Yet years ago it was a popular app to keep in touch with colleagues, in a way similar to Slack. Microsoft acquired it through an acquisition. You post messages and respond to messages from others. You can also follow people and like posts.
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Basecamp – Project Management (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 14.5+) – While managers can use Basecamp to schedule and assign tasks, the app can also be used for group chats.
- Unfortunately, we cannot display the correct data at the moment, Download – Hangouts has been discontinued for consumers, but you can still confer with it for business use. Of course it works seamlessly with other Google services.
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Telegram Messenger (Free, iPhone/iPad + IAP, iOS 11.0+) – What, a consumer chat app? True, but Telegram is also used by some companies to communicate with each other. You can create groups with it, so that conversations do not get mixed up. If most of your friends are on WhatsApp and your business contacts are on Telegram, it can be a great way to keep conversations separate.
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Asana: Work in one place (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 14.0+) – At the iCulture editors, we mainly use Asana for scheduling tasks, but you could also use it for discussions. You can assign each task to a colleague, after which that person can respond to it. Although Asana also has the word ‘Conversations’ in the name of the app, we find it less suitable for that.
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Redbooth (Free, iPhone/iPad/TV, iOS 13.0+) – Redbooth was previously called Teambox. This app allows companies with less than 5 users to communicate with each other for free. You also get 5GB of free storage, plus integration with Google Drive and Dropbox. You also have tasks, notes and of course chats at your disposal. You can archive and save previous conversations for free. Ideal for starting companies that have little budget.
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Podio (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 13.0+) – Podio isn’t just for chatting. You can also manage projects with multiple users. The app is free for up to 5 team members, with access to functions such as todos, calendars and chat rooms. Useful for teams spread across multiple locations.
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Twist: Organized Messaging (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 15.0+) – Twist is the slightly more organized version of Slack. The service makes it a lot clearer to chat, which, according to the company, should provide more peace of mind.
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Taskade – AI List, Notes, Chat (Free, iPhone/iPad, iOS 12.0+) – Taskade is an all-in-one collaborative platform similar to Slack. You can be more productive by creating to-do lists and mind maps, video chatting and conferring with colleagues during the workday. It works on web, mobile, and desktop, and it’s free for individual users and teams.
