Internal communication: alternatives to Slack
Instant messaging, document sharing... it's all possible to connect employees and make their exchanges more fluid. How do you choose between the existing tools? To find out more, read our tips and best practices on instant messaging (chat).
Internal communication is changing
Mail: too formal
In the professional world, we send a lot of e-mails. While this is the most traditional medium, it does have its drawbacks:
- they are received in chronological order, not by theme or group of people. We process information as it comes in, as we go along. The most urgent needs to be addressed, but the content, whether in attachments or in the body of the text, is drowned in the mass. To find it, the search function is quickly limited, or you run out of keywords.
- processing them can quickly become time-consuming. To avoid systematic saturation of your mailbox, you sort, delete, archive and save locally... Otherwise, because of lack of available space, your e-mails will never arrive.
Synthetic and instantaneous
Things have to happen fast. In Anglo-Saxon work environments, business communication is based on memos: notes between colleagues. The approach is direct, the tone simple, and polite expressions are abbreviations.
How do you communicate internally?
Chat for real time
Messenger was the pioneer of IRC: Internet Relay Chat, an Internet communication protocol. This is what chat is all about: real-time written communication. Its use in business offers real advantages. It's less formal than e-mail, and exchanges are more concise. It's less formal than e-mail, and exchanges are more concise: you can discuss a specific point or a current problem, and get the information you need quickly.
EDM for working together
Document sharing is a similar approach. Employees work in teams, on common media. They need to be able to access a synchronized version, enriched by modifications made by their colleagues beforehand, or simultaneously. Otherwise, conflicting versions are duplicated, and documents have to be reconciled and information consolidated to ensure that none is lost. Tools like Google Drive make it possible for several people to edit the same document.
ChatOps with Slack: the cross-functional solution
Think outside the box
Some collaborative solutions are designed to be all-encompassing. They encompass chat and EDM. Some, however, fail to live up to expectations. Particularly if their framework is too institutional: employees at different levels of the company won't dare to express themselves. It's the bottom-up approach that needs to be applied to generate enthusiasm. Just like ChatOps.
Make it friendly
Launched in 2013 by the founder of Flickr, Slack has established itself as a leader in this market. . The interface resembles Facebook-type social networks. We use emoticons and hashtags, tag people and chat online. This familiar private environment encourages adoption in the workplace.
Video for greater interactivity
Chat can be enhanced with audio and video functionalities. With the VolP - Voice over IP - method, users chat by videoconference. Slack hasn't offered this yet, but will soon. Audio, in beta version, will be followed by video. Multi-user conversations are also possible, to encourage interaction within work teams. Skype for Business (formerly Lync) can be used to set up chat rooms.
The importance of APIs
To choose a ChatOps, look at its APIs - Applications Programming Interfaces. This is what makes the tool compatible with the rest of your IT environment. For example, HipChat, a pre-Slack solution published in Australia, interfaces with third-party marketing applications such as MailChimp or Saleforces, and also provides APIs for plugging into tools developed in-house by companies.
Extended functionalities
Your ChatOps can either interface with your other tools, such as calendars, etc., or offer them on its own. This is the case with Bitrix24, which takes a project management approach. It covers uses right up to CRM (Customer Relationship Management). According to Bastien Le Lann, consultant at Lecko, it's this ability to aggregate complementary information that sets ChatOps apart. "It] brings social and conversion benefits to business processes [and] increases the productivity of teams, who don't have to spread themselves thinly between different applications": a real gain from an operational point of view.
Taking another approach, TalkSpirit is designed as a collaborative platform. You can centralize the sharing of knowledge and content, communicate and collaborate from a single space with all your contacts: team members, customers and partners. Professional-level collaborative features, such as synchronization with your CRM and project management solution, greatly enhance business productivity.
ChatOps, either as a module or as a more comprehensive solution, are at the heart of business exchanges. Whether it's Slack, the leader, or its alternatives HipChat, Skype, Bitrix24, or TalkSpirit, each has its strengths. Your choice will depend on your work environment and your specific requirements.
Article translated from French