Many organizations throughout the country and the world have employees who are still working remotely or will continue to work remotely indefinitely. The wake of the coronavirus is a large one and has affected every single person to some capacity and businesses are not immune. During times such as these it’s important more than ever as a team to stay connected. And, sometimes email is great...But it’s not enough. Which is why many messaging applications have been developed strictly for the office to help your team stay in touch. Some of them you might be familiar with, and others might be new to you. Either way, check them out to see if one might be a great fit for you and your team!

SLACK

Slack is one of the most popular ways to communicate with your team as an alternative to e-mailing. And, it’s our personal favorite...Slack allows you and your team to instantly connect and interact every single day either on your phone or desktop. Slack has the ability to create groups, channels, and direct messages to anyone within your organization who’s added to the slack workspace. Plus, Slack allows you to call those within your workspace either by voice or video and you can take part in file-sharing with their drag and drop option! Depending on the size of your team, Slack varies in pricing. Smaller businesses start out at around $7 a person per month so if your team is rather small - this may be a great choice! Dually, the fee for larger organizations is $12.50 per person per month - making it still a cost friendly option.

MICROSOFT TEAMS

Another popular messaging system that is taking companies by storm is Microsoft Teams. This tool is especially useful to those teams that use 365 on a daily basis for email, files, and documentation. Teams allows you to collaborate via chats, calling, and video conferencing. This option is also available for both desktop and mobile which is great for those out of office folks who might be on their phone more than their computers. What’s great about Teams is the compatibility with other Microsoft features such as Word. With Teams, you can access, edit, and share documents from Word, PowerPoint, and Excel. Price wise, Teams has a pretty stellar “Free-Plan.” This option allows Unlimited Chat and Searching, Online Meetings and Video Calling, Team and Personal File Storage, and more. However, if you want more, Teams has a ton of other awesome offers for any office. Check it out!

ZOHO CLIQ

This third option, Zoho Cliq, offers similar features to both Teams and Slack but also gives a few unique features too! With Zoho Cliq, you can chat, video conference, set up tasks, meetings, and more. Not to mention, Zoho allows users to Customize Workflows and share ideas on what they call “Whiteboard”. This feature is a great tool to use during video conferences. Here, you can display your Whiteboard to your team through layouts, maps, and more that can be instantly shared with your team! What really sets Zoho Cliq apart is their plans...This is perhaps the most affordable option as they are totally FREE and offer two plans: “Free” and “Unlimited”. Their “Free” plan offers searchable messages, file storage, 100 employees per channel, and more. Their “Unlimited” feature allows up to 500+ users. At this option, the fee per month is a dollar a person. However, for teams of 10, it’s only $3 a person - that’s $30 a month for Unlimited Zoho Cliq. This option includes full access to all of the wonderful features on an unlimited basis. Check it out!

TWIST

Twist likes to call themselves “The Alternative to Slack” - Here’s why! Twist promotes all forms of communication through their app through the use of Channels, Threads, and Messages. Twist claims: “While fun at first, Slack can quickly become overwhelming. Twist is a tool for teams that prioritize focused work, structured communication and company-wide transparency.” Pretty bold, right? Twist is more focused. Their threads close once a goal is set to eliminate bog and to keep everyone on a straight path moving forward...Not back. Companies who use Twist have replaced not only their messaging but their emails too! Twist also offers two pricing models. They offer a Free model for unlimited guests at a limited capacity in terms of comments/messages, integrations, and storage. Their Unlimited model is $5 per user per month and offers unlimited integrations, file storage, guests, and more!

GLIP BY RINGCENTRAL

Glip allows free messaging, group video chats, and task management for your team’s benefit! Plus, with Glip you can share and collaborate on files, create tasks and manage them, screen share, and more! With Glip, all you have to do is create a team and go! Then you’re free to take advantage of all of the amazing things that Glip has to offer! Much like other messaging softwares, Glip’s basic package is Free. The only difference between their Unlimited and their Free option is the amount of shared video you can partake in. This means that video conferencing and screen sharing features will be limited on the Free plan up to 500 total minutes whereas the Unlimited plan allows 1,000 minutes per user per month.

GOOGLE HANGOUTS CHAT

If you’re like us over here at ApplicantOne, then you’re pretty familiar with G-Suite. You’re Gmailing, Hangouts-Meeting, and building Google Sheets like a mad man - it’s okay. We’re doing it too! And, to take full advantage of what Google has to offer, why not consider Google Chat? This platform is built for teams and is a great way to stay in touch whether in office or remote. Chat offers the ability to send group messages and direct messages via virtual rooms to house your important information. Each Chatroom can support 8,000 visitors! Plus, if you’re already a G-Suite user, Chat is free with no additional charge! This is certainly the best deal, however if you want to use Chat and do not have the full G-Suite, you can purchase your usage monthly depending on team size starting at $6 per person per month. Check it out!

CHANTY

Another great messaging solution for your team is Chanty. Chanty is simple, yet AI powered to give you and your team the best, most user friendly experience possible. With Chanty you can communicate, collaborate, search team activity, build private chats, and more! Chanty even claims to make your teams 30% more productive when you use their system to the full extent. With their Free plan, you can use their system up to 10 members. Their Business plan starts at $3 per user per month with additional features such as Unlimited integrations, team members, calls and more!

What does your team use to communicate with during this unprecedented time...Or even, during normal circumstances? Have you tried any of the above softwares? If so, which and why? Are you still a user? We’re curious! Let us know!