How To Know Which Communication App Is Best for Your Team’s Needs

Team chat apps, video meeting platforms, and other team communication tools have made it easier than ever to stay connected with your team, no matter where in the world everyone is located.

However, with so many options, it can be hard to know what the best communication apps for your team are. Follow the tips below to help you decide which communication app you should be using to collaborate more efficiently and boost your team’s productivity.

Six Tips for Choosing the  Best Team Communication App

1. Look for a team communication app that offers different ways to communicate

Email, chat, video meetings, and voice messages all have their own place in professional communications. That’s why you should look for a communication app for your team that allows you to choose from different means of communication.

A chat conversation or email might spark the need for a video meeting, so it’s ideal if you can hop right into the meeting from the same app, without wasting time waiting for everyone to log in to another platform and join the call.

Or, you might find typing out a certain message takes too long or sounds too confusing, and you’d rather explain yourself verbally — this is where voice messages come in handy.

In short, the more different ways you can communicate with your team via a single app, the better.

2. Use a communication app that has built-in collaboration and productivity tools

Your team communication app doesn’t just have to be for communicating. It can (and should) function as an all-in-one workspace to help you and your team get more done, in less time.

Look for an app that has integrated productivity and collaboration tools, such as collaborative notes, to-do lists, and tasks.

These types of features allow you to efficiently manage your projects and hold everyone accountable for their responsibilities. And, when they’re all in the same app that you communicate through, it’s much easier to stay on top of things and keep everyone on the same page.

3. Aim to reduce the amount of different apps and tools you need to get the job done

The best communication app for your team should allow you to reduce the total number of apps you all need to get work done.

When you’re using a different app for every activity you need to do throughout the workday, you can potentially find yourself switching back and forth between dozens of different apps and screens. This is called context switching, and is a main culprit of wasted time in the workplace.

By using a team communication app that offers different ways to communicate and has built-in productivity and collaboration tools, you can say goodbye to tons of extra apps (and their paid subscriptions) that you don’t need anymore. 

To sum up, an all-in-one communication app puts you back in control of your time.

4. Ask your team what features they are currently missing that they need

When you’re looking for a new communication app for you and your team, don’t forget to ask others for their input. Someone on your team might be lacking tools or features that would really help them do their job better, and knowing what these are can help guide you towards the right app.

For example, someone might mention that they feel like they are wasting too much time dealing with a cluttered inbox, and they would really love an app that helped them prioritize emails and deal with their inbox more efficiently.

Or, someone might suggest that you start using a communication app that has collaborative notes, which everyone can add to and chat about to collaborate on tasks in real-time.

All this type of information and input is essential to have when you’re looking for the best communication app for your team’s needs.

5. Make sure the app you choose is easy to use

There are many team communication platforms out there with great features and robust functionality, but that are just not user friendly.

Keep in mind that, once you decide on an app, you’re probably going to be the one that has to get your whole team set up with it and teach them how to use it efficiently.

So, it’s absolutely vital that the app you choose has an easy-to-use, intuitive interface, and that it doesn’t have a steep learning curve.

If you go down the wrong path with an app that’s too complicated and doesn’t streamline your workflows, people are going to get frustrated and you’re just going to end up switching to another communication app down the road, which results in lost time and productivity.

6. Check the pricing structure

Most communication apps offer different pricing structures for individuals, businesses, and enterprises, and each pricing tier usually comes with a different bundle of features and/or a different number of users allowed.

So, before you commit to an app, check the different packages to make sure there is an option that looks good for you and your team. Ideally, you want to choose an app that offers a free trial, too. That way, you can sample it and make sure it’s right before you pay anything.