Tools to Help Simplify Business Communication

Business messenger apps have been in the spotlight recently, following the furore around the US administration’s use of the Signal app.

The rights and wrongs of whether governments should be using a service like Signal are still being debated, but business messaging apps can be an effective and secure tool for companies to utilise.

Said Lifeline IT’s Adam Woolf: “These days email is a real target for cyber criminals, so it’s advisable to have an alternative way of communicating. With business messenger apps you can create closed user groups where you can interact and collaborate in a controlled manner. Using a business grade solution that has been designed for company use – such as Teams and Slack – is always preferable to using a consumer messaging app.”

“Messenger apps can also save time and are less formal, which is particularly useful for internal communication. And you can often signpost group members to documents and resources, rather than attaching them to emails, which can carry security risks.”

We take you through some of the key messenger apps for business.

Microsoft Teams
A popular choice for many companies, Microsoft Teams has a built-in messenger function that allows you to create closed groups that you can communicate with. It enables collaborative working, as you can move from a message to a meeting and also invite others to join the chat.

Slack
Initially a stand-alone messaging service, Slack is now part of the CRM platform known as Salesforce, which is why many companies, including ourselves, have switched to using it. The Slack app facilitates workplace collaboration and communication in the same way that Teams does, but instead it is integrated with Salesforce.

Signal
Although not specifically a business tool, Signal sells itself on having robust security. Not only does it have end-to-end encryption, but it has additional security features – the app’s code is open source so anyone can check it and make sure there are no vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. Signal says it collects far less information from its users and because it is a non-profit company, it claims there is no desire to monetise users’ data.

WhatsApp
Part of the Meta family, we are all familiar with WhatsApp but it isn’t a suitable tool for business communication. The company launched a business version of the messenger app in 2018 and although WhatsApp does include end-to-end encryption, there are issues of compliance, as it is not GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) compliant. There have also been concerns around the termination of accounts on the platform.