Slack

Softonic review

Convenient Hub for Businesses

Communication is a vital key to a business’ success. However, getting your message across your employees and teammates can be a challenge especially if you have teams offshore. Good thing there are many social networking apps these days that can help your sent instant messages, so you don’t have to rely on emails alone. Slack is one of the most widely used instant messaging app for business. This program is a collaboration hub for work where communications happen, and information is always at your fingertips. It is also Windows 11 compatible. 

Connecting Teams

When you think of messaging applications used in business, the first thing that probably pops into your mind is Skype. And who could blame you? For years, Skype has been the go-to programs when a business needs instant communication. However, Slack can be considered a strong contender. With this app, collaborating online can be as easy as collaborating with them in person. 

Slack is created to provide instant communication. Its messaging function acts as a virtual office bringing your team together. Communication in Slack comes in channels marked with a hashtag. These channels can either be private or public. Public channels are conversation threads that all members can access and take part in, while private channels are only accessible to team members added by the channel’s creator. Users can mark and organize each channel by a team, topic, or any tag that comes to mind. If you want to send a sensitive or private message, you may do so using the direct message function.

Slack keeps all conversation threads archived, so you can go over previously discussed topics. This history feature also allows new channel members to catch up on the discussion by simply scrolling up. More so, the app has an intuitive search history function that lets you search through private channels, direct messages, and public channels. 

Team members can join and leave channels whenever they want, unlike lengthy email chains. Additionally, contents are still searchable for future reference even if you leave or archived a channel.

More than Instant Messaging

Slack provides companies with a convenient place for teams to connect, but that app has more function than messaging. It comes with a video and voice call feature that lets you start and join a video conference with members of a particular channel. This gives you a way to communicate face-to-face with other members of your team even if they are offshore.

Aside from talking to remote teams, the Slack Calls feature also lets you share your screen during conference calls. This helps you communicate complex ideas clearly to make sure that everyone’s on the same page as you do. However, video and voice calls are not available in the free version.

Furthermore, Slack lets you share documents to your channels. It comes with a drag-and-drop feature for easy file sharing. You can also tap the plus icon next to the message field to browse your folders. You can also add messages to your files if you wish. Anyone in the channel can click the file to open it or have it downloaded.

Slack also permits a lot of third-party integrations including workplaces such as Google Drive, Box, Dropbox, Trello, and OneDrive. You can share files from these workplaces by simply pasting the link to the file in the message box and send it like a normal message. The app creates rich snippets every time you post a link, giving you a preview of the files shared on your channel. You can also import a file from a third-party app by clicking the plus icon and selecting the files saved in your cloud service.

Since Slack keeps all conversation history archived, you can go over the documents shared whenever you want. Slack also takes security seriously exceeding the industry standard. It comes with data encryption and other security measures to keep your conversation and documents safe from potential hackers.

Streamlined and Intuitive

Another big plus for slack is its interface. It is very intuitive, building off the systems used in most common messenger programs while streamlining certain things to cut down time spent fumbling around complicated buttons. The program has a very soft and modern look with a casual playfulness that promotes easy communication. 

More so, the app allows you to fine-tune your notifications. You can set your notifications to send you alerts only when a particular keyword is mentioned or only if it is sent via private message. There are multiple options when it comes to the app’s notification. You can even customize the notification sounds on the apps, including fun ones. 

Slack offers a convenient way to reduce internal email use. In fact, creators claim that users see an average of 48.6% in email reduction, which will surely save you time poring over emails from various members. Added to it, the Slack team prioritizes customer support answering your queries sufficiently fast, so you don’t have to deal with a long-unanswered support question.

Picking Up the Slack

Bottom line, Slack is a great app that can rival popular workspaces like Basecamp and Asana. The app is so rich in features you probably can find all you need for your company’s needs. It is tailored to conquer terrible communication problems suffered by most modern offices. It also allows integration giving you the option to add more features that can help your production. And with its highly intuitive design, you can lower the time your team spent in learning the app. What’s more, you can download the app for free. So, if you own a small business or just getting around to starting up one, Slack is a program that can help you build the right channel to success. Moreover, it is also Windows 11 compatible.