In the dynamic landscape of startups and small businesses, the significance of instant messaging apps cannot be overstated. These powerful tools facilitate real-time and efficient team communication, driving collaboration and productivity. As we step into 2023, the demand for feature-rich and secure messaging platforms is at an all-time high.
Explore this curated list to discover cutting-edge apps that offer seamless integration, innovative functionalities, and enhanced team collaboration. Stay ahead of the competition by harnessing the potential of these IM apps to propel your business to new heights of success. Let’s delve into the ultimate selection of messaging platforms designed to supercharge your startup or small business journey.
What is Instant Messaging?
Instant messaging (IM) is a real-time communication method that enables individuals to exchange text messages and multimedia content instantly over the internet or a private network. It allows users to engage in seamless and synchronous conversations with one or multiple recipients, similar to a chat-based conversation.
Instant messaging applications have evolved to support a wide range of features, including emojis, file sharing, voice, and group chats. Unlike traditional email, instant messaging fosters immediate responses, making it an efficient and interactive mode of communication. IM has become an integral part of both personal and professional communication, enabling individuals and businesses to connect, collaborate, and share information swiftly and effortlessly across different devices and locations.
Where is instant messaging used?
Instant messaging is used across various contexts and industries, becoming an essential communication tool in today’s digital world. In personal settings, individuals use instant messaging apps on their computers to stay connected with family and friends, exchanging messages, photos, and videos instantly.
In the business realm, instant messaging is prevalent in corporate environments, enabling teams to collaborate, share files, and discuss projects in real-time. It is particularly valuable for remote teams, facilitating seamless communication and eliminating the barriers of geographical distance. Additionally, customer support teams leverage instant messaging to provide prompt and efficient assistance to clients.
Educational institutions also utilize instant messaging for student-teacher communication and class discussions. Whether in social, professional, or educational contexts, instant messaging has become a ubiquitous mode of fast and interactive communication.
Instant messaging features
- Real-time communication: Instant messaging allows users to exchange messages instantly, facilitating seamless and quick conversations.
- Text messaging: Users can send and receive text messages, making it a primary mode of communication.
- Multimedia content sharing: Instant messaging apps enable users to share various multimedia content, such as photos, videos, and files, enhancing collaboration.
- Voice calls: Users can make voice calls directly within the app, enabling real-time communication and virtual meetings.
- Group chats: Instant messaging supports group conversations, allowing multiple participants to communicate together.
- Message forwarding and quoting: Users can forward messages to others or quote previous messages, maintaining context in conversations.
- Status updates: Users can set status messages to convey their availability or current activities.
- Notifications: Instant messaging apps send notifications for new messages, ensuring users stay updated on incoming messages.
- Typing indicators: These indicators show when someone is typing, letting others know that a response is on its way.
- Message search and history: Users can search for specific messages and access past message history for reference.
- Contact list and presence indicators: The app displays a contact list with presence indicators, showing who is online or offline.
- End-to-end encryption: Some instant messaging apps offer end-to-end encryption, ensuring message privacy and security.
- Offline messaging and sync: Users can send messages even when offline, and the app syncs messages once an internet connection is available.
- File sharing and collaboration tools: Instant messaging facilitates file sharing for collaborative work and document exchange.
- Screen sharing: Some apps support screen sharing, enabling users to share their screen during voice calls for presentations or assistance.
What makes instant messaging superior to emails
1. Instant messaging facilitates collaboration
When it comes to collaboration, emails will not be able to match instant messaging. Emails have several restrictions on file transfers and file size uploads.
Instant messaging is real-time and allows unlimited size file transfers as it focuses more on collaboration and teamwork. It supports tools like whiteboards and screen-sharing that will enable virtual brainstorming and visualization of goals, metrics etc.
2. Instant messaging saves time
Sending emails and waiting for responses is a frustrating and painful process. According to Adobe’s email usage study, the average American spends 209 minutes a day checking their work email. On the other hand, getting in touch with team members instantly increases the speed and efficiency of collaboration.
Instant messaging is a synchronous communication that elicits immediate responses from teammates working in various locations. It also works offline so that your teammates can think and respond at their own pace and avoid the compulsion to be online all the time.
3. Instant messaging reduces clutter
Emails can quickly clutter up your inboxes with so many inquiries, announcements, notifications, spam, social updates, newsletters, promotions, forwards, reply-alls etc. You may have nothing to do with these emails most of the time. If you have multiple email ids, the time you spend sorting the emails will double.
It is direct and concise. It plays a massive role in reducing the number of emails that are sent back and forth. Group chats can target a specific team or project, reducing the unnecessary reply-all and forwards. With effective group chat, you can experience a significant reduction in the number of emails cluttering up your inbox.
4. Instant messaging boosts productivity
People working on projects must collaborate closely, and email alone will not serve the purpose. With emails, team members will be spending most of their time waiting for responses rather than doing the actual work. Emails are more prone to spam, junk, and malware attacks, slowing down teamwork and hindering productivity.
It increases the communication speed between the team members. It allows team members to send text messages and receive information in real-time, improving the response time and minimizing the waiting time.
With instant messaging, your teams will experience a high level of engagement and lower workflow disruptions, improving overall productivity. Many studies have shown that replacing emails with instant messaging leads to a 20-25% increase in productivity.
5. Instant messaging builds relationships
Emails are more formal and unsuitable for building close personal relationships, which plays a vital role in the modern collaborative environment. The impersonal and standardized nature of emails doesn’t allow team members to demonstrate their real personalities.
Instant messaging is great for building camaraderie and relationships as it allows team members to form a personal rapport and get to know each other in real-time.
6. Instant messaging safeguards data and privacy
When it comes to data security and privacy, emails are more prone to attacks like malware, phishing, ransomware and other cyber threats. According to a report, 82% of organizations have faced email-based security threats.
In the case of internal messaging, since the stakeholders are primarily internal, there is less scope for their software to get attacked or hacked by outsiders. Though no software can be free from these security issues. With instant messaging tools there is an option for companies to go for third-party software which helps companies bypass these risks. Most cloud-based tools come with end-to-end encryption, which ensures data security and in-built anti-virus with malware integration to protect against viruses and malware attacks.
Most Popular Instant Messaging software for businesses in 2023
1. Clariti: Instant messaging app for Unified and Streamlined Conversations
Clariti emerges as the ultimate instant messaging app for startups and small businesses in 2023, presenting a comprehensive solution that revolutionizes team communication and collaboration. Its standout feature, contextual conversations, sets it apart from traditional messaging apps. By intelligently organizing messages, emails, and files into threads based on topics or projects, Clariti ensures that teams have a cohesive and structured view of their communication, reducing information overload and fostering efficient collaboration.
Clariti’s ability to unify communication is another game-changer for startups and small businesses. With the app, teams can access and manage emails, instant messages, and files from various channels all within one platform, eliminating the need for constant switching between multiple apps and streamlining workflows. This centralized approach enables seamless cross-device syncing, allowing team members to access critical information and updates from any location, on any device.
The security-conscious design of Clariti guarantees the safety of sensitive information. Clariti is hosted in AWS, which ensures robust security measures, safeguarding confidential data and providing peace of mind to businesses handling sensitive communications.
Moreover, Clariti’s SaaS-based model offers unmatched flexibility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness for startups and small businesses. With no installation hassles, users can swiftly adopt Clariti and optimize their team communication without a significant investment in infrastructure.
In a rapidly evolving business landscape, integration is key to success. Clariti understands this need and offers seamless integration with other popular apps and services through Zapier, enabling smooth content sharing and collaboration.
2. RingCentral: Instant messaging app for Seamless Business Communication
RingCentral is a cloud-based messaging app that helps businesses of all sizes transform the way they communicate. It provides an array of products and services to maximize efficiency in their operations, with solutions like unified messaging, online meetings, and contact center software. RingCentral also works closely with its clients to customize their solutions for optimized productivity and cost savings.
Furthermore, customers benefit from the benefits of easy scalability, global availability and round-the-clock customer support – giving businesses complete control over how and when they communicate with their employees, partners and customers. With RingCentral powering ever more business communication needs across the globe, it’s clear that this platform is helping keep businesses meet the ever-changing demands of today’s world – one connected enterprise at a time.
3. Google Chat: Instant messaging app for G Suite Collaboration at Your Fingertips
Google Chat is one of the most popular instant messaging platforms for users to send private, real-time messages with individuals or connect with teams. It’s designed so that plans and ideas can be easily discussed virtually in one place. With Google Chat, users have the flexibility to stay connected any time and from anywhere, as well as the ability to communicate with groups in a safe and secure environment.
Furthermore, conversations are conveniently organized by topic and can be quickly accessed later on. Whether it be quick chats between two people or exploring ideas in large groups, Google Chat features useful tools to make communication easier and more productive.
4. Discord: Instant messaging app for Gamer-Ready Communication and Beyond
Discard does more than what an instant messenger app does. Using Discord, you can create a home for your communities and friends, where you can stay close and have fun over video, text and call. Whether your part of a school club, a gaming group, a worldwide art community, or just a handful of friends that want to spend time, Discord makes it easy to talk every day and hang out more often.
5. Amazon Chime: Instant messaging app for Effective Remote Team Engagement
Amazon Chime lets you go beyond instant messaging. It lets you choose the communication options that are best suited for your business. You have the option to choose from meetings, chat, and business calling or use Voice Connector to direct your voice traffic over the internet.
With Amazon Chime, you have the flexibility to choose the communication option that fits with your business needs, and the freedom to scale up or down as needed.
6. Mattermost: Instant messaging app for Open-Source Collaboration and Control
Mattermost is an innovative instant messenger app that supports the transfer of messages, files and other media quickly and securely.
It offers a variety of features to businesses, teams, and individuals including group collaboration, easy integrations between apps, multi-language support; advanced search capabilities; end-to-end encryption; compliance with industry standards such as ISO 27018; mobile device access; rich message formatting; customizable service plans; and much more!
Plus, Mattermost provides exceptional customer support so that users can easily get help with any problem they may encounter. With these features combined, Mattermost is a state-of-the-art solution for instant messaging that delivers powerful performance in an easy-to-use package.
7. Workplace: Instant messaging app for Connecting and Thriving in Your Workspace
Workplace developed by Meta Platforms is more than just an instant messenger app. It facilitates online groupwork, instant messaging, video conferencing, and news sharing.
Workplace is designed to simplify communication, collaboration, and team organization. It helps employees connect with each other quickly, integrate their calendar availability, share pictures or documents securely, store company-related information in one accessible space and more.
Key features include setting up team pages, creating task lists and holding discussions across devices. With Workplace, organizations can now stay productive and informed on the go in an easily scalable platform built for productivity.
8. Chatwork: Instant messaging app for Simplified Team Collaboration
Chatwork is an all-round instant messenger app for business that is designed to help global teams communicate through (text and call), collaborate and increase productivity. The platform includes secure messaging, video chat, task management and file sharing functionality.
9. Troop Messenger: Instant messaging app for Quick and Secure Team discussions
Troop Messenger is one of the most comprehensive office instant messenger apps for business with amazing security, facilitating safe and secured business data sharing. It offers a collaborative work forum for businesses.
This business chat application is one among all group chat apps which comes with unlimited group creation. It is not only instant messaging for business but also lets you share files of diverse format along with current location and contacts.
10. TeamViewer Meeting: Instant messaging app for Effortless Team Meetings and Sharing
TeamViewer is more than text messaging app. TeamViewer Meeting lets you hold face-to-face HD VoIP videoconferences and audio calling, with your coworkers or your entire team, scheduled group meetings (up to 300 people), desktop screen sharing and session recording.
It has all the essential meeting tools to collaborate securely with your teams and clients, from anywhere, anytime. TeamViewer Meeting installs on your desktop or mobile phone for quick access.
11. Slack: Instant messaging app for Real-time Team Collaboration and Productivity
Slack is one of the great messaging apps for Android and iOS users. Slack connects people to the information that they need. By bringing people together to work as one unified team, Slack transforms the way that organizations communicate. Slack makes it easy to contact your colleagues – you can send text messages inside or outside your organization and collaborate just as you would in person.
People can work in dedicated spaces called channels, which bring the right people and information together. Slack supports asynchronous work. When work is organized in channels, you can access the information you need in your own time, regardless of your location, time zone or function. Ask questions, catch up with new developments and share updates without having to coordinate schedules.
12. Zoho Cliq: Instant messaging app for Streamlined Team Communication and More
Zoho Cliq’s instant messenger app for business allows you to view multiple chats at a time and even search messages to find what you’re looking for. Voice and video calls are just a tap away. Command shortcuts and custom-built bots help automate tasks.
13. Microsoft Teams: Instant messaging app for Unified Teamwork and Enhanced Efficiency
Microsoft Teams is not just an instant messaging platform. Whether you’re working with teammates on a project or planning a weekend activity with loved ones, Microsoft Teams helps bring people together so that they can get things done.
It’s the only app that has chats, video calls, meetings, files, tasks, and calendar in one place. Easily connect with people through group chat and bring plans to life. Work with teammates via secure meetings, video calls, document collaboration, and built-in cloud storage. You can do it all in Microsoft Teams.
14. Facebook Messenger for Business: Instant messaging app for Business Connectivity on Facebook
Facebook Messenger for Business is an instant messenger app that can be used to connect directly with customers to answer questions, address concerns and make it easy to for them to place orders. Messenger has more than 1.3 billion users across the world.
15. Twist: Instant messaging app for Clarity and Organized Team Communication
Twist organizes all team communication in one central location. Team conversations can be grouped by channels that can be public or private, and messages can be sent without interfering with thread discussions.
16. Flock: Instant messaging app for Simplified Communication and Enhanced Productivity
Flock is more than a text messaging app that provides a faster, more organized way for teams to communicate. Flock provides one-on-one chat and public and private channels. It offers multi-party video and audio calling and screen sharing.
It also integrates with over forty third party apps including Google Drive, Github, Trello, Asana and many others and provides a set of business apps including Shared To-dos, Reminders, Polls, Note Sharing, Code Snippet Sharing and so on.
17. Ryver: Instant messaging app for Streamlined Collaboration and Unified Tasks
Ryver is one of the greatest text messaging apps for Android and iOS users. With unlimited file-sharing, messaging, calls, and more, Ryver, an instant messenger app, organizes all instant messaging for business, communication and collaboration within one app. Teams can collaborate on any tasks with 1-1 and group messaging and voice/video calling. Features include group messaging, voice/video conferencing, screen sharing, task management, SSO, topic discussion channels, file sharing, search functionality, and more.
With Ryver, teams can create custom channels to open topic-related discussions among the team. Users can communicate and collaborate on tasks via chat messaging with file- sharing or through voice and video calls with screen sharing. Ryver can turn any conversation into a task and will track all tasks with a progress board and integrated checklists.
Ryver integrates with Active Directory or Okta credentials to simplify logins with SSO. Ryver also integrates with other third-party software such as Asana, Basecamp, Box, Salesforce, and more.
18. Brosix: Instant messaging app for Secure Team Communication and Data Control
Brosix is a powerful and easy-to-use instant messaging platform designed with team communication in mind. Brosix gives its clients a fully administrable private team network, which provides an exclusive and secure collaboration space. Client’s control who is added or removed from the network and can easily manage users through a range of administrative features.
Brosix comes with a package of unique features and tools aimed at boosting team collaboration and streamlining communication. From a range of chat options to screen-sharing and unlimited file transfers, Brosix is designed with the modern work environment in mind. This makes it an excellent solution for enterprises looking to improve their productivity.
19. Spike: Instant messaging app for Conversational Email and Collaborative Chat
Spike is more than just a text messaging app. It supercharges your email. Email, chat, calendar, collaborative docs, to-dos, text and call are all in a single powerful Inbox, so you can focus on getting things done faster.
Spike blends traditional emails with instant messaging, providing better context for each conversation, and reduces clutter – allowing for better interaction and a more human (and modern!) way of communication. Spike works on top of your existing email and is available on iOS, Android, Mac, Windows & Web.
20. Cisco WebEx: Instant messaging app for Seamless Conferencing and Team Connectivity
Cisco Webex is a collaboration application that provides video calling, text and call capabilities. Cisco Webex is an app for continuous teamwork. Move work forward in secure workspaces where everyone can contribute anytime with messaging, file sharing, white boarding, video meetings, calling, and more. It works on virtually any device.
Choosing the right tool
Choosing the right instant messaging tool for your needs requires careful consideration of various factors. Here are some pointers to guide you in making the best decision:
- Features and Functionality: Assess the tool’s features, such as real-time messaging, file sharing, voice calling, and group chats, to ensure it aligns with your communication requirements.
- Security and Privacy: Prioritize platforms that offer end-to-end encryption and robust security measures to safeguard sensitive business information. If your business operates in regulated industries, verify if the tool complies with industry-specific security standards.
- User-Friendly Interface: Opt for an intuitive and easy-to-use tool to ensure quick adoption and smooth collaboration among team members.
- Scalability and Pricing: Consider the tool’s pricing structure and evaluate whether it can scale with your business growth without incurring excessive costs.
- Customer Support: Check the availability and responsiveness of customer support to address any technical issues promptly.
- Team Size and Communication Needs: Understand your team’s size and specific communication requirements to identify a tool that caters to your business’s unique needs.
- User Reviews and Ratings: Research user reviews and ratings to gain insights into the tool’s performance, reliability, and user satisfaction.
By carefully assessing these pointers, you can select the right instant messaging tool that enhances communication, collaboration, and productivity within your team and aligns with your business goals.
Conclusion
In the ever-evolving landscape of startups and small businesses, selecting the right instant messaging app is crucial to foster seamless collaboration and drive growth. With the top 20 instant messaging apps for 2023 at your fingertips, you have a curated list of innovative tools that cater to diverse business needs.
Each app brings its unique set of features, security measures, and integration capabilities, empowering teams to communicate efficiently and stay connected across various devices. By carefully considering factors like user-friendliness, scalability, and cross-platform compatibility, you can make an informed decision to propel your business forward. Embrace the power of these cutting-edge messaging platforms to revolutionize team collaboration, streamline workflows, and thrive in the dynamic business landscape of 2023.
Empower your startups and small businesses with the perfect instant messaging app that aligns with your goals and enhances productivity for a prosperous future.
Frequently Asked Questions
How is instant messaging used in business?
Instant messaging refers to formal and informal communication between employees both within and outside the organization. Instant messaging can be either direct messages that one user sends to another user, or it can be group chats. Clariti is one of the best instant messaging tools that lets users communicate asynchronously, without the compulsion to be online all the time.
What is business instant messaging software?
Business instant messaging software is an intra-office communication that can also be used outside of a business setting. Business instant messaging software is also a great productivity tool that makes conversations easier to track and improves employee engagement and teamwork. Clariti is one of the best businesses instant messaging software that lets users communicate asynchronously, without the compulsion to be online all the time.
Which is the best instant messaging app for business?
Clariti is a relatively new instant messaging app that has been gaining in popularity among small businesses and the startup community, especially in the technology and media markets. A key reason for its success has been its ability to address issues that other long-standing tools like Slack and Teams have perpetuated with their chat-focused communication paradigm.
Clariti goes well beyond just simple instant messaging and instead brings your chats, emails, call, to-dos, documents…in one app and automatically links related items in a Workspace. Workspace adds topic-centric organization to your communications, so you never lose or waste time searching for information.
What is the best texting app for business?
Clariti, TextMagic, ProTexting, Text Request, Textline, EZ Texting, Message Kite, Zingle TextMarks, Trumpia etc are some of the best texting apps that help businesses to connect with both internal and external stakeholders.
What are examples of instant messaging applications?
Clariti, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chanty, Rocket.Chat, Google Chat, Ryver, Glip etc are some of the best examples of instant messaging applications.
Which is the best free chatting app?
Clariti, Slack, Microsoft Teams, Chanty, Rocket.Chat, Google Chat, Ryver, Glip etc are some of the best examples of instant messaging applications.
Why use business instant messaging software?
Business instant messaging software allows employees to communicate with each other in real-time, without any delays that are generally associated with email communication. Instant messaging is definitely a better alternative when compared with calls. Instant messaging software also keeps a record of all the conversations, just like texts and emails, which is very useful when you need a reference. Clariti is one of the best businesses instant messaging software that lets users communicate asynchronously from anywhere, anytime, without the compulsion to be online all the time.
Is instant messaging safer than email?
In general, instant messaging is considered safer than email due to its end-to-end encryption and real-time communication. Instant messaging platforms often employ robust security measures that protect messages from unauthorized access, ensuring that sensitive information remains confidential. Unlike emails, which are typically stored on servers and vulnerable to potential breaches, instant messages are transmitted directly between users and can be set to self-destruct after a specified time. Additionally, instant messaging allows for immediate response and verification of recipients, reducing the risk of phishing attacks.
What are two benefits of instant messaging?
In today’s fast-paced world, instant messaging has become an essential tool for businesses of all sizes. By allowing users to communicate in real time, instant messaging can help to improve efficiency and collaboration. In addition, instant messaging can help to reduce the need for face-to-face meetings, saving time and money. As a result, it is not surprising that instant messaging has become one of the most popular applications in the business world.
How important is instant messaging?
In our fast-paced world, it’s more important than ever to be able to communicate quickly and easily. That’s where instant messaging comes in. By definition, instant messaging is a system that allows users to exchange messages in real time.
With instant messaging, there’s no need to wait around for an email response – you can get an answer right away. As you can see, instant messaging is a vital tool for modern communication.
What is the main difference between email and instant messaging?
The main difference between email and instant messaging is that email is asynchronous and Instant Messaging is synchronous. With email, messages can be sent at any time and the recipient can check them at their convenience. With instant messaging, both sender and receiver must be online at the same time to communicate. Another key difference between the two communication tools is that email is a one-to-one communication tool while instant messaging can be used for group chats.
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