Can anyone recommend a good but simple team communication tool?
I am working with a few people on a project and we keep sending around a lot of emails. I don't want to use a complex project management tool, as I think that would be too much. I would like to find a simple way to communicate without clogging up our inboxes. Thanks for any recommendations.
Expert Answers
Sort by Date
Sort by Votes
Jul 15, 2017
One of my favorite topics, and others have responded with excellent suggestions. I will reiterate that before jumping in with a tool, you're clear on what it is you want it to do, and how you plan to use it. Also good to know/think about: how easy will it be to onboard the team? That is, is this a tool they can easily adopt, or will there be a steep learning curve?
Like April, I'm a big fan of Wunderlist, especially for those just getting started with these types of tools, mostly because it's intuitive and easy to adopt - and it's got lots of great features just waiting under the surface for you to explore!
I'm curious: have you landed on a tool, and if so, which one, and how's it going?
Apr 26, 2018
I can understand your problem pretty well, being a manager myself, it is very difficult to communicate softly and without interruption with the colleague. You can definitely try these option.
1) Slack - Slack is a popular app for team communication and collaboration featuring instant messaging, file sharing, audio/video calls, powerful search and the largest number of integrations among competitors.
2) Chanty - Chanty is an AI-powered business messenger and a single notification center that we are building. It’s designed to organize your workflows and bring all of your communication, collaboration and notifications into one place.
3) Flock - Flock is a team communication app from India featuring instant messages, multiple integrations, built-in to-dos and polls. Audio and video calls are available through integration with Appear.in
4) Stride - Stride is a new team communication app from Atlassian. HipChat, their previous Slack alternative is no longer available. Being currently in beta, Stride lets you communicate with your team in private and public rooms, organize company workflows, make audio and video calls.
5) Microsoft Teams - Microsoft Teams, as a part of Office 365 package, is a team communication tool designed for enterprises. With its powerful, yet not very intuitive functionality, MS Teams offers you an instant chat, audio/video calls through Skype for Business and useful integrations with Microsoft Office 365 tools.
Hope this will help!
Regards,
Phillip
Aug 2, 2019
When it comes to direct communication with an individual or group of employees, I really think Slack is the standard-bearer. Its interface is incredibly easy to use and can be customized to fit your needs.
As for project tracking and management, I agree with John and Marsha. Basecamp is an intuitive tool that lets managers keep tabs on what everyone's working on. I've also heard Monday.com's colorful UI and easy to understand systems make project management easy.
Mar 17, 2020
This is a great thread for small businesses to read during the coronavirus outbreak. If your team has transitioned to working remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic, these tools will be helpful to keep you organized.
Jun 12, 2015
Wunderlist - while it looks like a task list on steroids, it's much much more productive than any other project management tool I've used.
As a retired organizing expert I've tried all the ones listed, I kept coming back to Wunderlist. You can create folders for projects, sub-tasks within an item, attach files (image, doc, voice), have conversations with team members in each task, assign due dates / reminders, and access it from all devices (desktop, mobile, iOS, Android ... all this in the free version!
The most important part of finding an effective project management tool is to understand what you need it to be able to do.
Good Luck!
{https://www.wunderlist.com}
Jun 12, 2015
Have you considered the meeting sites and or programs - GoToMeeting is the best one. You can directly collaborate with people there. All they need is a computer with a camera and microphone, which most modern computers have today. And for those who don't have these, Logitech has some great camera-microphone setups, which are quite inexpensive. I got mine for less than $20, and it works just fine.
I have also used some software called TeamViewer. It has similar capabilities as GoToMeeting, and I believe it's free for the private version, which I have. https://www.teamviewer.com/en/index.aspx?pid=google.tv_mac.s.us&gclid=CPCujrqMisYCFZE1aQodnWEA0g
Jun 12, 2015
Hi Kate:
Try Zoho Connect:
Communicate in Real Time - Posts and Feeds
"Share any information, project updates or even an inspirational quote for the day and attach files. At a glance get to know what is going on in your organization. Keep track of the people, groups, and projects that matter most to you in one place."
Not used it myself but I use many of the Zoho apps. including Zoho Project to manage my support contracts. In general first class apps. at a very reasonable price..
Free edition gives you:
Unlimited Groups - Private and Public
5 Custom Applications ( upto 1000 records)
5 GB ( Shared Storage)
1 Chatroom / Group
With the Enterprise edition you get:
Unlimited groups - Public and private
Unlimited custom apps ( upto 10,000 records)
100GB (Shared document storage)
Unlimited chat rooms / group
Multiple admins, Custom Domain, Customization, Active Directory Sync
Subscription fee - $49 /network/month
More information at http://www.zoho.com/connect/features.html
Best regards,
Allan
Jun 12, 2015
I really like Trello www.trello.com its free and can be used on any platform I wrote a blog post on it http://catherinepask.com/top-tools-trello/
Jun 12, 2015
I'm using (and recommend) Cureo (Cureo.com) for my long-term clients where we need communications and file sharing, with GoToMeeting for online direct collaboration. I have also used Podio and Asana but those really require a lot more initial thought about how you set it up, similar to Mary-Alice's comment about trello.
Apr 26, 2018
Kate,
I have lots of business coaching clients, and the best tool I found which works great is Basecamp. You can get a 60-day free trial. This way I can track all the conversations, send files, audio, videos, get feedback from the team.
I hope this helps.
Jun 12, 2015
I agree with Catherine that Trello is a great tool. It's simple and free. The biggest recommendation I would have when using Trello is to first think through how you want to structure your boards.
We also use Slack to communicate. I love it. It's free and there is a great mobile app that notifies you when new messages come in. You can message individuals or groups and can organize conversations by topic. It's a great way to move all of your team communications out of your inbox and into a separate tool.
Jun 27, 2015
I just joined here, and have a hunch you have already found something that works for you. If not, I highly recommend the CommitKeeper app from 4Spires. It is not only makes communication easier, it is designed to improve it via required confirmation of work accepted and work completed, and message structure is designed to facilitate collaboration and mutual responsibility for all involved.. There is no e-mail build up, but a back-up log allows for later review, and even executive review of progress on multiple projects from start to completion. 4Spires CEO is former head of Apple’s HR Systems Technology and Innovation Group (he created the first "paperless" office as soon as the Mac was deployed internally).
Jun 12, 2015
Hi,
Why dont you use ip messenger to send files and communicate with in the local area netork
Jun 12, 2015
Hi Kate - I have tried so many PM tools, but some are Teamwork, Podio, 17hats, and more. I am now using one called Wrike and I really like it. It is funny, but one of the features I like best is the ability to 'check off' when a step in the project is complete. You can add email, documents to share and so much more. You have to keep users under five, however, otherwise it is a bit pricey.
Jun 12, 2015
Hi, I really like https://asana.com/product. Asana is available everywhere you work--on the Web, iOS, and Android. Very user friendly and intuitive. Allows for simple updating and collaborating of projects in real time. Check out their website and try a free trial.
Jun 12, 2015
You might try "Hall" or "HipChat" - both have private and group chats available - gets email out of your inbox.
Jun 13, 2015
What about Google Apps in combination with ZOHO. It does pretty much everything out of the box - depending on what you want to use it for.
I am not working for ZOHO, lol - but I found it all integrates as and when needed, modular - 2 weeks free trial.
Apr 24, 2016
Check out SLACK.com
this is my favorite collaboration tool, you setup your own community or team in 5 minutes and you're set
Also it can integrate with other Apps, like Trello for visual project mgmt.
It is a MUST have for team working
May 6, 2016
Honestly, if you don't want to be emailing files around, a SharePoint site is very easy. If you already have Office 365, or you work for a company of more than a few dozen people, it is VERY likely you have a Sharepoint installation available to you. If not, the next best thing for sharing files is OneDrive, which is free and easy to use. When I was collaborating among three authors, and three more folks at my publisher for my latest book, we used my free OneDrive for everything.
If you want the tool for tracking tasks, on the other hand, consider JIRA. You can set up a KANBAN board or SCRUM project in a few clicks. It's quick, simple, and visual. Moving a task from one status to another moves it on a visual board, and you can review with the entire team easily on that board. I've seen Jira used for many sizes of projects, from one person to teams of 20. If you have a larger team, a better tool is needed.
Good luck.
Jun 12, 2015
Zoom lets you share a screen for example a spreadsheet as well as video communications. Chat and records the session for those who could not be present.
Go to meeting and Team viewer excellent recommendations