If you’re not using a collaboration platform in your business, you should. Not only do they allow you to coordinate projects and teams remotely from all over the world, but they are the future of workplace communication. Millennials are driving the changing workplace dynamics and will soon make up 50% of the current workforce.
If you’re not using a collaboration platform in your business, you should. Not only do they allow you to coordinate projects and teams remotely from all over the world, but they are the future of workplace communication. Millennials are driving the changing workplace dynamics and will soon make up 50% of the current workforce. They have changed the way that the workplace thinks about collaboration and have directly influenced the emergence of communication platforms for business – but how do we know whichplatform is best?
The main platforms out there today are Slack and the recently launched Microsoft Teams, which we’ve talked about before. People have been debating the Pros and Cons of which communication platform is better ever since Microsoft stepped onto the stage earlier this year. From TechWyse’s infographic, to posts from PCMag, everyone is wondering which platform reigns supreme. Although they both have similar looking interfaces, and both offer an alternative to email for the 21st Century, there are some key differences that set them both apart.
What does Slack offer?
Slack markets itself as “team communication for the 21st century” and offers less email, with more productivity. You can create multiple channels for your various projects, topics, and teams, send direct messages, and share all your files, images and PDFs.
So, what do you actually get?
- Slack’s own built-in voice and video-call, with screen-sharing capabilities
- Integration with numerous third-party apps
- Allows external users to collaborate
- Many custom theme options
- Supports two-factor authentication
An issue with Slack is that it boasts about having a free plan, yet that $0 option doesn’t really get you much. If your business is really looking to move its collaboration to a platform like Slack, they will most-likely have to pay up in-order to actually use it. And at about $6-12 per user, per month, that can really add up.
What does Microsoft Teams offer?
Microsoft Teams, “the new chat-based workspace in Office 365” is the one place for everything. Much like Slack, it allows you to share files, create channels for collaboration and send direct messages. This single interface offers a platform for collaboration across experience, culture, and generation; available in 181 markets and 19 languages, Microsoft Teams really does live up to that ideology. Seamlessly integrated with Microsoft Office 365, Teams makes it easy for businesses to integrate this new platform into their workflow.
So, what do you actually get?
- Built in access to SharePoint, One Note, and Skype for Business
- Rich scheduling features, plus ad-hoc 1-1 and group calling
- Enterprise security and compliance feature you expect from Office 365, including eDiscovery and legal hold for channels, chats, and files
- Supports two-factor authentication
- Strong enterprise experience
Why is Microsoft Teams better for your business?
If you’re looking for a team collaboration tool to integrate into your workflow, Microsoft Teams is the premier option due to its top-level security, and seamless access to all the workplace apps you know and love. As a bonus, its free if you already have Office 365 integrated into your business. Not using Office 365? – we can help with that. Microsoft has one-upped their main competitor with options that exceed the abilities of Slack. Not only is Microsoft Teams quick and easy to use, but it makes the concept of instant messaging secure for the business world. It’s why we use it ourselves!
For more information on Microsoft Teams check out their site here.
Written By:
Softlanding
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