Chat software is a valuable tool to use, especially in business. Many businesses have a workforce that is spread out over different buildings, states, and countries. Companies need a way to communicate quickly and efficiently and regardless of geographic location. There are several chat software options and it’s important to pick the one that fits your company culture and business needs. Here is how some of the best chat software for business compare across important features.
When choosing chat software for business use, it’s critical to evaluate the software based on the features that matter most for your company. Security, price, and functionality are a few of the most basic and important to consider.
- Designed for Business
- Office Chat, Hip Chat, Campfire, Lotus Sametime and Microsoft Office Communicator were all designed for business which makes them stand out from other consumer grade chat software like Windows Live Messenger and Skype.
- Mobile App
- Having a mobile app is becoming crucial for businesses. We conduct all kinds of business from our mobile devices in our personal life and the expectation for conducting mobile business operations is ever present. Office Chat and Hip Chat are the two clients designed for business that have a mobile app. Campfire does have an iPhone/iPad app but it does not receive push notifications.
- Persistent Group Messaging
- Team collaboration is usually the point of using chat software in business. Campfire is designed specifically for group messaging and doesn’t focus on one-on-one chat service. Hip Chat and Office Chat both offer persistent group chat as well as one-on-one messaging. They also maintain a chat file history and Office Chat has an off the record feature as well.
- SSL secure
- Office Chat, Campfire and Hip Chat all have SSL security. It is noted that some of the other products require you to host your own server so it would be possible to make them SSL secure.
- Price
- Office Chat and Hip Chat have a lot of common features but when it comes to the bottom line, Office Chat is free and Hip Chat is pay by user.
Determine the properties and features that are most important for your business, find the right instant messaging client and put chat software to work for you and your team.
Built for Business: Office Chat premium gives company admins a web-based admin portal with full administration control to: manage users, teams, messages, SSO integration with company's active directory, the usage and engagement dashboard, and email support 24x7.
Email Interoperability: Office Chat allows you to send a message to anyone in your company. Users without the Office Chat app installed on their phone or desktop can participate in conversations via email.
Available on Mobile, Desktop, and Mac: Office Chat is the only business messaging solution today that can get everyone in the company on board. It connects your mobile workforce using iPhone, iPad, or Android along with workers using Windows Desktop or Mac.