Whether you run a small business or a giant corporation, emails and conference calls alone aren't going to cut it for effective team communication. Today's modern workforce needs one single place where team members can participate in individual and group chat streams and manage projects with coworkers in real time across multiple devices.

There's no shortage of team chat apps to choose from. Let’s dive into the best features to look for in software solutions that bring the most value to the table.

Native Applications for Every Device

Ever since the iPhone was born and mobile apps became popular, it created an almost instant market for mobile messaging applications. Slack and Hipchat may be the founding fathers of modern business chat software, but they certainly aren't the only players in the game, and aren't necessarily the right fit for every organisation.

Today's workforce is increasingly composed of remote teams where team members work across the country from one another in various time zones. Employees are frequently traveling and they take their work with them wherever they go on various devices.

Many companies use video conferencing to help bridge the gap of remote teams, but video calls can be just as cumbersome to schedule as conference calls. Team messaging systems make things easier with instant, bite-sized communication tools.

Team chat apps keep online discussions organised into group streams and direct messages. You can have any many streams as you need, typically with an organisation-wide channel where corporate communications are delivered, along with departmental or project-related groups.

You can even have a stream for 'fun' where team members share jokes, family milestones or interesting articles, which can boost employee engagement.

The most handy team messaging apps have applications that are designed to work smoothly on any device. They should include separate mobile apps that are designed to work on the operating system of an iPhone or an Android, as well as desktop applications for PCs and Mac computers.

More Than Just a Messaging App for Business Chat

There is a wide range of software that focuses on chat rooms and streams of threaded conversation. While a tool for chat conversations certainly has its place in the work environment, chat alone doesn't foster robust team collaboration.

The most effective team messaging apps take it a step further by helping organisations increase team productivity and engagement with additional features. Look for a software solution that offers storage space for file sharing so team members can find and collaborate on projects in one single space on any device.

The ability to share files outside of email helps employees organise information without digging through a cluttered email inbox. Streamline your business process by selecting software that allows team members to share files, documents, images, and videos in one spot.

Task Management Features

In addition to chat streams and file sharing, the most robust team chat apps include task management capabilities. Whatever application you choose should allow users to create and manage to-do lists and effortlessly track progress towards individual and group goals and targets.

Tracking goals and targets in a public space also fosters accountability towards goals and helps to reduce the need for so many meetings. It keeps everyone on the same page without having to meet and review the project progress on a frequent basis.

Robust Reporting Features

Look for an app that automates time-consuming report creation. The best apps will gather your data and create useful, dynamic reports that are easy to read for internal staff and board members alike.

It's helpful to take advantage of software that creates an automated summary of every task and target being tracked in the system where team members can have reports sent to them at customised frequencies. If you need a report for a quarterly board meeting or bi-weekly department meeting, your software should grant you instant access to the data you need, when you need it.

Choose Project Management Software With Chat Tools

The best choice for a team chat app provides a medium for chatting and much more. The most efficient tools also intuitively create an avenue for measuring and tracking performance while fostering accountability towards tasks and goals.

Samewave is social performance management software that leverages the influence of social persuasion to increase overall performance. Our products include native applications for PC and Mac desktop computers as well as Android and iPhone mobile apps.

Samewave gives unlimited users the ability to communicate via direct messages and organised chat streams, but the features don't end there. Users create and track progress towards goals and to-do lists so everyone can instantly view progress towards goals and communicate in a collaborative environment.

Additionally, our software features scoreboards and automatic reporting tools for each team, detailing the progress towards every goal and status reports of each team member to provide the most meaningful, actionable insights.

Best of all, Samewave is free. Sign up today and implement it in your organisation to increase collaboration, productivity and accountability towards delivering results.