Top 10 Tools and Software for Improving Business Communication

Modern communication tools and software make it easy to stay in touch with others on any device through real-time text, audio, and video conferencing. Some tools go further by helping you streamline other aspects of the business, such as managing projects, sharing files, and even conducting performance reviews.

But how do you choose the right communication software for your business? First, you must identify the pain points you’re currently facing. Are you struggling to keep clients in the loop on the status of projects? Is the productivity of your remote workers suffering? From there, you can hand-pick software that will help achieve your desired results.

Alternatively, you can have custom business communication software built to meet your unique requirements.

Here are 10 useful business communication tools you can start using today.

1. Office 365

Office 365 is a paid subscription service that lets you use cloud-based versions of the entire Microsoft Office suite (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and more).

One of the main advantages of Office 365 (over the standard Microsoft Office suite) is that you can collaborate with other people on tasks, documents, and presentations in real-time. Since these programs are entirely cloud-based, all of your files can be accessed from any device and location too.

Plus, with the inclusion of Microsoft Teams, you can start a text, audio, or video conference within the same platform.

2. Slack

You’ve probably heard of Slack before. But what exactly is it? In essence, Slack is a chatroom for your workplace, designed to replace traditional email as your primary method of communicating and sharing.

With Slack you can split up your inbox into different categories to suit your preferences. For instance, you might have one channel dedicated to internal colleagues, and another for your remote team. You can even create shared channels for seamless communication between your staff and clients or other companies.

What’s more, you can set custom priority levels for each conversation. For instance, you might set a ‘high priority’ for a conversation with a client, and a ‘low priority’ for a conversation with a colleague or friend in close proximity to you. This way, you’ll still get message notifications, but also the freedom to respond in your own time.

3. Zoom

Ideal for hosting online business meetings, webinars, and conferences in stunning HD quality, Zoom is one of the most powerful and versatile video conferencing platforms around.

Users can either join Zoom through the cloud-based service or download the client directly to their computer. Once inside, you and up to 99 other participants can initiate a video call, where you can each screen share, collaborate on projects, and even record the current session and then upload it for later viewing.

Plus, with Zoom’s in-built on screen whiteboard, you can use the drawing tools to present info in a clear visual way, take notes, and so much more.

4. Zoho Cliq

Similar to Slack, Zoho Cliq is a cloud-based collaborative tool designed to replace traditional email, yet also streamline your day-to-day business operations.

On the surface, everything you’d expect from a premium communication software is here. Video and audio calls, real-time chat, file sharing, and integration with both proprietary and third-party apps.

One thing that separates Zoho Cliq from Slack is the price point. At its most expensive, Zoho is just $3 per person per month, while Slack is a bit more expensive at around $5 per person per month. For larger businesses with a lot of staff, that small price difference will add up quickly.

Another great feature is the search directory for chat. Can’t find that file your colleague sent last week? Simply type in the file name, and Zoho will automatically take you to its exact location.

5. ProofHub

When it comes to cloud based project management software, ProofHub’s award-winning features has made it the go-to system for top institutions like TripAdvisor, Wipro, and Harvard University.

What makes ProofHub so special? In essence, it serves as a centralised place where users can communicate, collaborate, share, and manage small to large-scale projects. From planning and execution through to delivery, ProofHub guides you through each step of the production cycle to ensure you meet your obligations on time, on budget.

On a single platform, team members, clients, and contractors can share notes, assign and complete tasks, upload valuable resources, and start discussions to solve and overcome various challenges.

Best of all? Despite the overwhelming amount of features, ProofHub is very accessible even to new users.

6. BlogIn

Company blogs are a great way to share valuable information and knowledge with your customers. But what about providing the same service for your staff with an internal company blog?

By giving your team access to exclusive company-specific articles, resources, and announcements, this can help boost team communication and company morale. Fortunately, that’s where a platform like Blogin can help.

Blogin makes it easy to create and run an internal company blog. You can invite as many users as you want, publish an unlimited amount of posts, and quickly share drafts with other people to make improvements before you click ‘publish.’ Better still, you can active email and push notifications, so your team will never miss the next important post or update.

Best of all? You get a free 14-day trial to help you decide if Blogin is right for your business.

7. AirMason

Employee handbooks are vital to welcoming new recruits. But creating, distributing, and updating them can be a hassle. Programs like Word make it hard to create visually appealing documents. While printing hard copies can be costly and collecting manual signatures is time-consuming.

AirMason makes it easy to create, distribute, track, and update your employee handbooks. You can hire AirMason’s dedicated copywriters and designers to create a custom handbook that reflects your brand. From there, you can share digital copies of the handbook to new and existing employees with a few clicks. No need to manually pass out hard copies!

Finally, AirMason makes it easy for recipients to digitally sign their copy, so you can relax knowing every department and team member is compliant.

8. Redbooth

Redbooth is a flexible team management solution designed to streamline the flow of communication for improved outcomes.

What makes Redbooth unique is its proprietary AI technology called Redbooth Predict. By taking the time to understand your business and workflow, Redbooth will start offering recommendations to users and suggested due dates for similar projects. Redbooth Predict can even pair you up with the right candidate based on their skills and your job requirements.

Aside from the intelligent AI system, Redbooth’s visual interface makes it easy to assign tasks, monitor project status, and start HD video calls. All it takes is a single glance to get a clear overview of your daily business operations.

9. Trello

As one of the most popular digital ‘to-do’ list service providers, Trello is very easy to use and versatile. Everything you need to set up and manage your projects is in the Trello boards.

After starting a new board, you create custom lists, which you can then fill with individual tasks. You can give a brief summary of the task, specify a preferred deadline, and upload any relevant files. From there, your team can get to work, upload the completed work, and confirm the task has been completed.

On top of this, team leaders can organise projects by category and seamlessly switch between boards. Thus, you get a bird’s eye view of your entire workflow through one platform.

Best of all? Trello’s free version may be all you need to manage your small to medium sized business with ease.

10. Officevibe

Getting regular feedback and insight from your team is vital to fostering a healthy, happy, and efficient workforce. However, you want the process to be easy and straightforward so as not to impact productivity.

Officevibe has everything you need to build trust with your team, find out what they love (or dislike) about working for you, and where improvements can be made.

On a single platform you can create and distribute anonymous team surveys. Collaborate 1-on-1 with staff to establish and achieve realistic goals. Share valuable information and resources online. And even receive tips from Officevibe on best practices for managers.

As a result, your team will feel confident about sharing their thoughts, while you’ll have the tools to improve productivity where it counts most.

Contact Orient Software to find out how we can build custom business communication software that meets your unique requirements.