6 alternatives to email that your company should be using

Emailing is a logistical nightmare for businesses and companies. Yes, it does the one-on-one basics well, but no sooner have you set up a new account does a relentless, mind-numbing flow of junk mail start flooding into your inbox. Every other minute we’re offered a great discount on pizza and Viagra, or told we’re entitled to £13trillion if we just hand over our card number and pin.

And then there’s the big issue. As far as group conversations go, email is as useful as a chocolate teapot, and in the hubbub of everyday working life, where the sharing and retention of information is so vital, this is a major black mark. So, we must go looking elsewhere to boost our efficiency – happily, there are a number of companies with their eye on the ball. Here are 6 of the best alternatives to email….

SLACK

Expected to be the main catalyst to the downfall of email, the aim is to make working life simpler, more pleasant and more productive. Slack was launched in August 2013 and signed up 8,000 customers within 24 hours (a figure which has blown up since), offering one-on-one messaging, private groups, persistent chat rooms, direct messaging, as well as group chats organised by topic., Slack

DO

A calendar app that allows you to be at the meeting even when you can’t be. A shared canvas between groups means one place for all the notes, presentations, documents and all other collateral. No more emails back and forth., Do

YAMMER

Essentially a corporate Facebook clone, Yammer is a private social network that helps employees collaborate across departments, locations, and business apps., Yammer

CHATTER

A great business tool, allowing you to create a support case, update a sales opportunity, approve project funds – all from within the community. Data and records are directly connected to your internal systems to maximise efficiency and eliminate errors. Chatter is designed mobile first, enabling a rich and powerful mobile experience, and ensuring you can keep up-to-date on the go., Chatter

TIBBR

A microblogging service allowing you to post news and updates, ask questions, make announcements, or share ideas using a familiar, social network user interface., Tibbr

HIPCHAT

HipChat is a web service for internal/private chat and instant messaging. As well as one-on-one and group/topic chat, it also features cloud-based file storage, video calling, searchable message history and inline image viewing, meaning you can take the office with you wherever you go. Launched in 2010, it is estimated that the service handles at least 60 messages per second., Hipchat