Why You Urgently Need Integrated Chat Instead of Third-Party Chat Tools

Whether you're a small startup or a multinational corporation, empowering efficient and effective workplace communication among employees, teams, and clients has never been more vital than it is today.

These days, employees are just as likely to work outside the office as in. Whether traveling, hybrid, or fully remote, workers rely on communication apps to stay on top of what's happening and connect with coworkers.

To solve this, companies are turning to chat tools to meet their communication needs.

Many will grab what's readily available or what people are accustomed to, like WhatsApp, Line, etc. Employees already use these apps for personal communication, so you think, "Why not use what we know?" However, third-party communication apps introduce extra risks and headaches that could be avoided with an in-house chat solution.

So, let's explore several reasons you should opt for integrated workplace chat over third-party alternatives.

Superior Security and Control Over Sensitive Company Information

One of the most significant concerns companies face today is security. Businesses face daily threats of breaches and leaks. When you use third-party solutions, you're essentially entrusting all of your sensitive business communications to external providers. You give up control over how the security of your messaging is handled and how your data is stored. This can even pose regulatory issues in industries with strict compliance requirements, like healthcare or finance.

Integrated chat solutions offer companies more control over their data and messages. You can implement security measures and access controls that align with your specific needs or any compliance regulations. This level of control is essential for safeguarding sensitive information and maintaining your company's reputation.

Better Data Archiving

Integrated chat solutions have built-in data management features, allowing you to archive and search through chat logs and conversations more effectively. In contrast, third-party chat tools might require additional integrations or manual efforts to achieve the same level of data management. Some will even expire chat logs after a certain period, making it impossible to pull up necessary chats or records when needed.

Using an integrated chat platform lets you easily retrieve information from past conversations, which can be invaluable for decision-making, customer support, and auditing purposes.

One Less Piece of Software to Juggle

With integrated chat solutions, messaging is seamlessly meshed with other work management features your company uses to get things done. This means employees can access chat features within their existing workflow, reducing the need to juggle multiple apps. With everything in one place, productivity improves. Employees can easily access shared documents, calendars, and other tools without switching between applications.

On the other hand, third-party chat tools often require additional setup. They may not integrate smoothly with your existing systems, leading to inefficiencies and frustration. Also, it's hard to pinpoint where something is when everything's spread out across multiple apps. You think, "Where did I give that approval?"...and then have to search through all your different messaging apps and emails to find a sign-off.

The Right Kind of Familiar

If a workplace tool isn't streamlined and easy to use, employees will avoid it. A chat solution integrated into the work management and collaboration tools your company already uses for everything else will be more familiar and easily adopted.

Third-party chat tools often come with their own user interfaces, which may or may not align with your company's design and functionality styles. Sure, some of these apps might be familiar to users who use these apps outside of work. But this can lead to problems down the line when someone sends something meant for personal communication to work chat or vice versa.

More Economical

Some third-party chat tools may seem cost-effective initially, but the long-term expenses can surprise you. You might be asked to pay for additional features, integrations, or user licenses. Also, there are additional reputational and financial costs to your company if a data breach, security incident, or accidental leak occurs.

When chosen wisely, integrated chat platforms can provide a more cost-effective solution. They often include a broader range of features, reducing the need for multiple subscriptions and licenses.

Reduce Reliance on Emails

Emails can become a mess of inefficiency. According to McKinsey, the average worker spends nearly a third of their day reading and answering emails. That's more than 2.5 hours of every workday!

By integrating chat, messaging, and feedback where employees are doing their work, you help them get that time back. Instead of bouncing back and forth between apps, they see the project updates, approvals, feedback, etc., directly on the task.

Employee Offboarding & Lost Devices

A last overlooked issue with third-party chat apps is what happens when an employee leaves the company or loses their device. If you're using a third-party chat app that someone also uses for their personal communications, they'll still have access to all those work messages and conversations after they leave. This can have catastrophic consequences if you're in a sensitive field or dealing with confidential information.

Integrated chat solutions built for professional use will have features that allow you to immediately cut off or delete communications from people who have left the company. You won't have to worry about someone holding onto sensitive information once they go.

Choose a Complete Work Solution

Sure, third-party chat tools might seem convenient at first. But, there are clear advantages to choosing an integrated chat solution.

An integrated chat solution offers a more seamless experience, better control over data and security, improved data management, a streamlined user experience, and potential cost savings.

Enhancing workplace communication has always been at the core of what we do at Taskworld. We were empowering and equipping remote work before it was the new normal. And that gives us unique insights into exactly what companies need.

If you're considering switching to integrated chat, we'd like to help you. We can help you control your messages and data while ensuring efficient and secure communication!

Contact us to schedule a free demo today!