These days, even small businesses are likely to have team members in far-flung locations. New markets are opening, business travel is growing, and contractors can be hired from anywhere on Earth. Still, it’s important to make sure everyone is on the same page. There are hundreds of popular communication tools for small business owners to choose from, but four stand out head and shoulders above the rest.
Are you looking for ways to work with stakeholders from around the world as if they were just around the corner? Start by checking out these four acclaimed communication tools for small business owners.
Slack
Famously used by the engineers on NASA’s Mars rover project, Slack is a communication and collaboration app for teams. It provides an unlimited free trial that includes searchable message archiving, integration with ten apps or services of your choice, native versions for Windows, iOS, and Android, and 5GB in total file storage. At its core, Slack is a messaging app that divides interactions into channels and private messages. “Channels” incorporate all the best features of social streams and message boards, allowing team members to connect or catch up quickly.
Skype
Skype is the granddaddy of voice over IP (voIP) applications. Some small businesses have completely replaced their conventional phone system using Skype, which allows you to contact any Skype user or phone through your choice of voIP call or video chat. Skype’s price structure incorporates deep discounts for international calling, making it an ideal solution for enterprises that only occasionally need to call across borders. Plus, it includes complete instant messaging functionality for when there’s just no time for a complete phone call. Skype is also hailed as one of the first modern video conferencing applications.
GoToMeeting
When it comes to working together, some people are simply at their best in a face-to-face meeting. Now, you can simulate the authentic meeting experience with high-definition telepresence from GoToMeeting. GoToMeeting is a videoconferencing suite that allows you to schedule meetings in advance or start them instantly with any number of participants. It works with both desktop and mobile devices, so you can call in from anywhere in the world. Plus, you can even make instant recordings and send them to all participants when a meeting ends.
Join.Me
Join.Me offers similar features to common communication tools, but it brings enough to the table that’s unique to deserve special mention. The core of Join.Me is a videoconferencing application, but it also comes equipped with features like screen sharing, a mobile whiteboard module for creating and sharing visual materials, and full support for one-to-many webinars open to the general public. The end result is a robust, flexible software suite that allows you to give professional presentations from virtually anywhere using any modern mobile device.