Working arrangements these days have become more flexible than ever. The office staff is no longer required to work in physical offices as companies have become more lenient, allowing work across borders and time zones.
Some employees would only need an internet connection to access work files using mobile devices. While call conferences are scheduled regularly for important meetings, a mobile chat app could be better for daily operational use.
Chat apps and messaging systems are useful for teams to discuss work-related issues that don’t need to management-level decisions. The right mobile chat app can also facilitate better and timelier customer service.
If you’re on the lookout for a mobile chat app for your office support team, read this article before exploring your options.
Know What Your Business Needs
Numerous mobile apps in the market claim to be better than the rest of their competitors. But as any business organization knows, any app is only as good as its features. And an app’s value to a company will depend on the latter’s needs.
Small- and large-scale businesses have different requirements depending on the reach and nature of their enterprise or how they run their business. For instance, some operations merit the need for collaboration rather than mere communication. Some may need call conference functions and easy access to other apps, more than the others.
Still, some organizations may require chat apps that work seamlessly on either outdated or most advanced mobile phones. Whatever your communication pain points are, the right mobile chat app should be able to address that question for you.
Check For Ease Of Use
Even with the advent of technology, not all office staff are admittedly tech savvy. Change may not always be welcome to all of your employees. More so if they’re struggling to keep up with these changes. An app that’s easy to learn should be your best choice.
While there’s always a learning curve for everything, it shouldn’t take weeks for your support team to learn how to operate a mobile chat app. A user-friendly app encourages a higher usage rate and team efficiency.
Put A Premium On Security
Information and data leaks are critical to any business venture. Any privacy breach, whether intentional or accidental, can lead to potential lawsuits and millions worth of damages and settlements.
In the past, cyberattacks were focused on big businesses and famous personalities. Those days are long gone as hackers have become more sophisticated and less selective with their targets. It’s not uncommon for small businesses to be plagued by cybersecurity issues these days.
As such, a mobile messaging app should include end-to-end encryption and other strong security features. Encryption entails converting information in codes so that unauthorized access such as hacking can be prevented. In addition, encrypted apps won’t collect or keep any messages on their servers. That said, businesses should never skimp on cybersecurity—if they want their businesses to grow.
Go With Chat Apps With File Exchange Capabilities
There’s so much you can do with your mobile devices these days. With mobile devices, you can constantly communicate with your family, purchase any product, and schedule an appointment with doctors and other professionals.
If you’re a customer service representative, you could even perform your tasks and entertain queries from your phone.
But more than being a channel for office discussions, a good mobile chat app must allow parties to exchange ideas, files, and information using this platform. With this, businesses are able to encourage collaboration and enhance productivity.
While office emails can be an effective avenue for file and information exchange, your files have more chances of being noticed (and opened) through mobile chat apps.
Require Wide Platform Support
Some apps only run on a specific operating system, while others are optimized for specific site engines. As each of your staff may have different preference, it’s best to choose a mobile chat app that can run with the same efficiency through different platforms and systems.
Your chosen app should function across several, if not all platforms. This ensures your team members will have access to the app without laboriously converting files into another format.
Consider Productivity And Task Management Features
More than communication, most mobile chat apps can be used to enhance productivity. For instance, some apps allow users to access a calendar to create to-do lists and tick off tasks that have been done. This can be done individually and as a group, reducing the need to meet regularly for updates on specific projects.
Managers can also supervise a team-based project better, allowing for easy and timely problem troubleshooting.
Choose A Chat App With Reporting And Analytics Functions
If you want to check how an app is being used and if it’s being used according to its purpose, choose one that offers easy access to usage reports and analytics. Some apps offer automatic reporting functions where users’ and team task accomplishments could be compared to its goals.
In addition, if your team uses your chat app mainly for customer support, your business can check customer demographics, major concerns, conversion rates, among other important issues.
Seek A Cost-Effective App
More often than not, most business software carry a hefty price tag. That’s why it’s important, first and foremost, to choose apps that have integrated functions and that works across all operating systems and platforms.
When it comes to your business mobile chat app, you don’t have to choose the cheapest subscription. As with other things, you mustn’t sacrifice quality and usefulness over the cost. Before choosing the best app for your business, consider weighing all the chat app’s benefits and drawbacks. Often, the value you’ll get maybe a few times more than the price you paid for.
Avail Free Trials
To some, free trials may just be purely a marketing gimmick, but a free trial or a money-back guarantee offers many benefits in identifying the best mobile chat app for your support team.
Some apps may sound too good to be true. Some may look like the only product your business has been waiting for. Since the proof of the pudding is in the eating, it pays to taste one-month free trials offered by the chat apps in your shortlist. Don’t limit your choice to only one. Get a few, maybe three, apps. Your staff may get tired from changing messaging systems periodically, but doing this can help you arrive at a smarter decision.
The Bottom Line
A great mobile chat app should have integrated business functionalities as discussed in this article. While some may dismiss this type of app as unnecessary, this can actually help enhance business communication, collaboration, customer support, and productivity—when used properly.
