Effective communication is crucial in businesses. It helps manage relationships with staff, customers, and stakeholders. Without communication channels set in place, relationships can be ruined, which can lead to a loss of revenue and a tarnished reputation and brand.

Fortunately, there are plenty of communication platforms available for businesses in 2023. These platforms don’t only facilitate messaging, they also offer features for task management, project management, file sharing, team messaging, and more.

Here’s a rundown of the best communication platforms to use in 2023:

Exotel

If you prefer a communication platform in the cloud, choose Exotel. It’s a secure and reliable phone system that enables businesses to use a single phone number to make and receive concurrent calls and SMS. It also sends notifications for missed calls and allows you to route calls according to a call logic that you dictate.

You can also try Plivo as an Exotel alternative. It’s one of the most trusted platforms used by businesses in India and offers superior onboarding and support.

Microsoft Teams

Businesses that embrace a hybrid work set-up or have home-based employees can significantly benefit from Microsoft Teams. This platform allows team members to chat and have voice calls. It also has governance features where admins can control which features members can access.

Pumble

Pumble is a free collaboration and messaging app that allows individuals and teams of all sizes to communicate daily. Some of Pumble’s best features include direct messaging, public and private channels, threads, mentions, pinned messages, and voice and video calls.

Pumble also has a user-friendly interface, as you can choose from dark and light themes, customize your sidebar, and create shortcuts. It also has guest access features and roles and permissions to make workspace administration easier.

Google Chat

Google Chat continues to be the top option for existing Google users. Its accessibility and affordability compensate for its lack of an intuitive interface. Users of this platform also love its simple one-on-one and group conversations, channels, threaded conversions, and integrations with various Google products, like Google Drive and Gmail.

Google Chat’s layout is easy to use — even first-time users can easily navigate the platform within minutes. It also supports about 28 languages and 8,000 members per room.

Discord

Discord is a free VoIP, instant messaging, and digital distribution platform. Contrary to popular belief, Discord isn’t only beneficial to the gaming industry — it’s also an excellent option for businesses due to its impressive audio sync capabilities, tight IP security, and protection against DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks.

Slack

Slack is a forerunner when it comes to business communication platforms. It’s a productivity app that integrates seamlessly with other tools, like Zoom, Google Calendar, Asana, and Trello.

With Slack, you and your team members can take advantage of search modifiers, RSS feed subscriptions, Slack Huddles, and Slack Connect. The platform also has public and private channels, a workflow builder, and file-sharing features.

Google Meet

Google Meet is an accessible communication platform well-known for being one of the safest platforms for video conferencing and video calls. It allows companies to invite up to 100 employees and meet for one hour for free. You can create a meeting in a matter of seconds and send a link to co-workers, clients, and shareholders, so that they can join easily.

One of the best features of Google Meet is that it doesn’t require any installation, and the platform is straightforward. During the meeting, you can pin or mute participants, use captions, send messages to participants, and change backgrounds.

Zoom

Zoom has become popular among many businesses due to its features: from online whiteboards and team chats to cloud storage and premier customer support. The greatest thing about Zoom is anyone can use it, even individuals who don’t have a Zoom account.

Zoom’s cheapest paid plan is a bit more expensive than Google Meet, but you get to enjoy more features for its price. With Zoom’s cheapest paid plan, you get to enjoy video webinars, online marketplaces, access to its developer platforms, and so much more.

Make Smart Decisions

The number of communication platforms available today can be overwhelming, especially when choosing one for the first time. Narrow down your options by identifying the features you need, the number of your team members, and the work set-up you have (home-based employees, physical office, or a hybrid set-up).

Your communication platform impacts your business in many ways, so it’s important to make the right decision. Take all the time you need to compare and try several communication platforms before investing in one for your business.