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By the time you finish reading this blog, more than 150,000 emails will be sent and received around the world. This is hard to believe, but considering the statistics that an average office worker receives 121 emails each day, it starts sounding more plausible.
Even if I had not shared the above numbers with you, you would've believed me if I said that email is the most frequently used business communication tool. And, why shouldn't you? Emails are great for communication; the asynchronous nature of email gives you an abundant amount of time to think, gather your thoughts, and share them with someone. The power to add attachments to emails, and keep track of all conversations in a thread, add charm to its personality.
However, the plus points of using an email start working against it when your conversation gets longer, or you have many ideas to discuss in one go. Long emails are painful for the writer and the reader, and let's not forget, more time-consuming. Moreover, if you want to discuss ideas on the fly or send a personal message, the email may not be the right choice for starting a conversation.
It will be hyperbolic to assume a total replacement for emails. Having said that, keeping a list of tools that you can use as an alternative for emails for business communication and collaboration seems to be a good idea. This will allow you to switch back and forth between different options and keep your communication more engaging.
So, here's presenting a list of the 5 best tools that you can use as an alternative to emails in 2021. Let's get started!
One of the best advantages of using a screen recording tool is that you can create videos without spending a lot of time and money. This advantage can be extended by using it to create a video message instead of sending an email.
Besides, with most of the screen recording tools, you can screen record and make videos with the help of a webcam. This means that you can send recorded messages instead of typing, and as the viewer can see your face, there is an added layer of personalization to your video message.
If video recording is not your thing, and you prefer video conferencing instead, then video communication tools will be the right choice for you. These video communication apps help your team to communicate and collaborate synchronously.
These apps are great for video conferencing because they allow the presenters to take control to share their screen and also use the in-built chat function to send text messages.
If you have a strategy in mind or want to discuss an idea with your manager personally, then a video call is a great option to bring ideas to fruition. When you try to do this via email, things can get delayed, or even worse, your email can get ignored completely.
Project management can get tricky with emails. Keeping a loop of tasks accomplished, deadlines, and work in progress can give you nightmares when you have a big team of people doing different tasks. This is the reason why we thought of including project management tools too in this list.
Project management tools have a clean interface. They give users the power to create boards for every function and add cards to track each task. Additionally, you can assign tasks to specific teammates, set deadlines, and add comments to share feedback.
So, if you're a manager, you will get the entire picture about the status of work without logging in to multiple apps or breaking your head in tracking down emails. A few project management tools like also have mobile applications, which means you can stay updated when you're on the move.
These tools usually come with powerful integrations like Google Drive and Evernote, which allow you to import information directly from these apps.
For enterprise businesses, the scale of activities and the employee strength demand a customized solution that can care for their communication and collaboration needs. Using too many apps will cause trouble with data synchronization, and it's not feasible in the long run.
The principal objective of customized solution providers is to streamline the workflow in your company to help you get your work done more innovatively. You can create different workspaces, and with admin access, you can grant permission to your teammates and clients permission.
Under each workspace, you can track the tasks, create customized calendars, and communicate with the stakeholders. Besides workspaces, you can also integrate online meeting tools, which means you can start an online meeting right within the platform instead of using a different app altogether.
Businesses around the world use chat messaging platforms. In the first instance, they might not seem to be a great alternative for emails. However, when you think about the pleasure of sending short messages instead of typing long emails, you get a clearer picture.
In most of the chat messaging tools, you can create different channels for specific discussions. Whether it's related to a client project or the office party that you're planning on Friday, these tools give you the autonomy to express your best thoughts in a fun and informal way.
This increases the speed of communication and also opens the doors for brainstorming. Since you don't have to do a lot of back and forth, you can share ideas in a much better way.
Emails are great for communication, and replacing them is a preposterous idea. However, there is no harm in discovering tools that can take the load off emails and keep your communication more streamlined.
In this curated list, we tried to identify different tools that can help you to make your communication and collaboration with your team more effective. Before we end this blog, let's just quickly go through the strengths of each tool that we mentioned above:
Screen Recording:
Best tool if you want to create quick videos and communicate in an asynchronous way.
Video Communication:
Video communication tools will help you get things done faster. Get out of the email loop, hop on a call, and fire away from your thoughts.
Project Management:
Project management becomes a lot easier when you use tools that are specifically designed for managing projects. The clean interface coupled with smart features to keep track of activities are great features that can keep you organized and well-informed.
Customized Solution:
For enterprise companies, using tonnes of different apps can paralyze their system. Using customized solutions to create workflows that are specific to their working is the best way to keep their communication streamlined.
Short Messaging:
Short messaging is easy, fast, and fun. Collaboration with short messaging apps is a lot easier because you can get work done by keeping things informal.
So, these were the highlights of the best tools that you can use as an alternative to emails. Depending on your business, team size, number of projects, and objectives, you can pick any of the above without regretting it.
Until next time, Be creative! - Pix'sTory made by Naveen Selvaraj