Best-in-Class Business Communication Tools Every Company Should Use in 2024

An Overview

“A successful business hinges on effective communication” – Anonymous

As 58% of the workforce (92 million people in America) now work from home, digital communication has become key to workplace communication and productivity.

Business communication tools are essential in today’s workplace. They keep projects and collaboration flowing, whether for remote teams, large corporations, or a single employee working from home.

For remote workers, the quality of internal communication tools directly affects daily productivity. For managers and business leaders focused on employee engagement and customer experience, providing top-notch tools is crucial.

After working from home full-time for the past four years, I’ve gained a solid understanding of what remote workers need regarding communication tools. I’ve also learned about other tools that my coworkers use in different departments. 

Without any further delay, let’s delve deeper into the best-in-class business communication tools for every company in 2024!

Top-Rated Business Communication Tools for Every Company in 2024

If your employees are unaligned, it likely means there’s a lack of communication, leading to frustration and low morale. That’s why effective communication tools are essential. The right tools ensure targeted, relevant messaging that boosts efficiency and productivity. They also simplify teamwork and IT management.

Here are 11 business communication tools to get started with today.

Social Intranet Software

Every organization eventually needs to revisit its communication strategy. Often, the tools used for communication contribute to the problem. Forbes survey found that 60% reported feeling more burnout due to digital communication. 

To address this, identify what’s wrong and why. You may need to update technology, centralize tools, or improve training.

Common issues include:

• Struggling to keep up with company news.
• Disconnected employees and departments.
• Lost or buried documents in emails.
• No clear onboarding process for new hires.
• Excessive paperwork.

So, what’s the solution?

A unified solution where everyone can access information, communications, documents, and contracts in one place, no matter their location.

Woffice is that solution you can rely on. It saves your business money by reducing IT maintenance costs. With remote teams and dispersed workforces, Woffice fosters a flexible workplace, boosting productivity by connecting employees to their goals.

Project management

Your business performance won’t reach its potential without an efficient task management tool designed to boost productivity. Combining communication and task tracking, this tool transforms how employees complete their jobs.

Without a solid project management system, projects can become confusing and time-consuming. This is worse when management can’t directly monitor progress.

Look for these warning signs:

• Management is unaware of project statuses.
• Staff is confused about tasks.
• Priorities, deadlines, and task importance are unclear.
• Management lacks an organized way to track projects.
• Team members are unsure of expectations and reporting lines.

Woffice project management add-on solve these issues effectively. With Woffice, task management becomes seamless from start to finish. Managers can assign tasks, set due dates, and prioritize tasks in an organized Kanban list visible to all team members.

Internal Content: Media, Blogs, and more

You’ve heard the saying, “people eat with their eyes” –  Pulse Magazine.

When your content looks appealing, people are more likely to read it. An internal portal, especially a CMS intranet, can be a powerful tool for company blogs. However, great content is key to engaging your internal teams. If engagement is low, feedback is minimal, and there are more lurkers than active participants, the content may be the issue.

Watch for these signs:

• Staff feel unmotivated to upload content.
• Low read and comment rates.
• Employees aren’t sharing or referring to intranet information.

How can Woffice help?

Visual content engages employees better because the brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. Woffice’s features, like the Docs to WIKI, make it easy to share training videos, messages from leaders, and cultural content.

Using Woffice’s addons effectively will boost engagement and retention by presenting information in a more engaging and accessible way.

Private messages, group messages, and more

Employees and teams need collaboration tools to work efficiently. Without a virtual workspace, sharing ideas and tracking progress becomes challenging.

Watch for these signs:

• Hard-to-find conversations due to long email threads (try customizing emails with our advanced emails addon having ready-made templates).
• Overloaded inboxes with unnecessary emails.
• Unclear responsibilities and progress among team members.

Woffice’s private messages addon features facilitate instant communication and file sharing. Users can also start impromptu calls and integrate with Slack, centralizing your business communication tools in one place.

Analytics and Reports

Identifying areas for improvement is challenging without accurate data analysis. Often, internal teams manually log information or use inadequate tools, wasting time that could be spent on more productive tasks.

With an intranet, like Woffice, you gain access to employee engagement tools and detailed reports. This helps you track engagement and assess what benefits your company most.

Look for these signs:

• Management is unaware of employee engagement levels.
• Staff confusion about certain business aspects.
• Difficulty in sorting and tracking internal data.

Woffice’s advanced reporting add-on is crucial for obtaining accurate and timely information on project progress. 

It enables project managers to meet objectives within set timelines by providing detailed insights into key aspects like budget, timelines, resource utilization, and risk management.

With Woffice, you can track project metrics efficiently, ensuring all team members and stakeholders are aligned and informed.

Employee profiles

To improve business communication, staff need to know each other and understand roles within the organization. Whether your company is large or small, unclear roles make communication difficult.

Signs include:

• Members don’t know who to contact for questions or information.
• Employees waste time finding information through others.
• Staff are unsure about who works in different departments and who they report to.

What’s the solution?

BuddyPress member profiles in Woffice are a valuable communication tool, offering immediate visibility into each person’s role, expertise, and interests. With the Woffice Celestial skin, these profiles are prominently displayed, making it easy to identify who to contact and understand their role. This feature reduces confusion and streamlines communication within your organization.

Discussion Forums

Sharing information in the workplace is vital for internal growth. Veteran workers can quickly orient new employees, reducing mistakes. A digital workspace where employees ask questions and discuss projects strengthens bonds within the organization.

Watch for these symptoms:

• Employee questions go unanswered.
• Management is unsure who to approach for queries.
• Knowledge sharing is lacking.

Our Woffice intranet/extranet theme is compatible with the bbPress plugin. It offers discussion forums that encourage open dialogue between management and employees. These forums help disseminate knowledge, allowing employees to find answers quickly.

Alerts and Notifications

Creating valuable content is pointless if members don’t know about it. Many businesses have the materials and staff but lack the right software to deliver and connect. Often, companies rely on emails, but sometimes a social form of communication is more effective.

Watch for these signs:

• Staff miss important notices lost in emails.
• Staff struggle to find information from a specific department.
• Department heads are unsure if messages were received.

A digital workplace with Woffice’s alerts and notification tool enhances your internal communication. Notify staff about company-wide announcements or department updates directly and noninvasively. Members instantly receive notifications for spaces they belong to, with a notification icon at the top bar for easy access. Woffice integrates with Slack, so you can receive alerts and notifications seamlessly.

Why Leading Communication Tools of 2023 Fall Short Compared to Unified Solutions?

Despite the rise of various communication platforms, the phone call still holds its ground in 2023. Workers are finding that effective communication depends on the type of platform—whether it’s instant messaging, video calls, or VoIP systems. Google Meet and Zoom were the top choices for video calls, used by 40% and 46% of respondents, respectively.

Remote and hybrid workers rely on VoIP systems more than those in the office. Over a quarter of all respondents use VoIP, with 37% of remote workers, 23% of on-site workers, and 24% of hybrid workers choosing it for communication.

The most effective communication tool varies by work style. For on-site workers, 38% found the mobile phone most effective, followed by landlines at 22% and Zoom at 21%. Remote workers preferred Zoom (22%) and Google Chat (22%). Hybrid workers leaned toward Zoom (31%) and Google Meet (23%) as their top choices.

Impact of Work-Life Balance in the Digital Age

With numerous digital tools, more workers feel pressured to stay connected outside regular hours. About 25% always feel this pressure, and 35% often do. In contrast, only 7% rarely feel it, and 10% never do.

Did you know that digital tools drive burnout in 60% of workers?

Whether working from home, on-site, or both, digital business communication often increases burnout. Forbes survey found that 60% reported feeling more burnout due to digital communication. Among remote workers, nearly 70% experienced this, while 56% of hybrid and 49% of on-site workers reported the same.

Maybe, Scatteredness is the Problem!

Users face several challenges with multiple digital tools as defined below:

Communication Overload

Workers juggle various platforms—phone calls, instant messaging, video calls, and VoIP systems. This can create confusion about which tool to use and how to integrate communication effectively.

Burnout

The constant pressure to stay connected outside regular hours, amplified by diverse tools, leads to burnout. Nearly 60% of workers report increased burnout due to digital communication.

Inefficiency

Managing multiple tools can be time-consuming and inefficient. For instance, finding specific conversations or tracking project progress across different platforms can be cumbersome.

Unified Solution with Woffice

Woffice provides a unified solution that addresses these pain points:

Centralized Hub

Woffice consolidates all business communication and project management needs into one platform. With features like private messaging, group chats, and integration with tools like Asana, it simplifies communication and reduces the need for multiple tools.

Enhanced Collaboration

The Woffice private messaging add-on and group chat features facilitate quick, direct interactions. This reduces email overload and streamlines communication, fostering a more collaborative workspace.

Advanced Reporting and Project Tracking

Woffice’s advanced reporting add-on offers detailed insights into project progress, budget, timelines, and more. This keeps teams aligned and informed, reducing confusion and enhancing efficiency.

Unified Workspace

With Woffice, users have access to a centralized hub that integrates various business communication tools for every company. This integration eliminates the hassle of switching between different platforms and ensures all team members have the information they need at their fingertips.

In summary, Woffice’s comprehensive features offer a streamlined, efficient, and collaborative workspace, making it the ideal solution for overcoming the challenges of using multiple digital tools.

References:

https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/real-estate/our-insights/americans-are-embracing-flexible-work-and-they-want-more-of-it&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1725894799538939&usg=AOvVaw1N2jUUx_tLBH8PVJbI_zUX

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/digital-communication-workplace/

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/digital-communication-workplace/#:~:text=2%25%20of%20respondents.-,Digital%20communication%20tools%20are%20affecting%20work%2Dlife%20balance,-With%20so%20many

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/digital-communication-workplace/#:~:text=Digital%20communication%20increased%20burnout%20for%2060%25%20of%20workers