The Best Online Communication Tools in 2019

We live in a digital age and for our packaging design studio, online collaboration and communication are key ingredients. So we search continuously for the best online communication tools and we would like to share our experience with you.

Email is a preferred method of business communication that is fast, cheap and accessible. Using email can greatly benefit businesses as it provides efficient ways to transmit all kinds of written info. Also after each decision meeting, it is wise to send an email to all participants with the conclusions. If you use email as the main communication channel then you want to look professional and count on the reliability of your email provider/client.

1. The most professional way for a business is to have an email linked to your domain, something like contact@domain.com or info@domain.com. When you buy the domain and hosting, all providers give you also the possibility to set up an email account. You can use that account directly in the Cpanel using a default application available there or more elegant, you can use other tools like Outlook or online ones like Mozilla Thunderbird or Zimbra. This type of email account can also be set up on your mobile device so you can be in touch with the business needs anywhere and anytime.
2. If you find it a bit difficult to have an email related to your domain, you can opt-in for a Gmail account, it is still usable for business and it has good security features
3. We would not recommend Yahoo, Hotmail, etc accounts to be used for businesses, these options don’t look professional and don’t offer the right features

The importance of video calls lies in its high efficiency. Video conferencing systems can help your company increase productivity. Sometimes when there is a misunderstanding it is a lot faster to have a short call and clarify things then exchange 10 emails and build frustrations.

1. Zoom is a very stable tool for video calls, it offers the possibility of sharing your screen and you can have multiple people at the conference. There is a free account where a call can last 45 minutes and then you need to restart or a paid account that offers unlimited time and more participants
2. Hangouts is a tool from Google and it offers free all the features you need for calls with your team or your client. The free version has a limitation on the number of participants, approx. 8–10. You can also go for the paid version as part of the G Suite for more features and security.
3. appear.in is very easy to set-up and use and for discussion between 2–3 people work very well even with the free version
4. If you have bigger teams and you would like to go for more enterprise solutions you can choose tools like Skype for Business from Microsoft
5. We would not recommend using for business calls Skype or WhatsApp, these are more for personal use

If you want to strengthen collaboration between your team members or ask quick questions to your clients, you probably need also a chat tool.

1. One of the best and most used chat tools is Slack. It is user-friendly, stable, secure, it gives the possibility of group creation, sharing documents, even calls. The interface is very nice and they are committed to quality, it is paid but not very expensive.
2. Microsoft Teams and Workplace by Facebook are also good options and you can get a good price for these applications if you already use other services from these providers
3. If you have a small team you can also try the chat capability from Hangouts, if you use the free version, think very well on what documents you are sharing here. You can also go for the paid version as part of the G Suite.
4. We would not recommend using for chat Skype or Facebook, again these are for friends and family, especially considering security and GDPR

It is crucial to communicate effectively in business to ensure you achieve your goals. And having the right tools can really help a team create long-lasting relations with their clients.