Item: Slack
Rating: 10
Author: Jennifer Pardi-Cusick, MBA, PMP

Overall Satisfaction with Slack

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Slack is used across our organization, in addition to other messaging software, to connect individuals and make it easy to communicate. Most people prefer Slack over the other available tools because of its ability to save messages and files in an easy, unobtrusive way, as well as for the "fun" aspects of it that make communicating at work enjoyable.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Slack enables us to use fun functions such as "/giphy" to make our communications more fun and casual. GIF wars end up bringing our department closer and injecting team spirit and humor into what could normally be stressful days.
Slack is also great for creating quick, temporary groups. It's nice to be able to get a group message going and then have the option to just stop using it or to convert it to a private channel later.
One of the best things is how Slack saves message history. You can close any DM, including group DMs and then pull it back up later. This enables you to save the information and history without having a cluttered list of interactions.

Cons

It's a minor point and one that's likely outside of Slack's core competencies, but if you're looking for a communication tool that also includes voice chat, this isn't it.

Return on Investment

Slack makes it easier and quicker to get answers I need. While I'm not involved in the ROI measurements of software, I can say that it has helped me complete my projects quicker.

Alternatives Considered

Skype for Business and MiCloud Connect (formerly ShoreTel)

I prefer Slack over both of these because it feels fresh, casual and fun. I'm not going to choose this type of medium for connecting with C-Suite members anyways so I enjoy the fun features that Slack provides. Compared to Skype and ShoreTel, Slack has a much better look and feel, and I prefer the functionality for saving old messages.

Other Software Used

Microsoft Office 365, Qualtrics, Tableau Desktop

Likelihood to Recommend

Slack is great for use on teams, where quick and casual communication is appropriate. It's easy and enjoyable to communicate with this venue. I could see it working amazingly for startups and smaller teams throughout all levels of the organization but I think for larger organizations with a more formal hierarchy, this tool might not get used across levels as much.

Slack Feature Ratings

Comments

Please log in to join the conversation

Fun, fresh communications