The Best Virtual Communication Tools for Business

Every great organization needs three things.

First, they need trust. Without trust, teams struggle to work collaboratively. Next, they need processes. Without the right processes in place, team members will all operate differently.

The final need of your organization is communication. Without a steady flow of conversation and collaboration, it will be challenging to understand priorities, work may not meet the standard, and efficiency will plummet. Thankfully, there are a lot of tools available to give your team more fluid, consistent communication.

But how do the best tools stack up?

The Best Virtual Communication Tools for Business in 2021

The best communication platforms enable users to video chat, instant message, assign tasks, take polls, survey team members, and so much more. The best virtual tech for business include:

• Zoom
• Slack
• Jell
• Microsoft Teams
• Twist

Depending on what you need from a platform, some of these tools will be a better fit than others. Here are some of the best virtual communication tools we've used and how remote teams are using them to be successful.

Zoom

Zoom is a popular web conferencing tool that teams use to hold meetings and connect online. On a day to day basis, organizations rely on Zoom for a majority of their face-to-face interactions. Additionally, teams also use Zoom to host webinars. Zoom has excellent rankings on most tech review sites, such as a 4.5/5 on Capterra and a 4.5/5 on G2Crowd.

Users love features such as the Google Calendar integration, option to record audio and video sessions, as well as the ability to connect from phone or desktop. However, Zoom isn’t without its flaws. Zoom can be difficult to use if you have a poor internet connection, which can be distracting during meetings.

Slack

Slack is one of the most popular messaging platforms out there. Teams mostly use Slack for communication, but can also utilize the many apps and integrations the tool offers to play games, take polls and surveys, gauge employee satisfaction, assign tasks, and much more. You can even create channels for different departments and teams.

Slack is high rankings on review sites like Capterra, with a score of 4.6/5, as well as G2Crowd, with a score of 4.5 out of 5. Users enjoy categorizing topics with threads, uploading and sharing files, and accessing old conversations and discussions. While Slack has a lot of innovative features, some aren’t easy to use. A lot of users note that the search feature isn’t intuitive, and usually makes it even more challenging to find what you’re looking for.

Jell

Jell goes above and beyond your typical communication tool. In Jell, teams can share updates and make daily plans, making it easier to align on goals. You can also integrate Jell with Slack, creating a more collaborative environment for your team. Jell has a ton of features that make the platform a good fit for remote teams, such as productivity charts and to-do lists.

Jell is a newer platform, but still has high scores on Capterra (4.8/5) and G2Crowd (3.9/5). Some users did find flaws, such as it lacking in basic project management features, making Jell a good choice for minimal task tracking.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams is a great alternative to Slack, with many similar features. A lot of Microsoft Office users rely on Microsoft Teams for day-to-day communication and project management, as the platform integrates with Microsoft platforms, as well as Asana, Google Calendar, Zoom, and GoToMeeting.

Microsoft Teams also has high ranks on Capterra (4.6/5) and G2Crowd (4.2/5) due to the overall ease of use of the Microsoft Teams platforms. However, some glitches come with the technology, with reported lags during video conferencing.

Twist

Twist is a newer alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams, which, according to many users, removes a lot of the friction and noise people find with other platforms. In addition to the intuitive UX, Twist also has a robust search feature that makes it much easier to find old conversations and files. You can choose from hundreds of integrations, such as Gitlab, Zapier, Todoist, and more.

Twist is already emerging as a top communication contender, with powerful rankings on Capterra (4.3/5) and G2Crowd (3.9/5). Despite the benefits, some users find Twist’s features to be more limited than Slack and Microsoft Teams, making it difficult to make the switch.

Finding The Best Communication Tool For Your Team

It may not seem at first glance that there are many differences between some of the most popular communication tools, and each of the above tools can solve basic communication challenges as long as you have the right processes in place.