Enterprise communication tools are the glue that holds big organizations together — and the surge in remote work has only increased their importance. Considering how easy it is to misunderstand, omit essential information, or overload someone in a face-to-face conversation, business communication software has to be even more watertight for the smooth running of a company.
In addition to the features of corporate messaging platforms for startups and SMEs, large-scale operations need to pay closer attention to the security, scalability, and integration capabilities of their systems. That’s why this article will go beyond the standard features of work communication tools to give big organizations a clear understanding of solutions that go above and beyond standard business use.
Join us as we explore how the best enterprise communication tools can provide security and compliance, improve employee engagement, and more.
1. Hyper-secure corporate messaging platforms
Two-step authentication is essential for any messaging platform nowadays, preventing malicious actors from accessing your messaging platform even if they have a legitimate username and password. End-to-end data encryption then stops hackers from intercepting sensitive information during transfer.
The vast difference between the most and least secure enterprise communication tools is closing, due to an increase in international framework and governmental regulation. However, you should still check that your corporate messaging systems comply with standards such as HIPAA, GDPR, ISO, and SOC, among others.
In short, we’d recommend enterprises delve into detail when assessing the right messaging platforms. Resist being seduced by the latest trends and follow a rigorous security checklist before making a decision.
2. Video conferencing solutions designed for enterprise-level calls
We’re practically drowning in software for video calls, which makes it somewhat difficult to sift through the noise and choose the right platform for your team. This begs the question, what separates the best enterprise video conferencing solutions from the rest?
Large organizations often need to hold company-wide meetings or host webinars, meaning their software has to scale up to accommodate your entire business and external users. Password protection stops your meetings from being hijacked, while comments, likes, reactions, mentions, and workgroups promote better collaboration.
In this day and age, it should be taken for granted that video conferencing tools will sync with enterprise calendars, allowing you to send invites that automatically adjust for different time zones. However, different schedules mean that some participants won’t be available, therefore, you’ll need to record your meetings for absentees to catch up at a later date.
Alternatively, you can send a summary to all intended attendees, along with an action plan. While this step used to involve an attentive note-taker and manual creation of tasks, the best video conferencing solutions now have AI-powered assistants that transcribe, structure, and summarize your meetings before creating a draft action plan ready for you to tweak and share.
Video calls have come a long way since the early days, so don’t settle for standard software — find a platform that ticks all the boxes for large-scale operations.
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3. Project and workflow management systems as a communication platform
Enterprise communication tools aren’t all about one-to-one conversations or general announcements. In fact, some of the most effective business communication applications don’t require an exchange of words at all.
Project management platforms, for example, are designed to let you create a task, assign a responsible person and observers, set a deadline, and provide resources very quickly (even less if you’re duplicating tasks!). Without a verbal back-and-forth, you’ve already communicated a vast amount of important information while saving a chunk of time.
Project and workflow management systems are home to plenty more algorithmic communication methods. Integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems let teams seamlessly manage projects through displays of workforce availability, available budget, and more.
In-built analytics will track your entire enterprise’s performance data, using metrics such as time taken on tasks, sales achieved, leads generated through each marketing channel, and much more. This allows you to pull out reports and identify specific areas that are holding up operations, as well as those where you’re excelling.
4. Unified communication systems that bring all your tools together
Unified communication systems (USCs) streamline your collaboration by connecting all your standard communication apps: Phone calls, video, instant messaging, content sharing, and more. Essentially, this is an effort by enterprise communication tools to cut down on time spent flicking between apps and instead switch communication channels within the same session.
Let’s take an instant messaging conversation as an example. If your colleague asks for a file you’ve been working on, you shouldn’t have to navigate to your cloud-based storage, download the file, and then attach it to an email. With a unified communication system, you can ping the document to your colleague within the instant messaging window. That’s not all. At the click of a button, you can convert your chat into a video call or add another colleague to the conversation to give their input.
5. Powerful CRM systems with ERP integration
The bigger your company, the harder it is to keep track of all your resources. Therefore, one of the best enterprise communication tools represents a seamless flow of information between sales, customer service, finance, and supply chain management.
CRM systems with ERP integration act as a central brain for your business, giving every team member accurate, real-time information about all your customers.
As an example, when a client calls about an issue, it doesn’t matter which of your service agents responds. Your entire team will have full details of the user’s personal details, pending orders, purchase history, the status of the order, and your current inventory. This detailed information allows you to resolve queries quickly and build confidence with customers, which ultimately leads to increased loyalty.
6. Internal social media platforms that enhance employee engagement
As social media swept over the globe, drawing people in with ever-evolving ways to connect and communicate, businesses watched with a curious eye, wondering how to leverage this impact for their enterprise communication tools.
These days, it’s hard to find people who aren’t on some form of social media platform, meaning the learning curve to implement an intranet in your organization is small. What’s more, the advantages are impressive, and not just for communication.
Sure, you can make company-wide announcements appear on people’s newsfeeds, but you can also share achievements and milestones that colleagues can celebrate with a like or reaction. This recognition is great as an individual motivational tool, but it also helps big teams get to know each other and provides an icebreaker for future meetings.
Remote teams often use the same social media technology to break down barriers between far-flung employees. By launching internal communities, you can build social relationships around common interests, which makes people feel more involved in the business and more willing to collaborate.
Both of these methods make internal social media platforms ideal for improving employee engagement in large companies that often struggle to find that close-knit feel.
7. Enterprise content management (ECM) systems without the confusion
By their definition, enterprises deal with a lot of data, and the way they store that data can be a major factor in their success. For example, a logical hierarchy can save time and improve accuracy when looking for files. Categorization and tags can take things even further, while search bars mean you can find documents, images, and emails by a specific name.
You can secure the documents themselves with access permissions. Stop accidental changes to sensitive documents by permitting only a select few to edit the file. Version history features will keep a record of changes and the person who made them, so you can jump back in time to find previous drafts of the same document.
One of the most desirable features of enterprise content management systems is scalability. Whether through rapid growth or a surge in customer requests, you always need to be ready to expand your operations at a moment’s notice. A cloud-based drive allows you to increase capacity without breaking the bank.
8. Tools and software to keep you compliant and secure
With the global average cost of data breaches hitting $4.45 million in 2023, you simply can’t afford to go without secure and compliant enterprise communication tools. It’s not just instant messenger and video call technology that you have to focus on; all of your apps are susceptible to attack and need to be protected.
Data loss prevention (DLP) is one of the most effective strategies to secure your business. Data storage centers that protect their contents from physical and cyber attacks are the first port of call. Multiple data centers help to maintain your systems online 24/7, while daily backups can keep you up and running in rare cases where data is lost.
These robust security systems should still allow you to access data for auditing processes. Therefore, enterprises need to ensure that their files are archived securely on Safe Harbor-standard servers and isolated from other companies using the same system.
9. Third-party integrations and API management systems to expand your operations
Things can get complicated when you start combining apps from different developers. However, application programming interfaces (APIs) take you a long way to streamlining communication between a multitude of tools, saving you time, human error, and a whole lot of stress.
The main benefit of integrations is that businesses can customize applications and workflows according to their specific needs. This could include modifying a CRM system to better track customer interactions or creating custom project management templates. These techniques frequently cut major steps out of your processes — usually in the form of time-consuming administrative tasks.
Advanced enterprise communication tools like integrations and APIs are critical for large operations. Therefore, we’d advise taking a look at the integration possibilities and performance of your systems before committing to a platform.
10. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) for internal communication
We’ve seen the power of integrating ERP with CRM and project management software. However, ERP systems are at the core of your entire suite of interdepartmental enterprise communication tools.
Once you grow beyond the size of a startup, it’s almost impossible for any one person to keep all the moving parts of a business in their head — and who would want to? Instead, you can transfer all of your company’s key information to an ERP system for better communication and consistent data sharing throughout your entire enterprise.
For example, whenever a sale is made, the finance department will immediately see the change in their systems. At the same time, analytics tools will store the data point, which can then be used to create more accurate forecasts for the next quarter.
In short, without the complex, real-time data sharing that ERP represents, your enterprise cannot function, so look for software that performs well and offers excellent visualizations and usability.
Bitrix24: The ideal business communication software for enterprises like yours
Choosing the right business communication applications is critical for smooth collaboration, data security, and operational efficiency in large organizations.
We’d recommend looking for a compliant enterprise communication tool that offers excellent security and compliance, seamless integration possibilities, and, most importantly, scalability.
That brings us to Bitrix24 — an all-in-one platform that checks all the boxes and then some. As well as comprehensive third-party integrations, Bitrix24 offers:
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Secure corporate messaging with encrypted communications
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Video conferencing solutions for large-scale calls, webinars, and collaboration
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A unified communication system for simple, effective interactions
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Project and workflow management to ensure timely completion of big projects
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A robust CRM that integrates with ERP solutions
So if you want a more connected and productive work environment, sign up for Bitrix24 today.
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Bitrix24 is a place where everyone can communicate, collaborate, and manage daily activities. Get your job done.
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FAQs
How do enterprise communication tools improve workplace collaboration?
Enterprise communication tools improve workplace collaboration by:
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Streamlining interactions across various platforms
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Ensuring seamless, real-time communication and collaboration
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Synchronizing large teams and enhancing productivity
What are the key features to look for in an enterprise communication tool?
Key features to look for in an enterprise communication tool include:
How can companies evaluate the best communication tool for their needs?
To evaluate the best communication tool for their needs, companies should assess tools based on their security, compatibility with existing systems, scalability, ease of use, and specific features that align with their operational needs and communication workflows. Additionally, companies should consider the reliability of the communication tool provider, including factors such as uptime, customer support, and long-term viability, to ensure seamless and uninterrupted communication.
