Cloud technology has become very important for many startups all over the world. One survey found that over 90% of all enterprises use the cloud. The proportion of startups using the cloud is smaller, but the smaller companies that use cloud technology tend to be more successful.
There are a lot of benefits of using the cloud to grow your business. We previously mentioned that cloud technology helps businesses improve their online presence. However, there are even more important reasons to invest in cloud technology.
One advantage is that it helps improve communication between your employees. A number of great apps leverage cloud technology to streamline communications.
Choosing the Right Clouds Apps Will Lead to More Effective Communication Within Your Startup
In the words of Theo Gold, an author on marketing and communications, “Communication is your ticket to success, if you pay attention and learn to do it effectively.” Streamlined communication is key for the success of any startup, and in today’s day and age, there are nearly innumerable communication apps on the market.
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The best apps are hosted on the cloud. The cloud makes it easier to host large amounts of data, so messages can be stored better.
Kirsten Barta, a writer for InterMedia, pointed out that cloud communications took off during the pandemic. Many companies invested in cloud technology to encourage social distancing, but quickly discovered many of its benefits. Newer companies are exploring the advantages of cloud technology as well.
This begs the question: which ones are the best cloud apps to improve communication in the workplace? You can find the best listed below.
Zoom
Zoom is a great cloud-based app to help communicate with your colleagues within your startup. Zoom has gained more popularity because of its usefulness during the COVID-19 work-at-home era, and for good reason. Zoom is an app in which you can host group video calls that can function as virtual meetings. Not only that, but Zoom also allows you to schedule and record meetings. Recording meetings is a great way to ensure that everyone within your startup is in the loop on what is going on, especially if someone has to miss a meeting. Recording meets on Zoom can even be done when the meeting takes place in person. To do that, start a Zoom video call during your meeting and have the camera face the front of the room or whoever will primarily be speaking during the meeting. Recording the meeting is then as simple as clicking the record button. Using Zoom during in-person meetings is a great way to include colleagues who might be unable to come into the office due to distance or health concerns. Zoom allows everyone to be included in meetings, no matter where they are.
One of the reasons that Zoom is such a powerful application is that it relies on powerful cloud technology. In 2020, Zoom signed a multi-year contractor with Amazon to handle its cloud hosting needs. This has helped with scalability and made it easier for more people to have a seamless experience on the cloud.
Slack
One of the best tools on the market to help streamline communication is Slack. Slack is not only a professional messaging platform but also can serve as a digital headquarters for your business.
There is a reason that we previously referred to Slack as one of the best cloud-based workplace apps. Within Slack, you can make different channels and designate which people are included in those channels. Channels help to keep conversations focused. If there are multiple different teams or projects going on in your startup, utilizing the channels feature of Slack would help your colleagues remain focused and also save people from being notified about projects that they are not part of.
Ryan Azimi is a Director of International Development at ETIAS. He thinks that Slack is one of the most important cloud tools that has helped his startup to excel. “We use Slack everyday here at ETIAS. It is so useful and helps everyone in the company to always be on the same page. It can be easy for emails to get lost, which is one reason why Slack is so great. All communication happens within the app, so everyone knows where to look if they need to find something. The channels are useful, too, and help my team to remain focused.” If you are in need of better communication within your startup, definitely look into Slack as a solution.
WhatsApp is a cloud messaging app that allows you to message and call people from all over the world. Through WhatsApp, you can message others one-on-one, and you can also create WhatsApp groups. In these groups, you can share messages, documents, photos, and videos on the cloud with up to 256 people per group. WhatsApp includes free voice and video calling, so this cloud-based app is often used by startups that have connections in different countries. Long-distance communication is extremely easy for anyone with WhatsApp. Users have the ability to share voice messages, which are a great, simple way to communicate information.
Stephen Skeel works with 7 Wonders Cinema as their Co-founder / Executive Producer. 7 Wonders Cinema uses WhatsApp for all internal communication. “WhatsApp groups are a really efficient way to communicate with your team. I can send out information and delegate tasks through those groups instead of having meetings or sending out emails. It becomes a lot easier this way. I can also directly mention people in those chats. They’ll get a notification when their name is mentioned, so they won’t miss out on important messages.”
WhatsApp goes beyond streamlining internal communication with your startup and makes communication with clients easier as well. Theresia Le Battistini, a CEO & Founder at Fashion League uses WhatsApp for Business, which is a version of WhatsApp specifically tailored to startups. “With WhatsApp for Business, you can register your business with its own number. People can contact your business directly on Whatsapp using that number. For example, Fashion League’s Facebook page has a link through which people can message our business on WhatsApp. We have gotten so much business because of how easy it is for clients to communicate with our business.”
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft has been a pioneer in digital technology since it went public in 1986. The company continues to leverage cloud technology to create the highest quality products for its users. Microsoft Teams is one of their best cloud-based services.
If you think your startup would benefit from an app that excels in video conferencing, then Microsoft Teams is the app for you. Through Microsoft Teams, you can create different teams for the different groups within your startup. Scheduling weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly video conferences with your teams is a simple task with the help of Microsoft Teams. You can share your screen in video meetings, which can be very useful when you need to show visuals. Microsoft Teams connects with your other Microsoft Outlook accounts, so if you have other accounts with Outlook, Microsoft Teams would be especially useful to your startup.
Amy Keller, a Co-Founder & CEO at FAVES, uses Microsoft Teams to improve communication within her startup. “Microsoft Teams is the backbone of this startup,” says Amy Keller. “My favorite feature in Microsoft Teams is the ability to schedule regular meetings. Everyone who’s invited to the meetings gets a little notification from their Outlook account when the meeting is about to start. During those video calls, it is really useful to be able to share my screen and also allow other members of the meeting to share their screens if needed. This program has really helped us with internal communication.”
James Humes, an author and presidential speechwriter, once said, “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” This highlights the dire need for seamless communication for the success of any startup. There are so many different apps you can use to help streamline communication within your startup, but here we have a list of the best of the best. Zoom, Slack, WhatsApp, and Microsoft Teams stand out as the most useful and integrative communications apps on the market. We hope this article has introduced you to the app that will improve internal communication in your startup.
Cloud Technology Can Make it Easier for Employees to Communicate
There are a lot of benefits of using cloud technology to improve communications within the workplace. The apps listed above will help you reach your goals.