DEV Community: Troop Messenger

10 Ways to Use Business Chat Apps to Improve Productivity

Troop Messenger — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 12:31:50 +0000

A business chat app has become an important part of an organization's communication strategy for resolving all of the issues that arise while connecting with numerous teams and making it easy. Your team chat app isn't only for conversation; it can also be used to boost productivity in a variety of ways.

Here are a few tips for increasing efficiency with your business chat app.

1. Employ best team chat app

The majority of businesses employ substandard tools. If it didn't have the required features, it wouldn't be able to provide the promised functionality to its users in the first place. If you want to boost your productivity, you should use the best app available, such as Troop Messenger.

With the foregoing in mind, don't simply look at the brand name; look at the features and what it has to offer. For example, a popular app like Slack does not have a video conference feature, as a result, you can’t held business meetings unlike other tools, and it's free plan does not allow users to make group calls unless they upgrade to premium plans, which only permits up to 15 individuals in a group chat, which will negate your operations.

Troop Messenger, for example, is a team chat app that will boost productivity, internal communication, and so on. If you believe Team chat apps are only for communication, you should use the incompetent social chat app.

2. Don’t use multiple tools

Your communication inevitably extends beyond talking or texting in the tool; you may be required to participate in a video conference, initiate screen sharing, share remote access, live location tracking, and so on. So instead of using various apps for different needs, try to find one that has all of the major features, because relying on multiple tools is like sailing on two boats.

Use a tool that has the features you need so you don't have to switch between numerous UIs; this will save you time and increase your productivity. And you won't have to waste time and money in the future looking for an alternative that meets your future requirements.

3. Safe & Reliable app

Before you choose an app, don't simply look at its features; security should be a top priority. Your data is your property in today's digital world, and it must be protected at all costs. Hackers, your peers, are scouring the internet for ways to steal it and use it to their benefit.

For your information, not all apps are as secure as they proclaim to be, which includes apps designed by giants who are unable to facilitate on-premise or self-hosted environments. Check out their pricing page to learn about the security methods they use.
Data-sensitive businesses such as banking, government, defense, finance, software companies, and others prefer on-premise apps because they have complete control over their data and don't have to rely on cloud service providers.

Troop Messenger is one of the few end-to-end encrypted apps that can be your self-hosted chat app, moreover, it can also be delivered as SaaS, chat APIs and SDKs, and other delivery models. Your data will be safe and secure with such safe and trustworthy apps, and you will be able to improve productivity at the same time.

4. Smartphone Technology

When team members are working on-site, sales teams are meeting with clients, and so on, it is a sin to use a team chat tool that does not support smartphone technology. So, take advantage of modern smartphone technology, which provides us with several chances as a result of technical growth, and better our internal communication.

Choose a team chat app that works on a variety of platforms, including Android and iPhone. This smartphone software allows users to stay up to speed on the latest news by receiving real-time notifications. Audio/ video group calls, texting, sharing files, one-on-one discussions, and so on, all functions work flawlessly.

5. Create Groups

Create groups in the app based on projects or tasks, and instruct team members to only discuss pertinent project specifics in the group. When they are obliged to check the updates, this will eliminate any uncertainty. Do you know that most companies have a separate group for fun events and weekend planning to avoid bringing these topics up in other critical groups? You can also make groups for the entire company, your team, numerous teams, and so forth.

6. Use Search Options

The average worker is believed to spend a significant amount of time each week trying to locate coworkers and track down internal information. The first problem is solved through workplace messaging, as we've already learned. If you use a team chat tool like Troop Messenger, you may utilize advanced search filters to quickly find the message you're looking for. It provides word, image, file, link, document, and other search possibilities, as well as the ability to read a specific user's messages by selecting the user-based search option in a group without wasting time peeking into undesirable communications.

7. Employee Engagement

Employees that are engaged are happier and more successful than their colleagues, resulting in higher profits. As a result, smart businesses are continuously looking for new ways to boost employee engagement.

Investing in modern office messaging software is a perfect idea because today's employees expect new tools. Your employees will have access to cutting-edge technologies that will make their work easier and allow them to produce their finest work.

8. Avoid Emails

Traditional communication methods such as email, fax, and the like used to be useful, but they may no longer be so in today's workplace. Email, for example, is probably not the best medium for having a meaningful conversation. To replace email, more successful firms are increasingly turning to instant messaging solutions like Office Chat. They understand that relying too much on a single, inflexible form of communication suppresses their growth. Announce that messages in chat platforms will be documented the same way they are in the email to make it a habit.

9. Establish Ground Rules

To get your team to work together uniformly for a common goal, set some ground rules, such as

In critical groups, messages must be acknowledged by all members of the group.
Share work updates in a template that you've approved.
To avoid missing essential communications, use Troop Messenger features such as Unread Messages and marking messages as Respond Later.
Avoid meetings that aren't productive.
Rather than holding a meeting for each issue, a video conference should be organized in which each topic is presented within the allotted time and all relevant topics are discussed.

10. Feedbacks

Being receptive to feedback will aid in the development of a positive work environment. When you feel compelled to reject someone's point of view, do it gently, explain why you're rejecting them, and don't forget to thank them.

As a manager or team leader, you must consider sharing your knowledge and experience with your team, and you must be available on office chat apps because your position may put you in unusual situations, such as the pandemic, where managers had to communicate with their teams and admins regularly to get the tools they needed into their systems.

Conclusion

Your team's collaboration and success will be determined by the business chat software you use at work. So it's recommended that you go with a tool like Troop Messenger, which has a policy of empowering its users and introducing new and unique features with each random update, all of which are geared to match your future needs and save you time looking for an alternative. This tool can be used as a team chat app by any domain, SaaS companies, B2B companies, and so on.

Is it worthwhile to upgrade from Slack's free plan to the paid one?

Troop Messenger — Tue, 15 Feb 2022 12:40:12 +0000

Are you one of the many people who are contemplating whether or not to upgrade from Slack's free plan to one of the paid plans, but are unsure about the paid plans? Let's compare the free and paid plans now.

Limited functionalities in Free Plan

Let's talk about the limitations of the free plan because you should be aware of what a free plan does not include.

Messages’ Limit

Slack allows members to send an unlimited number of messages, but only the last 10,000 may be searched and viewed in your workplace. While searching, keep in mind that you'll only be able to see messages from public channels, private channels you belong to, and direct messages.

Members can keep sending messages if their workspace's message visibility limit is exceeded, but older messages will be archived. All archived communications will become available again if you upgrade your workspace to any of its premium plans.

Be advised to upgrade your plan since you can’t restrict teams to send only important messages because simple words like Hi, Okay, smilies, GIFs, files, and so on are also considered messages.

File Storage

Users must also contend with the workspace's 5GB storage limit. This limit applies to documents, audio/ video files, PDFs, screenshots, photos, etc., uploaded to a channel or a direct message.

Once the limit is reached, your team members can continue to upload files, but the members will not be able to access the archived file in channels, search results, or direct messages because Slack will begin archiving the older files to create a place for new ones.

As previously indicated, messages that exceed the limit are archived, so the files that exceed the limit are archived as well. Files that exceed the limit will be archived immediately and will become available as well if you upgrade to a paid plan. If you upgrade to a paid plan, the total number of members in your workspace will decide your file storage limits.

App Integration

If this context is taken into consideration, Slack is famed for its integrations; no other application can compete. Slack claims to be able to interface with up to 2500 apps, yet the free plan only allows for ten app integrations like Office 365, Google Drive, and so on. This limit is applied to apps from the Slack app directory, as well as custom apps created for your team.

If you wish to link the platform with an eleventh app, you'll have to uninstall one of the existing integrations or upgrade to a subscription plan if you want to integrate with additional apps.

No Group Calls

Unless you upgrade to a subscription plan, all you can do with Slack's free plan is make one-on-one audio/video calls. You can't make a group audio/video call using it.

Because you can't add more than one member to a video call when using the freemium plan, you won't be able to hold team conferences unlike Microsoft Teams free plan, which does affect your business.

Advantages of Slack’s Paid Plans

Before upgrading to a paid plan, it is critical to review Slack costs and features. Other than the free plan, Slack has three premium plans to choose from, which includes.

- Pro
Small and medium-sized businesses will benefit from the Standard plan, which costs $2.67 per month.

- Business+
The Plus package is suitable for larger businesses or those with more administrative needs. The first month's price is $5.

- Enterprise Grid
For extra-large businesses or regulated industries, the Enterprise Grid design is recommended. You must contact the sales team to obtain a tailored estimate.

Some of the benefits of opting for Slack's paid plans are listed below.

Screen Sharing

You can share the screen with your colleague while on a call. This feature, like the audio/video clips, is only available to premium customers.

Group Calls

The Slack paid plans like Pro, Business+, Enterprise Grid will allow you to add up to 15 members in your audio/ video calls, unlike the free plan.

Guest Users

Small businesses may communicate with vendors, merchants, and others outside the company more easily with the Standard price plans by adding them as guest users. Admins can grant visitors access to one or more Slack channels by sending invitations.

App Integrations

The goal of integrations is to make Slack more powerful and better than its competitors. Beyond the 10-app limit, you can integrate more apps. Slack's ability to integrate a variety of apps from various categories means that you don't lose out on any opportunities to increase productivity.

## SAML based Single Sign-On (SSO)

This single sign-on (SSO) feature lets you Slack through your preferred identity provider (IDP.) It’s only available to Business+ and Enterprise Grid users.

Unlimited Workspaces

While the free, Pro, and Business+ subscriptions only allow for one workspace, Enterprise Grid users can establish several workspaces. Large companies can't function comfortably with just one Slack workplace. They require a workspace that allows each of the organization's multiple teams to work in a focused and separate environment.

It gives teams and members access to other team members, important information, and tools that can help them be more productive and functional with their projects.

I hope that after reading this in-depth comparison, you'll be able to make an informed decision on whether it's worthwhile to upgrade from Slack's free plan to the paid plan.

How essential is a real-time messaging API for App and websites?

Troop Messenger — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 13:31:02 +0000

Messaging app is a chat application that allows users to interact and take conversation through online platforms by using various networks. Real-time chat communication enables the conversation as normal and formal conversation via texting, voice call, file sharing, video call, and other ways. Real-time chat communication is quick, responsive, and allows several participants to take conversation seamlessly.

The mode of conversation on messing apps is different and advanced than mail, Fax, and other previous texting channels, which are limited in characters, and there is no chance of read recipient until getting a reply from the other end. Chat on messaging apps is easy and simple. The need for message and receiver format on messaging apps, which is typical on communication also real-time chat applications allow uploading large files, live conversation, Unlike mail communication.

Real-time chat apps have many use cases where people can use it for 1:1 communication and group conversations. Various businesses and other organizations can use it for internal and external communication such as customer or client services.

Due to the demand for messaging apps in the market, many social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram included audio /video calls and live streaming features. Other popular platforms such as clubhouse, Twitter have been upgrading features and improving user experience to provide better customer service and reach new customers. Business organizations are showing interest in messaging applications that provide chat APIs to add to their business applications and websites. Messaging app has become an unavoidable communication tool for all organizations.

To integrate a real-time chat feature on websites and mobile applications you need a real-time chat API.
Messing APIs are usually offered by third-party developers and adopted by any user who intended to improve the communication channel for business.

Messaging API allows developers to implement various communication technologies with simple and defined or written language. Any intended organization or business user can integrate APIs and SDKs into their websites and application without developing the chat application from scratch. Integration of API into websites is easy and fast.

Ease business communication and improving business productivity with real-time Chat API!

> Real-Time & Live Conversations
Chat APIs allow various service and business-based companies to take real-time conversations with customers and customers for a better experience can go through the text, video, audio, voice conversation from both ends.

> Quick Response
Unlike SMS, mail, and Fax messing app, features are quick and on-time responsive. Features such as read recipient, respond later shall be a better way for conversation.

> Group Conversation
Based on project and business needs, the company can create group-based like-minded customers or employees to work on the project.

> Personal and Private customer experience
On messaging apps, all the customers can have a separate chat window for long conversations that are protective and unique based on purchase and business.

> Well sorted chat history
Messaging apps have “search” and “filter” features that allow the user to check and read chat history, "filter" enables to access the type of files such as image, voice, text, and link to read the history.

> Customer Feedback
The feedback system is an essential feature for many customer-based and eCommerce businesses. It gives valuable information regarding future needs and to know the user experience.

> Customer Aid
Chat Bots enable the live conversation with the customer, both can interact via various device. Use the real-time APIs in your Banking, E-commerce, Support assistance and other web and mobile apps to engage your customers 24/7.

> Secured
Chats are secured by various protocols and systems such as password, multilevel authentications. An application like “Comet chat” have has encrypted channels that protect the privacy and security of users at both ends.

> On-premise
APIs and SDKs can be installed in various on-premise solutions, such as SaaS and cloud services. Integrating chat API into various platforms which are working on SaaS, Cloud and self-hosted services would ease of doing the business.

Conclusion

Any industry such as food delivery, eCommerce, hospitals, IT solutions, rail, air, bus transport industries, banking, educational institutions, and others can integrate chat API into their websites and mobile application

Along with the information technology, business process moving forward in its best in time, the organizations trying to reach such a level and to do better for business progress, spending more interest and investment on automation. Automation in the communication industry shall be a booster for various businesses and the real-time chat APIs would help them perform better.

Encrypted App for Internal Political Communication

Troop Messenger — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 06:49:23 +0000

Few ministers have acknowledged that "their party members are coordinating well in collecting the donations and they are in regular contact with them for further updates, via a social chat app," leaving technology aside, I doubt they are even cognizant of the ramifications; what if a hacker takes a few minutes out of his day, how long it will take them to breach the information, politicians will be inundated with hackers overnight.

According to certain internet articles, no social chat app is as encrypted as it claims to be; even Elon Musk stated that no chat app is secure. Leave security aside, how well-coordinated are social chat applications in aspects of meeting political requirements? They can't, besides it can't even be a team chat app, rather communicating via texting and calling, therefore they are not advisable to use.

Let me get Troop Messenger into the topic, which is well-known for providing excellent services to a variety of domains, including a few political parties.

How secure is Troop Messenger?

Troop Messenger advocates being an on-premise chat application for political parties despite it being deployed with Chat APIs & SDKs, SaaS models, etc. It allows the party's headquarters to manage, communicate, and direct its cadre following the political agenda and objectives. This communications system for political parties provides a route for the party's president and regional leaders to communicate with their constituents and conduct Live Telecasts.

All your communication such as audio/video calls, chats, files exchange, etc., everything will be end-to-end encrypted.
It will be operated off the public networks and leaves no stone unturned in protecting your data.
It practices the world's best security protocols like Elliptic-curve Diffie–Hellman key agreement protocol, AES-256, PBKDF2-SHA512.
It has three levels of enterprise security passcode, fingerprint, user credentials.
It allows Mobile Device Management strategies to protect your essential data if your device is lost or stolen, even though the Troop Messenger mobile app allows passcode and fingerprint access to unlock the app.
Take control of all of your messaging conversations. Using a single-point or collaborative approach, you can manage and maintain your whole data area.
To avoid being snooped, keep all of your private discussions on your account. Since it is stored on your servers, you will be entitled to the authority of reviewing your data at any moment.
With role-based access controls and specific user permissions, this political party management tool gives secure access to your communication data.

How essential is Troop Messenger for your Internal Political Communication?

Do you know that a few months ago, three of the most popular social chat applications of our time were down for more than five hours? Later, through his official social media account, the company's CEO apologized for the downtime, stating that the main cause was due to a configuration change in backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between their data centers, producing issues that resulted in the outage. So, can any political party withstand this disruption? All of your cadres, whose communication is primarily based on these applications, will go blind, resulting in unimaginable repercussions.

Troop Messenger customizes the app for you based on your requirements. Troop Messenger built a few features that not only boost collaboration but also make it the preeminent political party app, based on its team's extensive research on political communication. Below are some of the advantages of using Troop Messenger

You can update the party activities using the admin dashboard which helps every cadre of distant locations be familiar with, in addition, it engages them on a common goal.
Using the Units feature, you can divide your cadres into Parliament, Assembly, Mandal, etc., to have organized political discussions.
To avoid conflict among the members, you will be delegated with access that allows you to track information exchanges on the tool 24/7.
You may publish news, party banners, messages, images, and more to keep your party members informed by including a live feed option in your Android and iOS mobile apps.
Promote the party's specific ideologies and policies through posts, as well as constituency-specific information sharing via chat message updates.
Using this encrypted chat app for political talks and imposing access limitations on the use of the features.
This political party management tool will keep your volunteers connected assisting them and you in achieving your common goal. With the incentives management system, you may motivate them to work harder.
It provides a venue for political collaboration and consistent internal communication among party members. It allows you to stay connected to social media while running your political campaigns and assists you in reaching out to the general public.
It's compatible with secure and encrypted payment systems. It encourages your supporters or sponsors to make direct donations to you without reluctance.

Thus, some of the benefits of using Troop Messenger for internal political communication are listed above. To know more visit the official website of Troop Messenger.