Why do we still fall back to email for messages outside our usual tools?

In my intro post, I gave a quick overview of RelayBeam: a platform I built to handle both internal and external communication in one place.

In this post, I want to talk about why I’m building it. What gaps I saw in today’s tools, and what led me to believe something better was possible.

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We have messaging tools for our friends.

We have tools for our teams.

But what happens when you need to reach someone outside those circles?

• A vendor
• A freelance collaborator
• A potential client
• Someone you just met at an event

Chances are, you default to email.

Not because it’s ideal - just because it’s the only option left.

That’s the communication gap I wanted to fix.

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The tools we have… and the problems they don’t solve

• WhatsApp and iMessage work well for personal relationships
• Slack and Microsoft Teams work for internal communication

But the moment we try to cross organizational or personal boundaries, we hit friction.

Email becomes the default. It’s universal, but it’s not built for fast, focused, intentional messaging:

• You need to share your address.
• You create a thread that feels more like a document exchange than a real conversation.
• There’s pressure to be formal - even when it’s a casual request or one-line question.

When the message matters - but doesn’t fit neatly into a chat thread or a formal inbox - none of the existing tools feel right.

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What is RelayBeam?

RelayBeam is a platform designed for that exact moment - when you want to reach someone outside your usual circles, but want to do it in a clear, private, and purpose-driven way.

Instead of sharing your phone number or email, you share a port - a unique RelayBeam address for communication. No personal info exposed. No cluttered inboxes. No new account required for every conversation.

You get:

✅ A clean, focused space for messaging
✅ Real-time or asynchronous communication
✅ Privacy by default
✅ Flexibility to use it professionally or personally

RelayBeam organizes conversations by topic (like threads), but feels more like real-time chat - direct, human, and without email’s formality or baggage.

It’s built for communication across boundaries, without the overhead of email or the noise of typical chat apps.

(Curious how ports work? Learn more about it here)

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Why I built it

As a founder, software engineer, and product builder, I’ve lived this pain repeatedly. Too often, I found myself using tools that weren’t designed for the kind of interactions I was having.

Messaging a potential partner? Use email.
Talking to a vendor? Email again.
Following up with someone from an event? Guess what - email.

But it felt clunky, slow, and impersonal.
That’s when I realized: we need a third space. A platform built for messages that fall in between.

It’s not about formality or threads. It’s about intention and connection - without friction.

Whether you’re sending a quick check-in or a meaningful message, RelayBeam gives you the right level of clarity, focus, and control.

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🚀 Try RelayBeam

I’ve been testing RelayBeam with early beta users around the world - and the feedback so far has been incredible.

So now, I’m opening up early access more broadly.

👉 Start using RelayBeam - Get Early Access (it’s free!)

👉 Learn more about how RelayBeam works

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📣 Let’s connect:

LinkedIn
Twitter/X

Thanks for reading - and for caring about better communication.

Comments

[Nathan Tarbert]

Pretty cool honestly, been there way too often with those awkward email threads

[Suprit Gandhi]

Thanks! Those threads start feeling like paperwork instead of a conversation. That’s exactly the kind of friction I’m trying to solve!

[Larento]

That's gonna be a tough sell I would imagine. Email has existed for a looong time, so it's difficult to replace it. For many businesses using a Slack/Discord clone or even just Telegram is enough for internal stuff. To communicate with customers many may also choose a Telegram bot. I hope you will forgive me for pulling these facts out of my arse, but I couldn't be bothered to find reliable statistics. Just trust me bro.

Having yet another communication channel that not everyone is going to adopt creates a more fragmented space. This is made especially difficult when there's little desire to move away from already established platforms. IMO, what your app needs at least is a killer feature that's painfully lacking in all other methods of communication mentioned.

Anyway, those are just my initial thoughts. Good luck with your product! I hope with some improvements you may be able to find customers.

[Suprit Gandhi]

Thanks for your comment!

What feature do you think is missing from most other platforms?