Text messaging has become synonymous with personal communication. When it comes to brevity, efficiency, and convenience, nothing gets the job done better than a simple text. It beats the long and often tedious task of making a phone call and often is the preferred method to get in touch with someone.
When it comes to professional use, however, text messaging goes from just a value-add from your cell carrier to an indispensable part of how you run your business. Text messages save on labor and cost, which could, in the long run, add up to millions of dollars. Not only that, but text messages also allow for one-to-many communication, allowing a business to stay directly connected with thousands of clients or customers. This paves the way for even more amazing applications like auto-replies, confirmation texts, announcements, marketing campaigns, etc.
So you can see why text messaging can seem like a no-brainer for big business. But that doesn’t mean mid-level or even small-scale start-ups have to miss out. There are hundreds of messaging services loaded with smart and useful business features for you to choose from. But that begs the question, which is the best one?
In this article, we have handpicked the top 10 best messaging service providers for your business. But before we start, let’s take a look at why these messaging services are good for business.
Some Messaging App Trivia
Let’s get started with a few stats:
- Messaging apps are the leading media platforms surpassing social media platforms by 20%.
- WhatsApp is the second most downloaded app globally after Tik Tok with over 2 billion users.
- Besides WhatsApp, about 40 million businesses are dominant on messengers like Facebook and Instagram.
- Businesses and user exchange 20 billion messages every month.
- 66% of consumers accept the fact that they can purchase products from a company that is active in messaging apps.
- About 41 million messages are sent and received each minute worldwide.
- Over 3 billion people use messaging apps other than SMS.
- 90% of the messages you sent are opened within three minutes.
These numbers are quite impressive on their own before you even consider the fact that these numbers are growing year over year.
Text messages are simply more convenient compared to phone calls when it comes to delivering short or one-directional messages.
That is the reason that messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram are two of the top five most downloaded apps on the Apple app store in 2023 with a combined total of 700 million downloads.
On the business side of things, apps like Slack and Microsoft teams have over 200 million daily active users. This speaks volumes about how dependent businesses are on text communications and their advantages over traditional phone calls, meetings, or even emails.
Advantages of Text Messaging in Business
Text messaging has become an indispensable part of business communication. It offers numerous advantages that make it an attractive option for businesses of all sizes. One of the most significant benefits of text messaging is its convenience and efficiency. Compared to phone calls and emails, text messages are quick and easy to send and receive, making them an ideal choice for short and one-directional messages.
Messaging apps also offer a cost-effective solution for businesses to stay connected with their clients or customers. Unlike traditional forms of communication that can be costly, messaging app prices are minimal and even free in some cases. Additionally, most messaging apps come equipped with features that allow for one-to-many communication, making it easy for businesses to reach thousands of clients or customers simultaneously.
Messaging apps also provide a multi-generational appeal, making them an attractive option for businesses to communicate with people of all ages. Furthermore, messaging apps come equipped with richer media experiences and numerous social media features, making communication faster and more engaging.
Overall, text messaging offers numerous benefits for businesses of all sizes, including reduced costs, increased efficiency, and improved customer engagement. By embracing text messaging as a key part of their communication strategy, businesses can stay connected with their clients or customers and drive growth and success.
So without further delay, let’s take a look at our list of the top 10 messaging apps for 2023.
Top 10 Best Messaging Apps for Business In 2023
1. Skype
Top of the list is Skype; the most widely popular messaging app globally. In a survey, over 89% of people accepted the fact that Skype is the most convenient app to get connected with loved ones in remote places. Not just this, there are 300 million active monthly users worldwide, accounting for around 4% of the world's population.
One of the significant reasons behind its popularity is the suite of features it offers. Skype is one of the most user-friendly apps, giving healthy competition to its rival, WhatsApp. It's effortless to add a contact, start a video or voice call, send instant messages, and send files seamlessly with minimal clicking. Moreover, it is integrated with Office 365, making it easy for users to comment on documents and connect via instant messages to discuss projects.
Skype's second benefit is its accessibility on multiple devices, including desktops, laptops, smartphones, and tablets. Downloading the app is also hassle-free, making it easier for people to use it.
For businesses, Skype can significantly reduce the need for travel, especially when working globally. Skype for Business makes it easy to communicate and collaborate with other members of an organization worldwide. This allows for unprecedented collaboration within an organization, making it easier to organize people around the world.
Skype is also an excellent platform for holding distant corporate meetings, better than other messaging apps. Board meetings, site inspections, job interviews, and more can now be done via Skype, saving time and resources.
With the introduction of Voice Over Internet Services (VoIP), web messaging apps have seen their fair share of bugs, often causing severe problems in their operations. With Skype, everything can be done with the touch of a button without a window hanging or any other issues. Moreover, Skype has introduced steady improvements with time, making it even more convenient for its users.
Overall, Skype's suite of features, user-friendliness, accessibility, and reliability make it an excellent option for both personal and business use.
2. Google Meet
The second most popular app that comes next is Google Meet - released in 2017. The foremost reason behind its popularity is Google being the most popular search engine worldwide. It's the only search engine that is holding its monopoly, since Yahoo's decline at the start of the 21st century.
So, Google Meet's immense popularity is obvious. Previously it was introduced as Google Talk then Google Chat or Google Hangout (the present name). Its popularity surged during the global COVID pandemic and its growth has not slowed down ever since. It is now one of the most popular meeting apps in the world and is available by default on all android devices.
Some of the innovative features it offers are:
- Seamless file sharing
- Video conferencing
- In-line topic sharing
- Multiple spaces search
- Task assignment
- Calendar event creation
- Online presence indicator
- Message pinning
3. WhatsApp
Almost 98.56 billion people worldwide use WhatsApp, which is about 13 percent of the world's population. Even more than the popularity of Skype.
In 2023, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook which owns WhatsApp, introduced several new innovative features for WhatsApp including better calling features, including updates to the desktop version with an interface identical to the mobile version. This solves one of the key issues that was holding WhatsApp back, the lack of proper desktop support.
Besides this, WhatsApp boasts a bunch of features that we’ve come to expect from apps of this scale, like audio and video calling, end-to-end encryption, file sharing, cloud backup, etc.
4. Viber
The third one on our list is Viber- a cross-platform Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) owned by the Japanese multinational company, Rakuten. One of the best things about Viber is you can log in via mobile number without needing your smartphone, in any case. So, indeed, it's a cool feature, you would rarely find on any desktop. You can track your messages, and provide paid international landline and mobile calling services.
5. Clariti
Clariti is more than just a text messaging tool. It offers several email features as well besides the chat; that too, free of cost. Moreover, you can combine chats, emails, documents, calendars, and more- all in one place. It also supports in-text conversation, a feature where you can chat with multiple users at the same time. You can also go for the 2-way integrations with email.
6. Slack
Slack is another amazing messaging app designed by Slack Technologies and owned by Salesforce. Like WhatsApp, it also supports end-to-end encryption for voice & video calls and text messaging. It also has IRC features like persistent chat rooms, basically used for topics, private groups, and direct messaging.
Besides this, you can integrate it on other platforms like Windows, Linux, MacOS, Android, and iOS easily.
7. Discord
Discord is a versatile social platform that provides an array of features such as VoIP, instant messaging, media, and file-sharing capabilities for private communication. Its hallmark feature is its ability to facilitate seamless communication between geographically separated individuals, making it a preferred choice for desktop applications.
Moreover, Discord offers a convenient solution for hosting team meetings, similar to other popular conferencing platforms such as Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, and Zoom. Its robust performance ensures that it can handle even the most demanding of video game applications, providing a delightful experience for online gamers.
Another significant advantage of Discord is its ability to stream various activities, ranging from corporate presentations to online gaming sessions, with just a click of a button. The platform's multi-server feature enables users to participate in multiple servers simultaneously, allowing them to engage in diverse activities such as chatting with friends, performing office work, or even watching YouTube videos, all within a single interface.
One of Discord's most notable benefits is its free-of-cost nature, and users do not have to worry about hidden charges for any of its features. Overall, Discord is a comprehensive social platform that offers a seamless and efficient communication experience, making it an attractive option for individuals seeking a versatile platform for their communication needs.
8. Keybase
Keybase is another messaging app with a file-sharing facility as well. It is a centralized system applying end-to-end encryption to every message you send. Some of the top benefits, it offers are:
- It can be open-sourced; meaning, everyone can see, modify, and distribute the code on it for effortless public access.
- It uses exploding messaging feature where the messages are automatically deleted after a certain expiry date.
- Users can log in through multiple devices all at once.
- It supports larger space (about 250 GB) using blockchain technology. Moreover, it is completely free of cost and supports several other critical features.
9. Broxis
Broxis is another messaging app for desktops. It provides an encrypted communication network to enhance productivity and data security.
It offers an encrypted communication network to maintain higher productivity and data security. You can even install its plugins for seamless customer support with collaborative features and granular control options. Moreover, it is trackable and manageable loaded with immense features.
10. Google Workspace
Google Workspace is yet another business tool by Google. Unlike Google Hangout, it is an all-encompassing suite of services combining all that Google offers, providing computing, productivity, cloud storage, virtual phone numbers, etc. But the list doesn't end here! There is much more that it can offer.
Can’t Find the Perfect Fit? Try LimePhone
Looking for a messaging app that can truly transform your business communication? Look no further than LimePhone!
Our platform offers an incredible range of features and benefits designed specifically to enhance your productivity, streamline your operations, and take your customer service to the next level.
With LimePhone, you'll enjoy seamless call forwarding to SIP, mobile, landline, or app, along with the flexibility to set up standard, sequential, or simultaneous forwarding to ensure you never miss an important call.
Our call recording and transcription features make it easy to keep track of conversations, while our advanced call routing options enable you to customize your phone system based on your availability and specific conditions.
Whether you're a small business owner, a large corporation, or anything in between, LimePhone is the perfect choice for all your messaging and communication needs. Try it out today and see the difference for yourself!
Summary
In this article, we’ve discussed the advantages of using messaging services for businesses and provided a list of the top 10 messaging apps for businesses in 2023.
Messaging services offer convenience, efficiency, and cost savings, and many are integrated with rich media experiences and social media features. The article also includes information on the benefits of using text messaging for business, such as engaging in multiple conversations, having multi-generational appeal, and minimal or free costs.
We hope this article helps you make the right decision while choosing your messaging app. Be sure to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of each before making your choice. And if you are looking for the jack of all trades, check out LimePhone. Sign up for the free trial today!