Top 10: Business chat software

Updated: August 01, 2023

Business chat software is a specialized digital solution that facilitates real-time communication and collaboration among team members and external stakeholders in a professional environment. These platforms offer secure and organized chat channels, allowing users to send messages, share files, and conduct group discussions. Business chat software often includes features such as private messaging, file sharing, integrations with other business tools, and search functionalities to easily find past conversations and shared content. With notifications and presence indicators, team members can stay informed about important updates and see who is available for immediate communication. Business chat software streamlines communication, reduces the need for lengthy email chains, and fosters quick decision-making and efficient problem-solving. It is an essential tool for businesses seeking to promote seamless collaboration, improve internal communication, and enhance productivity across teams and departments. Some of the most popular business chats are listed below.

See also: Top 10 Team Messaging platforms

2018. Apple Business Chat goes global



Earlier this year, Apple launched its iMessage-based communication platform called Apple Business Chat in the United States. Now, the service is expanding globally and is available in various countries including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Singapore, Japan, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Unlike typical bot-based messaging systems, Apple Business Chat offers a more convenient experience by allowing customers to engage with real people. Moreover, it provides users with greater control over the amount of information they choose to share with businesses. To ensure the functionality of Business Chat, Apple collaborates with customer service platforms such as LivePerson, Salesforce, Nuance, Genesys, InTheChat, and Zendesk. This partnership enhances the capabilities of the platform and enables seamless customer interactions.


2018. Google's Slack competitor Hangouts Chat became available



After extensive testing, Google has made its business messaging platform, Hangouts Chat, available to all users. This Slack-like service designed for team communication is now accessible to all of Google's business customers who utilize G Suite services. Despite entering the business-messaging software market later than competitors such as Slack and Microsoft with Teams, Google aims to distinguish itself in several key areas. Hangouts Chat offers direct integration with Google services like Drive and Google Calendar, enabling streamlined tasks such as file sharing and meeting scheduling. For instance, Google's meeting-scheduling bot can automatically arrange team meetings based on individual calendars. By leveraging its existing ecosystem, Google aims to provide a comprehensive and efficient team communication solution.


2017. Apple enters customer service arena with iOS Business Chat



Apple has introduced iOS Business Chat as a customer service solution within its Messages application. This feature allows businesses to engage with their customers through live chat within the iMessage ecosystem. With iOS Business Chat, businesses can connect with the vast user base of over 1 billion active Apple iOS device users across various Apple platforms, including Apple Maps, Siri, Search, and their own websites and apps. This chat-based customer service channel offers a range of functionalities, such as facilitating payments through Apple Pay and integrating with calendars for scheduling follow-up support sessions. Customers can seamlessly interact with businesses within the iOS messaging platform, enabling them to engage in chat conversations, make payments, share photos of damaged products, exchange videos, and even book flights while selecting their preferred seats.


2016. WeChat launched Enterprise version



The Chinese messaging platform WeChat has introduced its latest offering, WeChat Enterprise, a free office chat application. Currently, it is exclusively available in Chinese and can be accessed through iOS, Android, Windows, and OS X apps. WeChat Enterprise incorporates various features that will be familiar to users of business chat applications, along with some noteworthy innovations. This service has the potential to replace group emails and facilitate seamless and efficient communication among colleagues. Additionally, it offers convenient add-ons such as the ability for employees to indicate their break times, conduct group voice/text chats, and allows companies to incorporate specific functionalities like automated forms for expense reimbursements, vacation requests, and similar tasks.


2014. Business chat Kato launches free team version



Kato.im, a real-time collaboration tool designed for businesses, has introduced a new product called Kato Teams. This innovative solution provides a free professional chat platform with live 1:1 and group messaging, seamless file sharing, and robust search capabilities. What sets Kato apart from other similar free collaboration tools is its unrestricted allowance for team members, message history storage, and multi-company functionality. Kato Teams presents a user-friendly interface that enables concurrent conversations in multiple panels. Users can effortlessly display conversations from one or more teams within a single window, eliminating the need to switch between internal chat, external messaging, or multiple browser tabs. In addition, Kato Teams offers valuable features such as global search, access control, noise control, and integration with numerous third-party services like GitHub and ZenDesk. These integrations allow for streamlined notification aggregation from multiple tools, further enhancing productivity and efficiency.