Why Slack is one of the best free apps out there

There’s a reason why Inc. Magazine voted Slack “Company of the Year” for 2015. This hardworking platform can free up space in your email, improve team communications and streamline document management on the go. For starters, Slack is one of the best free apps you can implement in your business.

What is Slack?

Slack is a platform that allows you to send and share messages, files and so much more with team members. It’s like a chat room that has the ability to “hulk out.” The sky’s the limit.

Remember how much you loved the AOL chat rooms? You are basically creating a database with no effort because everything your team is working on is completely searchable and shareable.

Why would you use Slack?

If there’s a ton of interoffice communication or email cluttering up your inbox, then it’s time to give Slack a try.

Features: Works with Twitter, Google Drive and oodles of other apps

Lifesaver features: The archive search features: Looking for what happened back in June? Slack has you covered.

Narrow your hunt using special modifiers like:

• in: a specific channel (Where did someone say that?)
• from: a particular person (What someone said)
• during: a certain time period  (When someone said it)

How it works

Users will communicate in channels. Each channel has a designated theme and is a workspace to organize conversations with your team. You also have the ability to pivot between public and private messages.

You can work on your desktop, laptop and on all your smart mobile devices. The application is available for both Apple and Android products.

Here’s a short Slack glossary for you:

Snippets: Direct message shares to a user, channel, etc. For downloadable files and access.

Snippet Screen Shot

Posts: Information you compose and share with the group. Great for fleshing out ideas and projects.

Post Screen Shot

Bonus: Add humor. We need more of it in our day. I recommend sharing some fun GIFs (graphics interchange format) and perhaps some fun pics and videos from @brokeagent. Plus it’s totally emoji-friendly. And who doesn’t want to use more emojis and GIFs in workplace banter?

Funny

Who needs Slack?  

• Smart sales teams who want to improve transaction management on the go

• Short-sale and foreclosure experts who need to pull multiple vendors and experts together to maintain and manage large portfolios of property

• Tech-savvy brokerages looking to improve team communication, share group documents and set guidelines for a more consistent customer experience with their agents

• Local associations for committee management and members who can only get together once or twice a month — keep a record of what has happened and keep new ideas flowing

• Engaging with awesome people at Inman Connect New York (that’s right — a channel dedicated to bringing the learning and magic of the event together for attendees)

Ready to jump on board? It’s free (to an extent — if you want full archive functionality, you’ll have to pay). I recommend watching a few videos to get your team primed for success.

You can fill out your invite to Inman’s #ICNY Slack channel here. I can’t wait to see you there!

By day, Rachael Hite helps agents develop their business. By night, she’s tweeting for listingdepot.com.

Email Rachael Hite.