Email holds off chat rivals as top enterprise communication tool

Dive Brief:

Despite the increased use of chat platforms in major enterprises, 73% of CIOs said email is still the preferred method of communication, according to a survey from Robert Half Technology.
More than half of responding employees predict email will remain the top communication tool in the enterprise through at least 2020. The survey included 2,500 CIOs and 1,000 employees within 25 major U.S. cities
Despite having set guidelines for chatroom etiquette, 65% still receive messaging when their chat status is set to "do not disturb." Ignoring chatroom rules have left 30% feeling "annoyed."

Dive Insight:

Companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Facebook are creating consumer-like messaging platforms for enterprises. The platforms are all-inclusive, office and communication tools but the effectiveness and privacy of email still outweighs the perceived convenience of chat rooms.

However, communication platform implementation is still occurring. As of October 2016, Slack had 4 million daily users. Microsoft launched Teams with Office 365 in November, becoming one of its biggest competitors. Teams can be integrated across platforms including Windows, Android and Mac.

At the same time, Amazon launched its Alexa partnership with Atlassian’s Hipchat. AI in messaging serves voice-activated reading and responding to messages, thus increasing the chat platform competition. Google also expanded its Hangouts tool includes Meet and Chat in March, creating another all-in-one service to compete with Microsoft. The move is meant to "make its G Suite productivity suite even more appealing to businesses."

Despite major names entering the communication platform, companies still prefer chat services provided by Skype, Slack and Facebook's Messenger and Workplace, though security and responsiveness remain issues for employees. Many feel chat rooms can be monitored while others feel overly pressured to respond immediately to a message.

For now, it seems that both the formality and private nature of email is an assurance most employees wish to continue to rely on. However, platform creators are becoming aware of chatroom skepticism. Creation of systems with data sensitivities and privacy are next in accommodating an enterprise's need and capability in sending information that needs to be encrypted.