Having a fluent and functional messaging system is important for any business, whether it’s used for in-house communication between employees, notifying customers about the order status, or both. No matter what you’re using it for, a good messaging software needs to meet the following criteria:
1. Strong cyber security features
There are countless news stories about hackers breaking into a system and stealing valuable data. While there are no guarantees in the digital world, we can at least try to do our best to make their job harder (or at least not worth the hassle from a monetary standpoint). Therefore, a good messaging software must allow for two-factor authentication. This will make unauthorized login attempts less likely to be successful. Also, all of the messages must be encrypted to ensure they won’t fall into the wrong hands.
2. Group messaging
If your messaging system only allows you to send a given message to a single person, it’s simply no use. What if you need to communicate the same thing to multiple people at once? Furthermore, if the messaging software allows you to form a custom chat group in which all of the participants can freely exchange messages between each other at will, even better. In the most common scenario, however, the group messaging feature will be used to deliver announcements of various sorts to a predetermined group of people.
3. Unicode character support
When you’re communicating in your native language, everything is fine. But what if you need to send a special character or one of the letters found in a foreign alphabet? If the messaging software you’re using is basic, it likely won’t support it. In fact, only the most advanced kind of messaging software supports unicode characters.
4. Programmable API for SMS messages
The more things you can customize and program yourself, the better. While this requires some basic programming knowledge, the task can easily be delegated to your IT personnel or outsourced to a third party. Having the option to set custom triggers for SMS notifications, to name one example, is always a welcome feature to have. Free incoming messages for your app offer multiple advantages: with them, not only will you not have to worry about exceeding your quota, but you can also get pretty liberal when it comes to sending SMS alerts when various noteworthy events take place.
5. Wide OS compatibility
Nowadays, multiple operating systems are becoming user-friendly, so it’s important to have all your bases covered, since it’s getting a bit harder to predict which one people will be using. At the very least, you should have a way to access the messaging software from your smartphone as well as your desktop PC. The most elegant solution is having the software incorporate some kind of online browser-based version of the messaging platform that can be accessed from all devices capable of running a modern browser.
6. Message queueing
In a business setting, it can often happen that you need to schedule messages in advance that you’d like the recipients to receive at a later date. Message queueing allows you to send exactly what you want and when you want, as long as you prepare the content in advance. When everything is said and done, message queueing lets you stay organized and do the work in advance so you won’t have to worry about it later.
7. Custom reports
When it comes to business of any sorts, tracking is of paramount importance. Expenses and finances, while obviously being the primary component you should be tracking, are not the only thing this applies to. The best messaging software must have advanced reporting features that allow you to track various metrics such as delivery rates, whether the recipient has read the message or not, etc.
Conclusion
The way you communicate should change with the demands of the modern world. Compared to 10 years ago, certain things have changed, but the basic principles will always remain roughly the same. In any case, regular updates are a must. When was the last time you updated your messaging software? Do you think it’s time for an overhaul?
Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.
