In the words of Eva Moneypenny, secretary to spymaster M in Ian Fleming’s celebrated ‘James Bond’ franchise, "sometimes the old ways are the best." Due to their almost universal proliferation, established modes of workplace communication on mobile and desktop, such as Outlook and SMS, will probably be around for a while. However, that isn’t to say that we won’t see other platforms in the meantime that serve some of their purposes better. CBR has rounded up a few possible future contenders for email’s throne.
1. Jive Chime – Jive Software
Jive Chime was launched in April, one of the three purpose-built apps from the software company announced this year alongside Jive Daily and Jive People. Chime allows employees to start a conversation from a phone then easily continue it on a desktop, removing the need to piece different conversations together. Jive argues that employees have different ‘workstyles’ and that enterprises must cater to these, with the app able to provide individual customisation and notification preferences.
2. Jabber – Cisco
Jabber was acquired by Cisco Systems in 2008 to complement the company’s networking portfolio with its own messaging platform. With Jabber apps available on both iOS and Android, the platform lets users access presence, instant messaging, voice, video, voice messaging, desktop sharing and conferencing. Clients include Odeabank, Eagle Investment Systems and Pella Corporation and the technology was deployed during the Republican National Convention.
3. Fleep
Fleep was founded by former Director of Site Communications at Skype, Henn Ruukel. Fleep’s key innovation is the Fleep ID, which serves as a user’s identity within the Fleep network. Appearing as indistinguishable to an email (eg joebloggs@fleep.io), the ID allows the user to contact other Fleep users, but is also compatible with standard email. The email contacts then see the Fleep ID as a standard email address. Skype founder Jaan Tallinn is an investor in the startup.
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4. InTouch – Tangoe
Tangoe‘s inTouch allows anyone with a corporate email to sign in. The user can then message contacts in one-on-one or group chats, share content and integrate email and voice calls. Users can carry on one conversation across different devices and platforms. Users can note their preferred contact method, providing colleagues with the best avenue to reach them, with the ability to automate this according to time. The app is available in both a iOS and Android variant.
5. ChatGrape
Backed by Betaworks and Zynga founder Mark Pincus, the Austrian startup targets the ‘look-up factor’ – the time wasted when workers are forced to search for files and contacts to send to others. The indexing function allows users to quickly find this information, with an @ identifying a contact or group of contacts and a # identifying a file. The search can pool information from any application you collect, including Google Drive and GitHub.
