In a hybrid and deskless world, effective communication tools are business-critical. Whether you’re coordinating shift staff or enabling remote teams, the wrong app adds friction. And with 43% of employees using instant messaging tools on the job, the stakes are high.
Not all chat apps are built for business. 47% of SMEs default to consumer tools like WhatsApp – which blur boundaries and simply aren’t built for business communication.
You may have already noticed the cracks: missed updates, no admin oversight, or an app that just wasn’t made for enterprise use. According to research, nearly 30% of project failures trace back to poor communication - costing companies 7.47 hours per employee, per week. The consequences are too costly to ignore.
This guide is designed to help organisations cut through the noise, highlighting the must-have workplace chat app features - and the red flags to avoid - so that your team can communicate with confidence.
Let’s get started with the non-negotiables.
How to Choose the Right Workplace Chat App for Your Team: Features You Can’t Ignore
Every team is different, but certain communication app features are universally essential. These aren’t just technical preferences - they directly impact employee experience, security, and operational control. Below are the core capabilities your workplace chat app should offer from day one.
1. Robust Security & GDPR Compliance
Security is the cornerstone of any reliable work chat app. Without robust protections in place, employee and customer data is at risk. Your chosen platform should give IT and compliance teams peace of mind while making data privacy effortless for employees.
Look for:
- End-to-end encryption
- Admin controls and user permissions
- Full GDPR compliance
- Exportable audit trails
2. Purpose-Built for Workplace Communication
Generic messaging apps often lack the control and context required for internal communication. Choosing a purpose-built platform ensures your staff have the right environment to collaborate productively - free from ads and social distractions. In fact, businesses that use workplace chat apps see a 20–25% productivity increase due to:
- No ads or social distractions
- No personal content feeds
- Admin tools for user oversight
3. Separation from Personal Messaging
66% of employees with messaging apps on their phones are distracted for an extra 16 minutes a day due to nonwork conversations. Maintaining clear boundaries between personal and professional life is increasingly important - both for productivity and mental health. A dedicated employee communication app helps teams stay focused during work hours while respecting their downtime at the end of the workday.
- Mute notifications outside work hours
- Separate app from personal chat tools
- Better device and data control
4. User-Friendly Internal Communication Tools
Even the most feature-rich app will fall short if it's hard to use. Look for internal communication tools that remove friction from day one, support a wide range of digital literacy, and require minimal ongoing support.
- Familiar, intuitive interface
- Simple setup
- Fast onboarding
5. Scheduled Messaging Capabilities
Effective communication isn’t always instant. Scheduling messages helps teams plan ahead, coordinate across shifts, and reduce after-hours disruptions. Broadcasts can also reach large groups with clarity and timing.
- Plan updates ahead of time
- Target messages to specific roles
- Avoid after-hours notifications
Features That Scale With You
As your organisation grows, these advanced work chat app features help communication stay structured and scalable:
- Threaded Conversations: Keep discussions organised and easy to follow, especially when multiple topics are active at once.
- Role-Based Visibility: Limit access to sensitive or irrelevant information to only the people who need it.
- HR or Rota System Integration: Connect your chat app with scheduling or HR platforms to streamline workflows and keep data synced.
- Engagement Tools: Polls, shout-outs, or feedback features can help sustain culture and morale across larger teams.
While these aren’t essential from day one, they offer long-term value, particularly for enterprise messaging environments where scale, structure, and culture must coexist.
Communication in the Workplace: Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Not every tool that supports messaging is suitable for the workplace. Choosing the wrong work chat app can introduce hidden risks, reduce uptake, and ultimately stall the benefits of better communication.
- Consumer-Focused Tools: Consumer apps often lack essential features like admin permissions, data retention policies, or message tracking. Using them for business puts your organisation at risk of data leakage and reduced oversight.
- Lack of Compliance Transparency: If your chosen work chat app doesn’t clearly outline how it handles data, stores conversations, or enables compliance with laws like GDPR, it could expose your organisation to audits or penalties.
- Limited Admin Controls: Admin visibility is critical for managing users, monitoring activity, and resolving issues. Without it, your communication platform becomes a blind spot in your risk posture.
- Overcomplicated Feature Sets: Too many bells and whistles can overwhelm users, especially in frontline or shift-based environments, meaning people stop using it altogether.
Avoiding these pitfalls ensures your investment in internal communication tools pays off with stronger engagement, better control, and sustained usability.
Your Next Step: Find a Workplace Chat App That Does the Job
The right workplace chat app should do more than just keep your team connected - it should empower them. From frontline staff to leadership, everyone benefits when communication in the workplace is intuitive, secure, and purpose-built for the realities of modern work.
Joyned is the best business chat app designed to meet the unique challenges of operational teams: clear role-based communication, GDPR-compliant data handling, and mobile-first usability that works even for non-desk staff. Whether you're scaling fast, managing multiple locations, or simply tired of app sprawl, Joyned helps unify communication without adding complexity.
It’s not about having more features - it’s about having features that work for your team. See how Joyned helps teams stay focused, compliant, and connected.
Book a demo today and explore what better communication looks like.
.png)
