How CMG Improves Communication with Slack

Colossus Media Group’s transition into a remote work environment for much of our team has been a fun and interesting challenge. Our previous blog post discussed our utilization of digital workspace, Monday and how it aided in the switch. Our adaptation to this new workstyle has been supported by other platforms as well, messaging platform Slack. Slack has made communicating with fellow employees streamlined and effortless. It has tons of features that help our team get through their workday.

Direct Messaging

At its core, Slack is a messaging platform we use to communicate with our fellow team members. The Direct Message feature allows us to quickly start a conversation with another person or group. It is a fast-paced and simple way to reach out to someone to discuss a project, ask a question or send a file. 

Sending files through slack is quick and saves the time of drafting out an email. We can easily click the file to download it to our dropbox or device. You can even scroll back in messages or search a keyword to find it in the future. Say goodbye to losing important documents in a sea of emails. 

We love that work conversations can be made more fun with the addition of a GIF or use of an emoji reaction. Communication shouldn’t always be so serious.

Slack Calls

Sometimes it’s hard to communicate your thoughts via text. Luckily, Slack also offers video call capabilities. To start one is as easy: simply click the small phone emoticon in the top corner of the chat and it will ring all participants, letting them know you want to start a call. Video calls allow us to better focus our attention on the conversation and talk things out more thoroughly. Sometimes more needs to be said than what fits in a chatbox. 

Connect Apps

Another one of Slack’s awesome features is its App Directory. This feature allows you direct access to third-party apps through Slack. We use this to connect to other platforms we use daily such as Dropbox or Google Drive and seamlessly share documents. Trust us- it’s as helpful as it sounds.

Channel Based

Slack’s workspace is divided up into channels. A channel is a single place to share messages, tools, and files. At CMG, we use public channels, which are represented by a # symbol otherwise known as a hashtag. We organize by account, so each channel has conversations pertaining to its specific client. This helps keep us organized and assists us in the future when we need to retrieve client-based information. 

In public channels, there are multiple members. If addressing someone directly, we find it helpful to tag them with the “@” button. This will notify them and ensure that they see the message. 

Channels can also be private, only made available to certain team members. The channel feature is super cool and one of our favorite aspects of using Slack.

Slack has been a wonderful tool for us as we transitioned into a remote work environment. It has helped us keep in touch with our team members while staying productive. We highly recommend this platform to any organization looking to improve communication internally.