Software that brings together chat, calls, documents, and video conferencing is a must-have in today’s business landscape. Slack and Microsoft Teams are the two leading alternatives enterprises often compare, and we know it is not an easy choice to make since both apps are consistently upping their features.
Slack was launched in 2019 and rapidly became the innovative solution for meetings and communication. This app help businesses to stay connected through chat and file sharing, as well as through more than 800 integrations with leading apps such as Salesforce.
Microsoft Teams is an all-in-one tool for UCaaS available since 2016, and it allows organizations to meet, chat, call, and collaborate in a single interface. This powerful collaboration and communication tool helps companies to embrace hybrid work by building a cloud-based environment.
Depending on the features your organization needs, you might already have a clear winner in mind. But if not, read on to help you choose the best tool for you.
Slack vs. Teams features
| Features | Microsoft Teams | Slack |
| Messaging and chat | Unlimited messaging in all plans. | Up to 10,000 messages in the free plan or unlimited in paid plans. |
| Voice calling | Audio conferencing, Microsoft phone plans, or direct routing integration. | Audio conferencing available. |
| Integrations | More than 700 integrations with leading apps. | More than 800 integrations with leading apps. |
| File storage | Up to 1TB per organization | Up to 10GB on a standard plan, or 20GB on Plus. |
| Security | SAML, AD, and SSO account controls, with two-factor authentication, data encryption, and protection of data at rest. Microsoft Teams is compliant with HIPAA, SOC I and SOC 2, EU privacy clauses, and ISO 27001. | Encryption for all files, messages, and data. Two-factor authentication. |
| Content sharing | Document management, SharePoint for storage, to-do lists, and file sharing. | Range of integrations with file-sharing apps. |
| Pricing plans | Both free and paid options are available. | Both free and paid options are available. |
| UCaaS | Full ecosystem of tools for meetings, video, chat, and collaborations, including business phone. | No business phone solution. |
Source: UC Today
Business phone
Slack has some limitations to its voice capabilities. You can do video meetings using an integration, or a brief voice call within minutes; however, it doesn’t support business telephony. Even though Slack’s voice solution is easy to use, it lacks many features of other software products.
If you are looking for an alternative, Microsoft Teams offers a wide variety of voice communication options. One such option is to use the Business Phone plans available through Microsoft so that employees can make external calls all over the world if they need to. But if you really want to dive into what sets this platform apart from others, through Direct Routing you will enable enterprise-class voice capabilities such as call queues, auto attendants, voicemail, among others. Therefore, contact center for Teams, call recording, and advanced analytics are some custom features you can add with this option.
Which one is best?
Microsoft Teams and Slack are both useful tools that will help companies collaborate in the age of hybrid work. Unlike Slack, which operates mainly as a messaging-based chat app, Microsoft Teams is more like an all-inclusive UCaaS solution – complete with business phone options and customizable features. For small businesses who need a basic but easy to use platform, Slack will likely fit their needs best. But for those companies that want an advanced environment for communications, they may prefer Microsoft teams.
To get started with Teams Phone System all you need to do is click on the button below. Our client specialists will reach out to you to answer questions you may have about Teams voice, as well as to plan your phone system transition. Therefore, you can count on us for expertise on Microsoft Teams licensing, project planning, Teams Voice readiness, Teams DID porting assistance, training, support, and more.
