3 things we improved in our software house using Slack

Everybody seems to love Slack (ok, we are also in love now). For us, the PC guys, all started on March 18th, 2015 when Slack Windows app finally arrived.

Being honest we weren’t sure if we needed another communication tool as Skype, email and project management app seemed to fulfill our needs at the time. Some folks where surprised that we wanted to start (probably not so simple) process of implementation of this new tool. But…..we easily moved our communication to Slack. We sent everybody a short introductory email with official Slack article describing channel/direct/groups concept and url to sign up page.

Our communication channels are very simple and are used with no modifications from day one:

• general channel for companywide messages — #codeandpepper
• individual channels for a particular project with “p_” prefix — ie. #p_issuefly
• private group for internal teams — board, sales, project managers
• channel for all off-topic communication — #aroundthecorner

We are happy with all the benefits we receive from using Slack in our everyday business and thought this would a good idea to share our experience with all folks from agencies and software house companies like Code & Pepper.

#1. Control over current projects

Are you checking tasks progress in your task/project management tool? OK, that’s necessary. Slack quickly became our number one place for teams’ communication in projects. We use Slack to send regular updates, check project progress, solve small issues or exchange ideas. If you start using Slack for communication it will increase your ability to assess your projects status properly.

#2. Internal company communication

Before Slack we didn’t have any simplified process of internal communications especially outside projects. We used all these common ways like sending emails, setting up numerous meetings and after some time we realised that we were wasting plenty of our valuable time.

When we started using Slack it was like turning on higher gear. Our decision making process became faster and execution of crucial business plans more efficient which had direct impact on the speed at which we are developing our company.

#3. Team spirit

Create in your Slack a channel for off topic/non-business communication and then sit back and watch. It will just flow. In our case, it became a vibrant channel with lots of posts of any kind from all team members. This channel reminded us that we are together something more than just a bunch of colleagues, we are humans after all with great sense of humor.

So, if you don’t have a tool driving social experience in you company, Slack can certainly help. This is a tool where you can feel, not only as a task assignee, but also as a team member of a strong social group.

Conclusion

If you haven’t used Slack in your agency or software house as yet, start today! Slack will help you solve some problems you wouldn’t expect to solve this way. For you, as a manager or a project owner, it will be a very interesting experience and probably will bring plenty of benefits to your team. Good luck!

Do you need team for web or mobile app development? We’re happy to help.