6 reasons why Slack is better than email for internal communication

I like to say that Dragon Army runs on Slack. Of course we use other systems, but Slack is the way our team members communicate on a day-to-day basis. And it’s completely changed how much email goes through the business, which I’m certain is saving us time.

More than anything, companies that embrace Slack talk about how it’s replaced email for many communication functions. So here are 6 reasons why I personally think that Slack is better than email for internal communication:

1. Tune in vs being forced in

Email is a forceful type of communication. When you send someone an email, they essentially have to reply to it, or at least they think they do. With Slack, you can post information into a channel about a topic, and anyone who is interested can check and see it.

2. Reply-all doesn’t distract everyone

We all hate the reply-all function in email, don’t we? Too many times people don’t respect the fact that replying to everyone on the initial email chain will further distract those that don’t need to be kept in the loop. With Slack, you post to a topic and people can check it if they like, or they can stop checking a channel if a discussion isn’t something they’re interested in.

3. When you send someone an email, you’re adding an item to their to-do list

Most people I know use email not just for communication, but also as a to-do list. I always try to be thoughtful about sending someone an email because I know they basically have to respond to it. Even if they just archive it, they have to react to it. With Slack, you can decide to send someone a direct message (which is basically the same thing as email/to-do), or you can send an update to a channel, thereby not forcing someone to have to react to it.

4. No one is left out of conversations

What I love about Slack is that there is never anyone left out of a conversation. I can post an article I read that relates to a client we are working with to that client’s Slack channel, and then anyone who is interested can check it out. If I were to send that same article via email, I would have to selectively decide who I thought would want to see it and invariably I’d send it to someone that isn’t interested and leave out some that would have been. 

5. Archives are great for new team members

When new members join the company, they can dive into a channel and quickly catch up on the discussions that have been had. There would simply be no way to do this via email.

6. Better ability to have fun and stay connected

If nothing else, Slack can serve as the water cooler for the office. People send funny links or videos, share news and things they’re working on, or ask questions to the group. I definitely believe our company feels more connected because they can share personal and funny things to the group via Slack.