For some users, especially those in small startups, Slack has been a go-to tool for remote work and team collaboration. However, recent experiences have highlighted some significant drawbacks that are making users question their choice. One such user, involved in setting up a remote work setup for a startup, chose Slack over other options like Microsoft Teams and Google Workspace due to its ease of setup and focused design on chat and remote meetings.
The decision to opt for Slack was largely driven by the need for a quick and straightforward setup. Unlike Teams, which requires a full transition to Microsoft 365, Slack offered a simpler onboarding process. Additionally, Slack’s ability to manage multi-organization collaboration more effectively was a key factor, as many team members work across different organizations.
However, the user’s experience with Slack’s Huddles feature has been particularly frustrating. Huddles, intended for internal meetings, lack essential features such as scheduling with external participants and recording options. This limitation forces users to seek additional solutions, which can significantly increase costs per user.
Despite these issues, the user appreciates certain aspects of Slack, such as the Canvas feature, which is more integrated and user-friendly compared to SharePoint in Teams. The lightweight client and ease of cross-organization collaboration are also positives. However, the lack of robust calendar and scheduling tools, as well as effective file management and email integration, remains a significant gap.
In other news, Slack has recently announced new features aimed at enhancing project management and task handling directly within the workspace. This update could potentially address some of the current limitations, but it remains to be seen how these new features will be received by users.
