Many companies take the easy route by opting to use a consumer-grade messaging mobile app such as WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. But this strategy can backfire in some costly ways as JPMorgan recently discovered. The company was slapped with $200 million in fines for allowing its staff to use WhatsApp for business-related messages.
A messaging mobile app designed for enterprise usage touts some major advantages over a consumer-grade application or other communication tools like email.
More Intuitive Communication With a Messaging App
DMs are a very intuitive form of communication because they align well with our natural behavior: short bursts to share our ideas and lots of back and forth engagement.
Compare a messenger app to the main alternative: emails. In the case of emails, communications are longer and more drawn-out, with true back-and-forth conversation being rather awkward. Emails just don’t align well with the way that we naturally engage with others.
Most people communicate best in short bursts, sharing a thought immediately as the thought enters the mind with a lot of back and forth conversation. This is exactly what happens on an enterprise messaging app, leading to smoother communications that bolster operational efficiency across the board.
Enterprise Messaging Apps Mean Better Security
Most consumer-targeted messenger apps lack the level of security and encryption that businesses require. Think of all the potentially-sensitive information that’s communicated across a messaging app. Imagine all of the damage that could result from a competitor or cybercriminal intercepting those messages. The result could be nothing short of disastrous.
The best enterprise messaging apps are architected with security in mind. Beyond robust encryption and multi-layer authentication, an experienced developer can integrate additional security features such as geofencing or even integration with biometric authentication for a business with elevated security requirements.
There’s also the issue of accidental disclosure when employees are using a consumer messaging app for work and personal communications. It’s very easy to message the wrong person. We’ve all done it. The solution is to separate business-related communications by requiring employees to use a messaging platform that’s different from the one they use for personal communications.
Accidental disclosure was a key issue that spurred the Swiss Army to ban the usage of WhatsApp and other messenger apps like Telegram and Signal for use by on-duty military personnel. They cited the risk of soldiers accidentally sending sensitive information to personal contacts as a primary factor behind the decision to ban these mobile apps.
Enterprise Messaging Data Control and Ownership
Many are shocked to learn that they don’t control or even own the data that’s transmitted over a consumer-grade messaging app. This poses problems from a compliance perspective and also from a privacy and security standpoint.
Well-crafted enterprise apps such as SayHey Messenger® afford companies with full control and ownership over their data. Any and all data sent over DMs is preserved and stored in a secure, private cloud platform. This way, potentially-sensitive information remains private and it can be stored forevermore in a secure, encrypted format if that’s what the organization requires.
Compliance With an Enterprise Messaging Mobile App
Messaging compliance is a real consideration for companies in many industries, including finance and health care. This compliance takes many forms, like maintaining a certain degree of security and privacy, or retaining communications for a specific timeframe. The healthcare industry must adhere to stringent privacy rules associated with HIPAA.
The cost of non-compliance can be significant. Take the case of JPMorgan. The company was fined $200 million in total after they allowed staff to use WhatsApp for business-related messages. It’s alleged that the messages were not retained, resulting in a violation of federal record-keeping laws. This underscores the importance of using a messaging app that is designed with business needs in mind.
Enterprise mobile apps usually feature a more fleshed-out admin portal and robust moderation tools that make it easier to keep users compliant with the company’s rules for on-the-job behavior. This largely eliminates major problems spurred on by micro-aggressions and bad actors.
The Advantage of In-Platform Messaging Capabilities
A company can expect to see more robust communications when a messenger app is integrated directly into an existing enterprise platform.
People are far more likely to communicate effectively if a messaging tool is right there in front of them when the need arises. It’s easy to get distracted or diverted if you need to click away from your ERP or CRM platform and into another screen or device to send a message.
Take Control of Your Communications With SayHey Messenger®
SayHey Messenger® is a unique business instant messaging platform that solves many of the challenges that companies face when it comes to communication. The team at 7T developed SayHey Messenger® as a method for patching the holes in your company’s messaging situation.
The SayHey Messenger® app features:
- Data sovereignty for control and ownership of all messaging data;
- Fully compliant instant messaging for regulated businesses;
- Seamlessly integrates into existing company software platforms;
- Admin portal for moderation, auditing, and inclusivity;
- SayHey Spaces for company-wide broadcasts and team collaborations;
- Engaging, intuitive user interface for incredible adoption rates;
- Send compliant SMS messages to external users with full data retention; and
- Custom UI with your logo, colors and branding elements for a style that’s all yours.
SayHey Messenger® offers two types of deployment. There is a SayHey Messenger® Business deployment with a mobile app platform and web app portal. SayHey Messenger® Enterprise deployments represent the other option, with all messaging data stored in the client’s private cloud environment and fully integrated within the client’s existing software platforms including mobile applications. This allows users to access their instant messages without leaving the screen, leading to greater productivity, higher user adoption rates and better efficiency.
Consider using SayHey Messenger® as your business messaging platform. And the best part? It’s deployed in a matter of days. Contact us today to learn more about SayHey Messenger®.