Zoom Chat Review: More Than Just Messages

Zoom is best known for being one of the world’s best video conferencing solutions.  

However, there’s more to Zoom than video alone.  

Now widely recognised as a leader in the UCaaS landscape, Zoom offers access to meetings, business telephony, and immersive chat functionality.  

Despite this, many people still aren’t sure what the Zoom Chat function can actually do.  

There’s a common misconception in the market that Zoom Chat is just a basic messaging system. However, the reality is that this solution can accomplish so much more. Zoom Chat is a fully–featured competitor to offerings like Microsoft Teams and Slack. 

Today, we’re going to explore what Zoom Chat can really do.  

Zoom Chat Features 

Zoom Chat is the messaging functionality within the Zoom UCaaS environment, designed to help streamline company meetings, and improve collaboration. Part of Zoom’s strategy to become a full-stack communication vendor, Chat is similar to the messaging channel functionality you’d expect from market leaders like Google, RingCentral, and Microsoft.  

You can organise your meetings and send links or additional information when you’re connecting with staff through a meeting. You can also reduce the need for excessive video meetings by sending quick updates to staff members through text.  

The Video Chat environment even comes with access to a comprehensive search function, so you can quickly track links, content, and messages crucial to your projects. Features include: 

• 1:1 chat 
• Group messaging channels 
• Text, emojis, and screenshots 
• Share files and screens easily 
• Status and presence indicator 
• Calendar integrations for easier meeting organisation 
• Comprehensive contact, message, and file search 
• Starred channels and contacts for team management 
• Customisable notifications 
• Encrypted data at all times 
• Single-sign-on and multi-factor authentication 
• Data archiving for up to 10 years 
• Desktop and mobile access 
• Do Not Disturb settings 
• @Mentions for instant connectivity 

Like the rest of the Zoom UCaaS portfolio, Zoom Chat is also constantly improving with new features, functionality, and available integrations to explore.  

The Benefits of Zoom Chat 

Zoom Meetings is the wonderchild of the Zoom portfolio, which means that additional tools, like Zoom Chat, are frequently overlooked. However, for companies looking to enable and empower the remote workforce of tomorrow, Zoom Chat represents a powerful tool. Just like your channels on Slack or Teams, you can use Zoom conversations to keep teams connected wherever they are.  

Zoom Chat offers a valuable alternative to complicated email threads and constant phone calls. It’s a quick and easy system that users can customize to suit their needs. Some of the major benefits include: 

• Support for any conversation: You can easily build group channels organised by project, topic, or team, or communicate with staff one-ot-one. Zoom Chat also enables one-click meetings if you decide to upgrade your conversation to a video call. All teams and organisations can find valuable functionality here. Marketing teams can collaborate on creative projects, while Developers share code snippets, and Sales access information from integrated CRMs
• Convenient design on any device: Achieving the right collaborative environment today means focusing on convenience. Fortunately, Zoom Chat is available to offer the same consistent experience on both mobile and desktop sites. You can instantly transition from chat to meetings, and search for content on mobile that you shared on your desktop 
• Customisable settings: Different teams use chat technology in different ways. Zoom Chat allows users to display their status automatically through integrations with their calendars, and they can set custom notifications for groups and channels. You can choose how your user interface looks and add stars to channels for messages you can’t afford to miss. You can even mark messages as unread or set a reply to post later
• Integrations: Zoom benefits from being one of the most flexible tools on the market for video conferencing and collaboration. Zoom integration partners range from Salesforce to Otter.ai, Slack, Eventbrite, and Google Workspace. This means that companies can easily bring all of the components of their workplace together
• Security: With concerns about the security threats of hybrid working more pressing than ever, companies can’t afford to skimp on safety. Zoom focuses on keeping your contacts and information secure by encrypting data at all times. You also have multi-factor authentication for extra protection and Single-Sign-On. Plus, you can archive information or up to 10 years

Zoom Chat also stands out from other collaboration tools on the market by giving customers access to a free version of the service. You can use many of the Zoom Chat features on the free package, and you only need to upgrade after you’ve checked that your team are comfortable with the service.  

Zoom Chat: Enabling Better Hybrid Work 

Zoom Chat is a comprehensive environment for collaboration, where employees can customize their experience to enable productivity. You can set your presence, block and unblock users, enable push notifications, and set Do Not Disturb during times when you just can’t afford to take your mind of a specific project.  

Like Microsoft Teams and similar tools, Zoom also assists users in staying connected to their colleagues through things like @Mentions when you want to immediately grab a colleague’s attention. You can also send chat announcements to your entire team if you don’t have time to broadcast messages to everyone individually.  

For quick and simple teamwork, Zoom supports various kinds of file type, which you can send through your chat messages to add context conversation. On top of that, you still get the amazing end-to-end encrypted experience that you need for today’s hybrid and remote workers, available on any device.  

What’s more, Zoom Chat is seamlessly connected to the rest of the Zoom UCaaS environment. You can easily access features from your Zoom integrations, or transition from a chat conversation into a video meeting or voice call when the occasion calls for it.  

Zoom Chat is far more than just a messaging solution; it’s a true competitor in the team collaboration market and something that deserves a lot more attention.