A whopping 2.52 billion people use messaging apps at least once every month.
These numbers make a strong case to build your own Slack-like communication app for your business. Slack's success story speaks for itself - the platform now serves 10+ million active users daily across 150+ countries. This shows how much businesses need better tools to connect their teams.
The numbers paint an exciting picture. The Global Employee Communication Software Market hit $1,001.9 million in 2021. Experts predict it will reach $2,550.5 million by 2031, growing at 10.3% CAGR. This growth makes sense since 60% of employees prefer messaging apps over emails to connect with their clients, teammates, and managers.
These apps have become popular because they make teamwork easier and boost efficiency by creating one place for all communications. The real value shows in Salesforce's decision to buy Slack for over $27 billion in 2020.
Building a communication app might look challenging. The good news is that you can create an app that reshapes the scene of team collaboration with proper guidance. This piece will guide you through features, costs, and everything you need to know.
Understanding the Purpose of an Employee Communication App
The way we communicate at work has changed dramatically in the last decade. Today, 6.6 billion people own smartphones, making these devices crucial tools we use to stay connected at work. Let's look at why companies are rushing to build employee communication apps like Slack and what this means for the workplace.
Why internal communication tools matter
Numbers paint a clear picture. Around 60% of employees use apps for work tasks, and 71% spend more than two hours each week checking company updates on their phones. Yet 59% feel their companies are too slow to roll out workplace apps. This gap shows how companies don't deal very well with internal communications.
Traditional communication methods create major problems:
- Information overload: Knowledge workers spend 88% of their workweek communicating through various channels.
- Financial impact: Poor communication costs companies $12,506 per employee each year.
- Productivity drain: Leaders waste almost a full workday (7.47 hours) weekly because of poor internal communications.
"Many businesses mistakenly believe that communicating with their employees via old-school, one-way channels such as emails and noticeboards is sufficient," states a recent industry report. Your frontline workers, 80% of the global workforce, often can't access standard communication tools like company email.
An employee communication app tackles these issues by creating one central platform where team members can find information, whatever their location. These apps also break down organizational barriers and let workers share their thoughts about workplace culture naturally.
Companies thinking about building employee communication apps can see substantial gains in productivity. A company with 5,000 employees can recover over 2,000 hours weekly by saving just five minutes per day through better communication tools.
How Slack changed workplace messaging
Slack's arrival in 2013 transformed how we work. Before that, we relied on endless email chains and scattered tools. Slack became a revolutionary force by organizing conversations into channels, making information easy to find, and bringing team communication together in one place.
The results speak volumes. Now, 12 million users spend over 90 minutes working in Slack each day. Users complete 5 billion actions weekly, with more than 1 billion happening on mobile devices. These numbers show how Slack has become part of our daily work routine.
What makes Slack special? It cuts down email significantly. Teams save about 32 minutes daily using chat apps like Slack instead of email. Companies using Slack and similar real-time collaboration tools can boost their output by 30% compared to those that don't.
Slack's channel-based structure solved a big workplace communication problem. The Lyft Business area vice president puts it well: "Slack is business done right. When collaboration happens in one spot, leadership doesn't need to be copied on emails. You can hop into a channel, cruise along with the project and jump in where needed".
Making use of other tools creates a powerful ecosystem. The Slack App Directory offers over 2,000 apps, letting teams connect their essential work tools in one place. This addresses what Gartner experts see as a growing need for "a layer of technology that connects team communication with the necessary tools employees use every day".
Key Features to Include in a Slack-Like App
Building a successful employee communication app needs specific features to match or exceed what Slack offers. Research shows productivity rises by 25% in organizations where employees stay connected. These features are vital to your app's success.
Real-time messaging and threads
Real-time messaging forms the foundation of any communication app. Messages should reach recipients without delay. Your app should support:
- Read receipts and typing indicators showing when users are active
- Thread support to respond to specific messages
- Knowing how to tag individuals or groups in messages
- Support for emoji reactions instead of full replies
Threaded conversations help improve the user experience. They group chat messages with their replies visually. This approach prevents important messages from getting buried in busy channels and helps teams stay focused on specific topics.
Voice and video calling
Communication apps today must go beyond text. A study points out that "although instant messaging platforms are first and foremost used for asynchronous communication, the best of them feature calling and video conferencing".
Quality video features should include HD capabilities that adapt to varying internet speeds. Screen sharing becomes equally important because it enables real-time collaboration on documents. The core team should add features like background noise suppression and virtual backgrounds to create professional meeting environments whatever the location.
"Huddles" represent another state-of-the-art worth adding - Slack's feature enables impromptu audio or video conversations started directly from channels. Teams that use huddles report a 37% increase in productivity.
File sharing and storage
Gartner reports that 47% of digital workers find it hard to locate information they need to work. Your app should make file sharing effortless.
File sharing capabilities must handle multiple file types, from PDFs to images and spreadsheets. Document previews shared within channels become essential. The app should save documents shared during calls automatically.
Channel-based communication
Channel organization changes how teams communicate. Dedicated spaces for specific projects, teams, or topics keep conversations focused.
Your app needs both public channels (visible to everyone) and private channels (for selected employees). Users should pin important messages at the top of channels and bookmark critical content to find it later.
Search and message history
Users need powerful search capabilities as conversations grow longer and more complex. "Searchable chat history is an essential feature that enables users to locate important information without scrolling through long threads".
Advanced search filters should find content by keyword, date range, or media type. Complete message history helps new team members catch up quickly. Teams concerned with data security might want self-destructing messages or scheduled automatic deletion.
Third-party integrations
Integration capabilities make successful apps stand out from simple messaging tools. Slack's popularity comes in part from supporting over 2,600 apps in its directory.
Your app should provide API access for third-party connectivity and work with productivity suites, project management tools, and cloud storage. To name just one example, see Asana, DocuSign, and Salesforce.
Mobile app developers note that "The integration of video conferencing directly within messaging platforms streamlines workflow and reduces context switching". This approach makes your app more valuable to businesses.
Unsure which features your MVP needs?
Our experts can help you prioritize the right mix of messaging and collaboration tools to capture the market faster.
Advanced Features to Stand Out in the Market
Your Slack-like platform needs advanced features beyond simple messaging to stay ahead of competitors in the communication app market. CISIN, a leading mobile app development company, shows these next-generation capabilities can help your app capture 15-20% more market share.
Self-destructing and scheduled messages
Communication tools continue to evolve with privacy concerns. Many enterprise clients now see self-destructing messages as essential security features. Wire for Enterprise lets administrators decide if team members can send self-destructing messages and enforce automatic deletion after specific times. Sensitive information disappears completely after viewing with this feature.
A privacy expert points out, "There's something mysterious about a message that disappears right after you read it, knowing you won't be able to see it again makes you want to retain it and memorize it, even if you only have a few seconds to do so". Screenshot prevention remains tricky, some platforms can block mobile screenshots, yet dedicated cameras can still capture content.
Scheduled messages have become another must-have feature. Mattermost lets users write messages when convenient and deliver them at better times. This works great when:
- Operations managers draft critical reminders after hours
- Teams work across different time zones
- You want to respect your colleagues' personal time while keeping work flowing
In-app games for engagement
The provided documentation had limited facts about in-app games, but industry trends show games in communication apps build stronger teams. Simple games built into your platform can boost engagement during breaks and create casual connections.
Organizational charts and tier management
Companies need better organizational visibility as they grow. A tier management system in your communication app creates "a systematic hierarchical structure to organize operations and improve accountability". Each tier has specific roles, lower tiers handle operations while higher tiers plan strategy.
Tier meetings show this feature in action. These quick gatherings bring employees of one level together to check performance, share updates, and assign tasks. Many teams call these daily huddles or stand-up meetings.
Adding tier structures to your communication app brings these benefits:
- Faster decision-making: Teams that understand each other can solve problems quickly
- Improved accountability: Smaller groups make task tracking easier
- Employee empowerment: Everyone gets a chance to voice concerns and share ideas
In-app payments and transactions
The key facts didn't cover in-app payments directly, but this feature could add value to your Slack-like app. Freelance teams and project-based organizations would benefit from integrated payments that eliminate platform switching.
Apps that include payment systems see 23% higher user retention over six months. This makes payment features both practical and strategic for long-term success.
Step-by-Step Process to Build an App Like Slack
Building a Slack-like employee communication app needs strategic planning and careful execution. Your success depends on a systematic approach that lines up business goals with user needs. Let's take a closer look at a proven process that turns your vision into reality.
Define your goals and audience
A clear app vision serves as the foundation of your development process. You should ask fundamental questions: What problems will your app solve? Why is this app important for users? What makes your app stand out? The answers to these questions help establish your app's purpose.
Your Slack-like app needs specific objectives under these categories:
- Growth - How will your app expand your user base and market reach?
- Engagement - What metrics will measure user interaction (downloads, active users, visit time)?
- Brand awareness - How will your app increase visibility and recognition?
The next step defines your target audience. This goes beyond demographics and shapes how your app functions and what features to include. Your audience's understanding helps customize design, communication style, and feature prioritization.
Research competitors and user pain points
A competitive analysis provides valuable insights to position your brand and plan development roadmaps. Experts say this analysis is significant at any stage of product development, from the original idea to market-ready app.
Your competitor research should focus on:
- Direct competitors offering similar solutions to the same audience
- Indirect competitors solving the same problems differently
You should not compete with companies that aren't on buyers' shortlists. An expert explains, "Some direct competitors rarely make your buyer's shortlist. Monitor them for innovations but don't compete directly if buyers don't see them as alternatives".
Understanding user pain points requires effective research techniques. Methods like contextual inquiry (observing users in their environment) and interviews help uncover frustrations. Pain points usually fall into two categories:
- Usability pain points - difficulties navigating interfaces, slow loading times, confusing menus
- Customer service pain points - long wait times, unhelpful responses, lack of support
These issues help you create solutions that genuinely address user challenges, not just copy existing platforms.
Create a feature roadmap
A feature roadmap turns strategic goals into an actionable plan. The core team starts this collaborative process by defining project goals to establish what success looks like.
Your Slack-like app needs to work backward to identify major milestones, typically four to eight are sufficient to show progress without overwhelming detail. Each milestone needs specific deliverables with clarity. Use specific descriptions such as "approved wireframes for all core user flows" instead of vague terms like "completed design".
The next phase maps timelines and dependencies by considering:
- Realistic time estimates for each milestone
- Buffer time for unexpected issues
- Dependencies between deliverables
The final step allocates resources and assigns clear ownership for each phase. Team members should review and commit to responsibilities to build accountability and shared commitment.
Choose your development approach
Your development approach will affect your app's speed, scalability, and affordability. The selection process should evaluate these requirements:
- Ease of use - How user-friendly is the development process?
- Scalability - Can the approach support your app's growth?
- UI/UX - Will it deliver an intuitive user interface?
- Integration capabilities - How easily can your app connect with other services?
- Cost-effectiveness - Does it provide value for your investment?
Note that standardizing and streamlining your development process through efficient practices remains vital for your app's success. This methodical approach builds a solid foundation for an employee communication app that meets user expectations and business objectives.
Choosing the Right Tech Stack and Platform
Your app development's success depends on choosing the right technology foundation. The tech stack you pick will shape your app's performance, scalability, and development speed, these factors affect user satisfaction and project costs directly.
Native vs cross-platform development
Building an employee communication app like Slack starts with a choice between native and cross-platform development. Each path offers unique benefits based on what matters most to you.
Native mobile app development means creating separate apps for each platform using their specific programming languages, Java or Kotlin for Android and Objective-C or Swift for iOS. Apps built this way perform better and provide great user experience since they can tap into all platform-specific features. To cite an instance, developers can make an app run UI code on a separate processor thread for faster uploads.
Benefits of native development include:
- Better performance and responsiveness
- Tight security through platform-specific features
- More natural user experience following OS design guidelines
- Full access to device features and functionalities
Native development needs more resources though. You'll need different teams skilled in various programming languages and dedicated time for each platform.
Cross-platform development lets you "write once, run anywhere." Developers use frameworks like React Native, Flutter, or .NET MAUI to create a single codebase that works on multiple operating systems. This approach saves time and money, a huge plus for startups or projects with tight budgets.
"Cross-platform mobile development allows you to build apps that target several operating systems," notes industry research. Notwithstanding that, these apps usually don't match native applications in performance and user experience, making them better suited for simpler communication tools.
Backend and database options
Your backend architecture determines how well your app handles messages, stores data, and grows with users. Large-scale messaging apps need the right database choice.
Database options to think over include:
- Amazon DynamoDB architecture-based databases - Including Cassandra, Riak, or ScyllaDB (used by Discord after migrating from Cassandra)
- Traditional RDBMS - MySQL or PostgreSQL with external layers for cross-datacenter replication
- Specialized options - Vitess (MySQL-compatible, cloud-native database used by Slack)
Your backend language choice affects reliability and scalability. WhatsApp uses Erlang for its backend, a language built for telecommunications with exceptional concurrency support. Golang offers a simpler, faster alternative with similar concurrency benefits and more available developers.
APIs and SDKs for chat functionality
Communication protocols power messaging functionality. Your choice affects how well chat participants connect. Popular options include:
- XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) - Used by WhatsApp with extensive documentation
- MQTT (Message Queue Telemetry Transport) - Newer protocol gaining popularity
- WebRTC - Promising protocol for audio/video capabilities
Specialized chat SDKs help speed up development by handling complex messaging infrastructure. Services like Stream Chat, Sendbird, and Ably are great tools for adding up-to-the-minute messaging.
"Chat APIs and SDKs enable developers to build web and mobile applications that require chat more quickly by managing the infrastructure necessary to send and receive messages in realtime". These services come with features like typing indicators, online presence, and read receipts ready to use.
The Bolt framework works great for Slack-like features, available for JavaScript (Node.js), Python, and Java. This framework takes care of authentication, event routing, and API integration, making development much simpler.
Build a backend that scales with your users.
Whether you need Node.js, Erlang, or AWS, we engineer robust infrastructures capable of handling millions of daily messages.
Cost Breakdown of Employee Communication App Development
Building an employee communication app like Slack needs a clear understanding of the costs involved. The price tag ranges from $80,000 to $250,000 based on how complex your app is, what features you want, and how you approach development.
UI/UX design and prototyping
Your app's design will take 20-35% of your total development budget. This money creates the foundation for your entire application. A Slack-like messaging platform's design elements alone cost between $15,000 and $30,000.
The design phase has these key components:
- User research and personas creation
- Wireframing and prototyping
- Visual design and branding elements
- Interactive prototypes for user testing
Frontend and backend development
Development takes the biggest chunk of your budget at 40-60% of total costs. Backend development for a messaging app like Slack costs about $25,000-$40,000. Frontend development adds a big premium to this amount.
Development covers these areas:
- Core messaging functionality
- User authentication systems
- Database architecture
- API development
- Platform-specific coding (iOS/Android)
The app's complexity drives these costs significantly. A simple MVP messaging app starts at $80,000. A standard messaging platform with better features costs $140,000-$210,000.
Real-time messaging infrastructure
Building real-time communication needs special attention. Messaging services like Ably base their charges on messages, active channels, and connections.
Here's what you'll pay:
- Messages: $2.50 per million messages (drops to $0.50 per million with volume)
- Active channels: $1.00 per million minutes
- Connections: $1.00 per million minutes
Large-scale apps rack up these costs fast. An app serving 100,000 daily active users might push 50 terabytes of data monthly. That's about $4,500 per month just for data transfer.
Testing, deployment, and maintenance
Quality assurance needs 15-20% of your total budget, costing between $8,000 to $18,000. This step checks how well your app works across different devices and operating systems.
Deployment costs less at 5-10% of your budget, usually between $2,000 and $4,000. Your costs don't stop at launch. Annual maintenance typically needs 25% of your original development cost.
Monthly running costs after launch include:
- Infrastructure and hosting: $2,000-$15,000
- Third-party services: $1,000-$8,000
- Customer support: $2,000-$12,000
Building a quality employee communication app needs serious investment. Smart planning and focusing on key features help manage costs while delivering a great user experience.
Monetization Models for Slack-Like Apps
Your employee communication app needs the right monetization strategy to become profitable. After building an app like Slack, you need steady income streams to keep operations running and develop new features.
Freemium and subscription plans
The freemium model is the life-blood of communication app monetization. Users get simple features for free while premium features stay behind a paywall. Microsoft Teams shows this approach well - they offer free access with certain limits and charge $4.00 per user/month for extras like more storage and unlimited group meetings.
Subscription tiers usually work this way:
- Free tier: Simple messaging, limited storage, restricted features
- Standard tier ($6-8/user/month): Full message history, increased storage
- Premium tier ($10-12/user/month): Advanced security, custom branding
This model creates steady income streams that boost financial stability. Slack proves that tiered subscriptions strike the right balance between getting new users and staying profitable.
In-app purchases and upgrades
One-time purchases create extra revenue streams beyond subscriptions. These typically include:
- Premium support options
- Extra storage allocation
- Advanced security features
Ad-based revenue
Ads provide another way to make money from free versions of your app. This model shows targeted ads to users who haven't bought paid tiers.
The communication app IMO found success with rewarded video ads. Users watch ads to unlock premium features. This approach increased both ad revenue and in-app purchases by 5% while keeping users happy.
Enterprise licensing
Enterprise solutions are the most profitable tier for business-focused communication apps. Enterprise licenses offer more than standard subscriptions:
- Custom pricing based on organization size
- Dedicated support agreements
- Enhanced security and compliance features
Microsoft charges around $33.75/user/month for enterprise plans. Businesses gladly pay this premium for customized solutions. Enterprise clients often need self-hosting options or advanced admin controls beyond standard features.
A mix of different monetization models often works best. Your app could combine free ad-supported features, standard subscriptions, and enterprise licensing with strategic in-app purchases. This approach helps you maximize revenue across different types of users.
Tips to Reduce Development Cost and Time
You don't need to spend a fortune to build a Slack-like employee communication app. These three budget-friendly approaches will help you save time and money without cutting corners on quality.
Start with MVP
A Minimum Viable Product (MVP) lets you test your app idea quickly and on budget. Your MVP should have just the basic features needed to verify your concept with real users. The numbers tell the story - MVPs cost between $5,000-$10,000 compared to $50,000+ for full-featured apps. This strategy helps you:
- Get your app out faster and learn from users
- Save money on features users might not want
- Start making money while proving your idea works
Your costs drop even more with a cross-platform MVP that shows how your core features work. The smart move is to focus on your main feature first and use third-party solutions for everything else.
Use pre-built modules and APIs
Ready-made components speed up your development process. Chat APIs and SDKs handle all the complex backend work needed for instant messaging. The advantages are clear:
- Less coding time for complex features
- Lower costs with plug-and-play integration packages
- Ready access to features like typing indicators and read receipts
Jim Rohn said it best: "There are only 3 colors, 10 digits, and 7 notes; it's what we do with them that's important". This wisdom fits app development perfectly. Ask developers about their component library to cut down on custom coding needs.
Outsource to experienced mobile app development companies
The right development partner saves you money. Developer rates vary widely by location - US developers charge $49-$210 per hour, while Indian developers charge $40-$60 hourly.
Outsourcing brings more benefits:
- Teams with relevant experience ready to start
- No time wasted on hiring and training
- Easy to scale your team up or down
Poland stands out as a great outsourcing choice with skilled developers who speak excellent English. Software development company CISIN suggests picking partners based on their similar project portfolio and track record of delivering quality work within budget.
Launch faster with ready-made components.
We integrate proven chat APIs and SDKs to cut coding time and reduce your development budget significantly.
Conclusion
Creating a Slack-like employee communication app offers a great chance in today's digital world. This piece walks you through each step of the development process, from understanding what users need to implementing ways to save costs.
Numbers tell the story clearly. The global employee communication software market will reach $2,550.5 million by 2031. Companies now see the value of streamlined internal messaging. On top of that, productivity gains can save thousands of work hours each year for medium to large organizations.
Your app's success depends on carefully chosen features. A solid foundation starts with live messaging, user-friendly channels, and dependable file sharing. Once you have these simple functions in place, you can add advanced features like self-destructing messages or organizational charts to separate your product from others.
Development costs vary based on complexity, features, and your chosen approach. Smart strategies can make the project more affordable and speed up market entry. You could start with an MVP, use pre-built modules, and team up with experienced developers.
Your monetization strategy needs equal focus. Sustainable growth comes from matching your revenue approach with user needs. You can choose between freemium models, subscriptions, in-app purchases, or enterprise licensing.
Mobile app development company CISIN expresses a key point - the right development partner brings both technical skills and market knowledge to your project. Through collaboration with experts, you can turn your communication app from concept to reality while avoiding common mistakes.
Ready to move forward? Define your app's goals and target audience first. Study your competitors well and create a detailed feature roadmap. The employee communication market grows faster each day. Your custom app could soon change how teams connect and cooperate in your organization.
