28 Slack stats: A data analysis of business communication
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Communication is a key component of any successful business. However, with so many methods of communication: verbal, written, non-verbal and visual, it’s no surprise that getting messaging and platform right can have a big impact on the success of a message.
It has been reported that the average professional receives 120 emails per week, and that doesn’t even include social media, chat apps and texts. So, when it comes to quick updates or sharing of information, how can companies ensure those interactions aren’t lost within the masses of emails? That’s where a messaging platform like Slack can come in handy.
In this blog we’re going to look into:
- What is Slack and it’s history
- Stats about the platform growth and market share
- The data behind Slack’s customers and productivity
- Use case of the platform
- Other messaging platforms
With lots to cover, it’s time we get started.
The history of Slack
Slack was launched to the public in 2013 after being created as an internal communication tool for a company who were trying to create an online game. After realising the game was never going to be successful, they decided to take Slack to market to make some money. Luckily this was a smart decision as Slack quickly began to dominate the market.
The platform quickly grew in popularity due to the functionality it provided users, with some key features being:
- Direct messaging – allowing users to communicate privately with other users.
- Channels – organising conversations into dedicated spaces based on the topics, which specific users and teams can then join or be invited to join if relevant.
- File sharing – users can easily share files and documents within channels and private messages. They can even be pinned to the top of chats so they can easily be found.
- Integrations – Slack can be connected to multiple other tools such as Google Drive, HubSpot, and ClickUp, helping to streamline workflows and providing access to information in one central location.
- Search – users can look for specific content, such as messages and files, by searching their workspace.
- Voice and video calls – Slack allows direct and group calls to be made on the platform which is great for quick discussions.
Interestingly, Slack was named as such due to standing for ‘Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge’.
7 years after they started trading, Salesforce acquired Slack for $27.7 billion. Helping to strengthen the CRM platform’s offering to its customers and the wider market.
Stats on Slack’s market dominance
With a selection of great features and the backing of Salesforce, it’s not surprising the platform is such a key player in the market. Let’s take a look at some facts and figures that show how the company has developed into an essential business tool.
- In 2019, Slack went public on the New York Stock Exchanged achieving a market value of $19.5 billion (source)
- Within the business communication market, Slack owns 18%. Coming in second place, to Microsoft Teams with 41% (source).
- In 2025, Slack’s revenue is predicted to hit $4.22 billion. This has grown from £390 million in 2019 (source).
Stats on who uses Slack
Now we know more about Slack’s journey of growth, it’s time to look into the customers who have helped the platform get to where it is today. As mentioned, Slack is predominantly used by businesses, to help streamline communications across multiple teams, projects and locations.
- In 2019, Slack had more than 10 million daily active users (source)
- Slack is expected to have 79 million monthly active users by 2025 (source).
- Slack is used by 77 of the Fortune 100 companies, with companies such as Uber, Etsy and Expedia (source).
- Over 150 countries have daily active Slack users (source).
Stats on Slack’s impact on productivity and communication
Companies that use Slack have overall reported the platform makes the company more efficient and improves their processes. Slack reports:
- 50% of users have seen a decrease in the amount of time it takes to approve marketing content or reviews.
- 3 times faster ticket resolution for customer support teams.
- 43% faster response time.
- 4 times faster deal cycles for sales teams.
Adding to those stats we also found users also believe Slack helps them be more productive:
- 83% of users believe losing access to Slack would negatively impact their ability to get work done (source).
- 87% said the platform improved communication and collaboration (source).
So users feel the platform helps them get more done, but how exactly are they using the platform? It’s been reported that of Slack paying customers, on average:
- They spend more than 9 hours each working day connected to the platform.
- Despite being connected to the platform, users were only actually active for about 90 minutes.
- Those 90 minutes were busy, with more than 5 billion actions occurring on the platform each week.
- More than 1 billion actions happen on mobile devices each week.
Stats about Slack integrations
One of the big benefits of Slack is that it integrates with so many different platforms, helping businesses to get updates from their tools in one place. This is why Slack integrates with over 2,600 apps (source). Platforms include, but are not limited to: Zoom, Google Drive, Zapier and ClickUp.
A survey conducted by Slack found that 95% of users said that it’s the integrations with the tools that make the platform so valuable (source).
More stats about Slack integrations include:
- More than 650,000 custom apps are used by organisations using Slack
- There are over 1,335 apps that focus on productivity
- 819 apps are based on communication and 653 are HR and culture-focused
Stats about the safety of Slack
When it comes to sending business messages, and what can be most of the time confidential or sensitive information, you want to know the platform you are using is secure. So how does Slack stack up?
The platform states it has a multi-layered approach to security, including encryption, restricting access to public networks, secure development, multi-factor authentication, external audits and even continuous monitoring of the system for suspicious activity. Slack also ensures that it meets industry standards with a wide range of certifications.
However, despite its standards and certifications, the platform hasn’t always been so secure. In 2015, the platform was hacked over the course of four days, and some user data was compromised. It seemed the platform quickly learnt from it’s security errors and installed two-factor authentication.
It seems since then Slack’s security has remained secure, but this hasn’t meant the platform hasn’t experienced further issues. In January 2021, the platform went down for 5 hours with users being unable to sign in, send or receive messages, or even place calls. When the platform did get back in action it appeared some features such as push notifications and third-party calendar integrations were still out of action for some time.
The latest issue Slack has suffered was in 2022 with the platform having a series of outages across the year in February, March and July. Then to end the year it announced its private GitHub code repositories had been stolen but there was no impact on Slack customers with their accounts and information staying secure.
How Embryo use Slack
At Embryo we have been using Slack for nearly ten years, with the platform playing a key role in our team communicating with one another. From client and project updates to general water cooler chat, it enables teams to quickly get in contact with one another and share information, documents and files, whilst also supporting a positive working environment.
Slack was especially useful during the COVID-19 pandemic when employees were working remotely and has continued to be of use as we continue to work in a hybrid manner.
Other ways in which we use the platform are:
- Two-factor authentication codes – we’ve integrated the platform with third-party tools so 2FA codes can be shared in a central place for accounts which are shared by multiple team members. This helps us save time having to check who’s number is registered and wait for them to forward a code to sign in.
- Shared channels with clients and partners – enabling us to keep all interactions, questions and documents within one place so that everyone is in the loop.
- Encouraging culture and company-wide recognition – we have multiple channels which are used for giving ‘props’ or recognition to team members going above and beyond or just celebrating great work. Sharing these updates via Slack, allows the company to engage in different ways and be aware of the work happening across the business.
I’m still unsure about Slack, what other platforms are out there?
As mentioned Slack only owns 18% of the market and just because we successfully use the platform doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right platform for you and your business. So what other platforms are available?
Microsoft Teams
Coming from a company that is valued at $3.07 trillion, it’s not surprising that Microsoft Teams dominates the market. For those businesses that use Microsoft, it’s the ideal solution for businesses to work together, communicate and share tools and files. The platform even includes features for video conferencing, scheduling meetings and calling, enabling users to connect with anyone anytime.
Google Chat
Similar to Microsoft Teams, but instead coming from the tech giant Google, this is a platform which is beneficial to Google Workspace users, in which they can chat with other users on the platform in real-time and share files, meetings and voice calls. Similar to Slack, users can also create ‘Spaces’ to categorise chats and insert features from the Google platform. What’s interesting is that users can choose how they would like to be notified in Spaces, for example ‘all new messages’ or just messages directed at them.
Chanty
Chanty is another team communication and collaboration tool that promises a range of features to make businesses more productive. It’s relatively new to the market but has over 75,000 companies using the tool including Nike, Manchester United and Oracle. Overall the platform is very similar to that of Slack but offers a more competitive price.
Flock
Flock is a team messaging and collaboration platform that is very similar to Slack in that chats can be organised into channels. Users can even create to-do lists, and polls and set up reminders so they don’t forget any tasks. For smaller businesses (less than 20 people) it can be a great solution as it offers a free plan, however, users are limited to 10 channels and only 1-1 video calls. For their pro plan which is suitable for companies with 20-100 team members, it starts at $4.50 per user, per month, which comes out cheaper than Slack’s equivalent pro-rate.
ClickUp
A project management tool at its core, ClickUp has chat features that allow users to have shared conversations, link messages with tasks, mentions where users can remind team members of actions and automatically link tasks or docs. However, with the platform’s main purpose being for project and task management, the chat feature is more suitable if a business is already using the platform for its core purpose. By implementing ClickUp into your business you can provide your team with one platform with multiple benefits, saving you time and money using multiple tools that users have to navigate between.
Conclusion
When choosing a communication platform you should ensure it meets your requirements and the goals you’re trying to achieve. Questions to ask yourself include: do you need it to integrate with other platforms? How secure is the platform? What will it cost to implement?
Once you’ve got the answers to those questions and you’ve done your research, then hopefully you’ve found the platform for you! If you’d like to learn more about how Embryo uses Slack then reach out to our team and we’d be happy to discuss.
Deeper insights
Learn more about other marketing platforms and software by taking a look at these blog posts:
