Workplace Messaging Report 2019

Mio conducted a survey of 200+ IT managers and admins to gain insight into the current and future usage of workplace messaging apps. Here are our findings...

Slack is the most used messaging app in the workplace

Slack leads, ahead of Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Teams
Which of the following apps do you estimate are used by employees in your organization, even if its use is unofficial or unsanctioned?
32%
Cisco Jabber
50%
Cisco Webex Teams
59%
Microsoft Teams
61%
Skype for Business
65%
Slack

65% of respondents said they are using Slack today, with Skype for Business in second place at 61.5%.

74% of companies with over 10,000 employees report they are now using Slack.

49% of companies using Slack are also using Microsoft tools, indicating coexistence of messaging apps.

63% of companies using Microsoft apps are using Slack in parallel.

Slack's success is driven by the fact that even when corporate IT departments offer Microsoft Teams to all employees, they also have to accommodate users who insist on using Slack as well.

TOM HADFIELD, CEO, MIO
Tom Hadfield

91% of businesses use at least 2 messaging apps

3.3 is the average number of workplace chat apps used by each respondent.

66% of companies using Microsoft Teams say they are also Slack customers.

Multiple messaging apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack and Cisco Webex Teams

Many organizations continue to have multiple messaging apps. These team apps often get adopted by individual departments in order to solve specific needs, sometimes without IT being involved.

BLAIR PLEASANT, President & Principal Analyst, COMMFUSION
INDUSTRY VIEW
Blair Pleasant

Skype for Business is going away

Businesses indicated they are aware of a potential move from Skype to Teams
Looking forward 24 months from now, which of the following apps do you estimate will have FEWER users in your organization than today?
Microsoft Teams
15%
Slack
20%
Cisco Jabber
20%
Google Hangouts Chat
21%
Skype for Business
57%

57% suggest less Skype for Business usage in the next 2 years.

Skype for Business admins indicated their awareness of Skype for Business going end of life, and fully expect to have fewer users on the service in the next 24 months.

Responses also indicate that companies are considering Microsoft Teams with other apps like Webex Teams and Slack in parallel.

Microsoft Teams usage will grow

Microsoft Teams and Cisco Webex Teams and Slack
Looking forward 24 months from now, which of the following apps do you estimate will have MORE users in your organization than today?
56% Microsoft Teams
41% Cisco Webex Teams
38% Slack

56% surveyed are planning for more Microsoft Teams usage in their organization over the next 2 years.

41% are planning for more Webex Teams usage over the next 2 years.

38% are planning for more Slack usage over the next 2 years.

Slack is not just knocking on the door, but coexisting with the likes of Microsoft and Cisco.

Meredith Schulz, VP of User Experience & Engagement, Mio
Meredith Schulz

Employees love using Slack and Webex

31% suggested they prefer the Slack UI.

31% suggested they prefer the Webex Teams UI.

22% suggested they prefer the Microsoft Teams UI.

Despite significant improvements in the Microsoft Teams client over the past 12 months, Slack's user interface continues to get top ratings from its very loyal customer base.

Google Hangouts Chat, Cisco Jabber, Skype for Business, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex Teams, Slack

Viral adoption is going well for Slack. They are a tiny way penetrated into the potential market. Slack's mass market appeal is going to be reliant on the champions inside an organization helping to explain how things work, as well as IT integrating into the simple UI.

TIM GELARDI, SENIOR INDUSTRY ANALYST, MZA
INDUSTRY VIEW
Tim Gelardi

Slack Free is still the most popular

Slack pricing plans
If your organization has employees using Slack, which level of Slack is used in your organization today?
Enterprise Grid
11%
Plus
15%
Standard
21%
We don't use Slack
24%
Free
27%

There is a clear trend in Slack usage. As the pricing scale rises, there are less organizations opting for higher tiered packages.

27% use Slack Free.

21% use Slack Standard.

15% use Slack Plus.

11% use Slack Enterprise Grid.

55% of companies with existing Slack usage say they plan to increase their number of Slack user licences over the next two years.

Cisco remains the superhero of endpoints

From Cisco VoIP phones to the Cisco Room Kit, Cisco remain dominant in endpoints
Does your organization have any Cisco hardware endpoints? I.e. Cisco TelePresence, Spark/Webex Board, Room Kits, handsets, headsets, etc.
No
35%
Yes
65%

65% of organizations use Cisco endpoints.

Of the organizations that indicated they are using Cisco endpoints:

74% use Cisco Webex Teams.

63% use Slack.

62% use Microsoft Teams.

Cisco is clearly dominant here. As Cisco has made Jabber and Webex Teams interoperable, customers might not even know what they are using - which isn't a bad thing.

IRWIN LAZAR, VP, ANALYST, NEMERTES RESEARCH
INDUSTRY VIEW
Irwin Lazar

Everybody uses Office 365, mostly with Slack

89% of respondents provide employees with Microsoft Office 365 licenses.

65% of Office 365 users said they are using Slack.

59% of Office 365 users are using Microsoft Teams.

51% of Office 365 users are using Cisco Webex Teams.

Teams with Office 365 is surprisingly not the most popular combination

It remains challenging to get users to switch from apps they've already adopted, notably Slack - especially once they become part of the organization's workflow. Rather than disrupt the workflow, most organizations opt to support multiple team apps.

Blair Pleasant, President & Principal Analyst, COMMfusion
INDUSTRY VIEW
Blair Pleasant
Mio powers seamless communication between Slack, Microsoft Teams & Webex Teams.

Mio powers seamless communication between Slack, Microsoft Teams & Webex Teams.

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