On July 31, 2021, Skype for Business was retired. As it was an integral part of the Microsoft Office 365 package, numerous companies around the world were compelled to search for Skype for Business alternatives. Microsoft announced MS Teams and Microsoft Audio Conferencing as replacements to Skype for Business. However, some organizations were less than enthusiastic about the switch due to data security and data privacy concerns.

Gone are the days when email was the main channel of digital communication. In 2022, messaging apps are the way we all communicate in our personal and professional lives. We use WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Telegram, Viber, and others to communicate with friends and family. At work, we rely on platforms such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Rocket.Chat. However, some of these messaging platforms have one big disadvantage compared to email - the lack of interoperability (or cross-platform messaging).

In the last two decades, digital transformation was one of the overarching trends in the world of business. Due to the constant technological advancements, organizations are always working on adopting new tools and finding better ways to serve customers with higher efficiency. Increased cybersecurity challenges together with the need for flexible solutions have put open source solutions on the map.

Open source solutions are becoming increasingly popular due to their many benefits. Organizations use them to leverage open source code’s transparency and flexibility. Now, government-related organizations across the world are also adopting open source software. One of the most prominent European Union governing bodies, the European Commission (EC), has been supporting the use of open source for a while.

Intercom has become an industry standard for talking to customers via live chat. In its 10 year history, Intercom set the bar for customer engagement with SaaS businesses pretty high. However, open source challengers are on the rise. The indisputable advantages of open source software over its proprietary counterparts have experts looking for open source alternatives to Intercom, too.

Businesses always want to provide the best customer service possible. To do that, they need the best customer service software to decrease response time and resolve customer inquiries effectively. However, organizations sometimes face challenges while acquiring and setting up customer service systems. They want a tool tailored to their needs that supports various customer service channels, and that allows them to control their own data. These criteria is met with open source customer service software.

Open source helpdesk is software that offers a ticket management system. Built on open source technology, it is a great solution for offering efficient customer support. There is many helpdesk software on the market, like Zendesk, Freshdesk, or Zoho Desk. However, people have lately been looking for open source helpdesk alternatives to these solutions. Why? Because open source software has several advantages over proprietary software.

Conversations are the lifeblood of every business, customer relationship, and community. So it's no surprise that many of the web and mobile apps we use daily now have conversational functionality. We all expect to be able to chat with our favorite companies, organizations, and communities at any time, anywhere. In-app chat is no longer a nice-to-have addition to the app - it's an expected part of the user experience.

Business instant messaging is not a nice-to-have addition to the workplace anymore. Instead, it is an integral communication practice for companies of all sizes. Remote and hybrid work models are becoming more prevalent. With the rise of digital workplaces, everybody needs a quick, efficient, and familiar way to communicate. Business instant messaging is exactly that.