Switching team communication tools: a guide for SMEs

• Name the problem you want to solve – too many tools, lost information, cost, data protection
• List the must-haves: chat, meetings, phone, files, tasks, guest access
• Note who needs what: office, field staff, management, external partners
• Check the devices: desktop, browser, phone
• Clarify sign-in: single sign-on, two-factor authentication
• Set a budget and a time frame

1. 1

   Pick a pilot team

   One team of five to fifteen people with real work and mixed experience – not only the tech enthusiasts.

2. 2

   Set a time frame

   A few weeks of real use are better than a long demo. Set a start date and an end date.

3. 3

   Define success

   Agree beforehand what counts: fewer emails, shorter meetings, information easier to find, fewer tools.

4. 4

   Collect feedback

   Ask weekly in a short round: what works, what is missing, what annoys.

5. 5

   Decide

   Compare the results with your goals and decide on the rollout – or on stopping.

• Conclude a data processing agreement (DPA, Art. 28 GDPR) before personal data goes into the tool
• Update your record of processing activities
• Check the provider's subprocessors and whether data leaves the EU
• Involve your data protection officer, if you have one
• If you have a works council or staff representation, involve it early – tools that log activity often need its agreement
• Inform employees about what is processed, for example in meetings with recording or transcription

More questions to ask a provider are in the GDPR checklist for collaboration tools. This guide is not legal advice.

• Decide what moves: open tasks, current files, important decisions
• Decide what stays in an archive: old chats, finished projects
• Export from the old tool in open formats, such as JSON, CSV or PDF
• Keep retention obligations in mind – some records must be kept for years
• Keep the archive readable for the people who need it
• After the switch, have data at the old provider deleted and get a confirmation

1. 1

   Prepare the structure

   Set up sign-in, roles, teams and rooms before the first people arrive. Empty tools make a bad first impression.

2. 2

   Find champions

   Pick one person per team who knows the tool well and answers questions.

3. 3

   Roll out in waves

   Team by team instead of everyone on the same day. Learn from each wave.

4. 4

   Train briefly

   Short sessions of 30 minutes and a one-page cheat sheet work better than one long training.

5. 5

   Switch off the old tool

   Set a date. As long as both run, people stay in the old one.

• Which channel for what: chat, meeting, phone, email
• Expected response times and availability
• When meetings may be recorded or transcribed, and how participants are informed
• How external guests are invited and what they may see
• Where files are stored and how long
• Which AI features may be used and for which content