Stop emailing, chat with your suppliers!

It’s no secret that email is exhausting — and in many cases, stressful. Sure, different forms of synchronous and asynchronous communication can also cause stress, but here I’m choosing to focus on email because I’m trying to make a point.

Many companies have completely eliminated email for internal communication — us included — which leads to a much calmer inbox when emails are replaced by chats and channels.

But what about external communication? Is email still the way to go?

Nope.

In a truly streamlined inbox, the only thing that should remain is newsletters and spam — that’s it!

If you’re interested in getting rid of endless threads, lost attachments, and general email-induced stress, keep reading to find out why you should create a chat channel with your suppliers.

The benefits of having a chat channel with external partners

Switching to chat channels instead of email means you don’t have to switch between apps for different types of communication. By doing this, you can easily keep both your internal and external communication in one place.

Here are some of the biggest benefits — for us and many others:

No more endless email threads

We’ve all been there. It started with an email in April, and the thread is still alive several months later. You especially love it when someone replies to an old message or only replies to one person instead of everyone who needs the information.

Reduce stress

Studies show that email is one of the most common sources of workplace stress. The constant feeling of needing to stay on top of things and not fall behind in an overwhelming flow of information can wear anyone down.

Create a sustainable structure

With dedicated channels and chats, it’s easier to minimize information silos. You reach the right people directly, and it’s much simpler to locate files or other shared materials.

No more app-switching

Email and chat are probably not the only apps you use daily — maybe you also work in a CRM, accounting software, or other tools. By inviting your suppliers into chat, you can eliminate a lot of external email, which means less app-switching and more focus.

How we do it at lynes

As it happens, we practice what we preach. Our internal communication policy states that we don’t email internally — and that we should eliminate external emails whenever possible.

That’s why we’ve set up dedicated chat channels with several of our key suppliers, allowing for ongoing, structured communication.

For us, the results have been great: I get a clear overview of projects, and I can also chat privately with suppliers — not just in shared channels.

In lynes, you can handle external communication in two ways: by inviting guests or by integrating with Slack.

Guests in lynes

Guest users are completely free in lynes, and you can invite as many as you like. When you create a channel, all members gain access — including guests, who can also direct message members of that channel. To keep things organized, guests are only visible to people who share channels with them.

Integrate a Slack channel

If your supplier uses Slack, you can sync your channels between lynes and Slack. This way, you don’t have to “force” anyone into lynes (even though you should). It’s a brilliant way to make collaboration easier without switching tools.

All you have to do is create a channel in lynes called “Supplier X,” and they create one in Slack called “Customer X.” Once synced, you can chat seamlessly between the two platforms.

So, what do you say? Time to ditch email for good?

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