Top 10: Collaborative Email software

Updated: July 31, 2023

Collaborative email software is a specialized tool that aims to enhance team collaboration and productivity within the email environment. These platforms typically integrate with existing email accounts and offer features that allow team members to collaborate on emails, share drafts, and assign tasks directly from the inbox. Collaborative email software also facilitates real-time collaboration by enabling team members to chat and discuss emails within the application, reducing the need for back-and-forth communication through multiple channels. By providing a centralized and collaborative workspace for email communications, these platforms help streamline workflows, improve response times, and foster seamless communication among team members. Collaborative email software is particularly beneficial for businesses seeking to enhance teamwork, boost efficiency, and achieve better outcomes in managing email-based projects and tasks. Some of the most popular collaborative email services are listed below.

See also: Top 10 Email services

2019. Slack integrates with email



Slack has introduced a new feature that enables users to communicate with their coworkers via email. This feature will be gradually rolled out over the next few months and aims to provide individuals who don't use Slack with a means to stay updated on the conversations happening within the messaging app. When users are mentioned by their username in channels or receive direct messages, Slack will redirect those messages to their email inbox, ensuring they stay informed even if they are not actively using Slack at that moment. Initially, these Slack-to-email messages will be one-way, allowing recipients to view the conversation from their email inbox but not directly respond. However, Slack has announced that it plans to enable email responses in the future, allowing users to send messages back via email as well.


2018. Zoho Mail gets major UI update



Shortly after a significant interface update to GMail, Zoho has launched the new Zoho Mail 2018 featuring a refreshing design. In this update, the developers have focused on enhancing the visibility of icons in the App bar and Quick Actions buttons by giving them a redesigned and vibrant appearance. For users who prefer the Compact view for its ability to display more emails at once, Zoho has gone a step further and introduced the Super Compact view. The introduction of the Advanced Search feature empowers users to locate elusive content within their inbox, even when they only remember minute details. Furthermore, the top bar has been replaced with tabs and a search bar, resulting in the relocation of other icons to the right side of the mailbox, thereby improving their visibility.


2017. Outlook.com gets LinkedIn integration



The integration of LinkedIn within Outlook.com is now being rolled out, enabling users of the email platform to access valuable insights, profile pictures, work history, and more directly within their inbox. This isn't the first instance of LinkedIn data being incorporated into email services. Prior to its acquisition by Microsoft, LinkedIn itself acquired a smaller company called Rapportive, which had developed a popular Gmail add-in that integrated social profile information into Gmail's web application. The add-in was later reimagined to focus primarily on LinkedIn integration, rather than connections to other platforms like Facebook and Twitter. With the new integration in Outlook, customers can simply click on the name of an email contact within their inbox to instantly access a comprehensive contact card, complete with a link to their LinkedIn profile.


2017. Gmail adds support for third-party add-ons



Today, Google has introduced the capability for third-party add-ons to enhance Gmail. These native extensions empower users, whether they are individuals or part of an enterprise, to leverage the functionalities of services like Asana, DocuSign, Trello, Wrike, and more directly within their inbox. The primary focus is on productivity services that already offer some level of integration with email. These add-ons reside in the right sidepane of Gmail, unfortunately not available in Inbox by Gmail, Google's alternative email client. Notably, these add-ons are also compatible with the mobile Gmail app on Android. Regarding iOS support, Google is collaborating with Apple to extend Gmail Add-ons to iOS users.


2015. Microsoft unveiled big update to Outlook.com



Microsoft has offered a sneak peek into the upcoming changes for its email client Outlook.com, which encompass a redesigned inbox, enhanced support for Skype and third-party applications, as well as new calendar functionalities. The refreshed version of Outlook.com will be gradually rolled out over the next few weeks. A notable addition to Outlook.com is the integration of Microsoft's Clutter tool, similar to Gmail's priority inbox feature, which intelligently organizes messages based on their perceived importance. Less significant messages are automatically moved to a separate folder that is not displayed in the main inbox. Additionally, Microsoft is introducing the "add-ins" feature, enabling third-party apps to operate within Outlook. Initially, this feature works with Uber, email scheduling service Boomerang, and PayPal, as previously demonstrated during the Build developer conference.