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TECHNOLOGY Wednesday 1 February

Slack’s messaging service sets sights on big businesses

MICHAEL LIEDTKE Slack already has 5 mil-
AP Technology Writer lion daily users, including
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — 1.5 million who pay for
Slack Technologies, a fast- the service. The San Fran-
growing startup trying to cisco company offers a
wean businesses off email free version of its service in
by hooking employees on hopes that workers will like
its more informal messag- it so much they’ll persuade
ing service, is now hoping their bosses to pay for a
to snare the world’s biggest more versatile version.
companies as customers. Enterprise Grid will cost
On Tuesday, the company more than the $150 per
unveiled a new feature worker that Slack currently
intended to let workers charges for its most expen-
in different departments sive version, according to
communicate more easily CEO Stewart Butterfield.
with each other. The new How much more will vary
option, called “Enterprise from company to compa-
Grid,” is Slack’s latest step ny, depending on the ne-
toward its ambitious goal gotiations on each agree-
of making life at work “sim- ment, Butterfield said.
pler, more pleasant and Slack’s early inroads in re-
more productive.” shaping how workers com-
In contrast to traditional municate has minted the
email, Slack works more The Slack app is displayed on a mobile phone, Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2017, in New York. privately held company
like a social network, al- Associated Press with a market value of $5
lowing employees to share billion, based on the assess-
their thoughts, updates, through all the information governing communica- bar could provide Slack ment of the venture capi-
web links and documents on its service. tions about health records with new opportunities to talists and investors who
in channels that can be The product also complies and financial transactions. sign up workers in the medi- have financed its growth
viewed on a personal with federal regulations Clearing that regulatory cal and banking industries. so far.q
computer or smartphone.
Since its 2013 debut, Slack Starbucks launch-
has emerged as a popular
new way for teams of em-
ployees to communicate es voice ordering
with each other, but those
workers haven’t been able
other departments within via app, Amazon’s
to quickly connect with

the same company to dis-
sues. Reaching co-workers Alexa
cuss projects or other is-
using different Slack teams
typically requires employ-
ees to maintain separate SEATTLE (AP) — Amazon’s ing through its iPhone app.
profiles and logins. Alexa is now able to order The Seattle-based coffee
Enterprise Grid is designed up a latte. giant says the feature is be-
to let workers in differ- Starbucks says it’s partner- ing rolled out to a limited
ent Slack teams message ing with Amazon’s voice group of 1,000 people na-
each other without hav- platform to offer what it tionwide Monday. It plans
ing to hopscotch across calls “on command” order- to expand the feature later
the service. Executives and ing. Starting Monday, any- this year.
managers will be able to one who has an Amazon Starbucks chief technolo-
distribute important an- device with Alexa, like the gy officer Gerri Martin-Flick-
nouncements across all of Echo smart speaker, is able inger says in a statement
a company’s Slack teams. to place a Starbucks order that the company expects
And Slack also is working by just using their voice. to “learn a lot from both of This Dec. 20, 2010, file photo, shows signage at a Starbucks store
in New York.
on an upgrade to its search Starbucks is also launching these experiences and to Associated Press
engine to help its users sift a beta test of voice order- evolve them over time.”q