Slack launches Huddles, adds audio calls similar to Discord

Slack has launched a premium feature known as Huddles for its paying subscribers. The new feature enables colleagues to conduct quick audio-only calls in a given channel or direct message.

Slack has taken this step to facilitate companies that have not directed employees to return to their offices yet. The company hopes to keep its customers on Slack during the pandemic and attract newer interested customers.

What’s more amazing is that people who don’t want to participate in Huddle can keep a track of the ongoing discussion thoroughly by keeping eye on the chat window. Slack’s vice president of product, Noah Weiss, stated in an interview with TheVerge that transcription appears there in real-time and can be found later.

“It allows for two- or three-minute conversations,” explains Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield in an interview with The Verge. “If you have to schedule a call… you talk for the full 30 minutes instead of the two or three minutes you needed right in that moment.”

Microsoft, however on the other hand does not have this feature on Teams to date. The company is able to generate transcriptions of meetings for participants to have a look at later. But, video calls might be too much work to organize for people varying in schedules.

Huddles make this easier as it works as a conversation that used to happen in a matter of time like that in a coffee break. Users have the option to post voice messages and screen recordings. The transcriptions will be available in the search bar of the app

Slack also is releasing a directory known as Slack Atlas that can help employees learn about individual team members. Organizations that have subscribed to Slack’s Business Plus plans can pay extra to enable this feature as well.