Voice Channels by Quill

Hey PH!

We’ve been using voice channels for a while internally (we have a root-level `#Radio Quill` channel), and, it’s probably my single favorite feature yet — it’s made us feel more like we’re in the same room than anything else. (~half of us are in SF, but we have folks all over the US, in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Sweden, too!)

Video calls can be surprisingly formal — they are the WFH equivalent of meeting in a conference room. Voice channels, by having only voice on by default and a slightly different design[0], turn into sort of like the office kitchen, or office couch corner — where you probably don’t sit if you’re trying to do deep work, but rather if you’re just catching up on some email, or reviewing a PR.

In an office you might make some tea in the afternoon, and stroll around to find some folks to with chat. It’s where those great unplanned conversations happen, or where you just catch up with your co-workers as friends. We’ve missed that.

(We simulate the “oh, there’s some people congregating, I might as well stroll over” by showing active voice channels at the top of your activity feed. If messaging is your virtual office, that’s the line of sight to your office kitchen.)

Anyway — we’re really happy with it and are still adding lots more to it. Obviously we’re biased, but having background voice channels be really integrated with messaging, makes *both* much better. So, give it a whirl, and if you’ve got feedback — you can chat with the team in the app! (just hit `send feedback`!)

[0] It’s _super_ fascinating how even small UI tweaks, with new defaults, really change behavior.