Crew is an easy messenger app that lets teammates message one another very much like Facebook Messenger does. There's a smartphone app, but you can also access it on your computer or tablet. You can comment and react to different posts or easily start a private conversation with a specific team member. You'll get alerts when new posts are added or people react to your post. Like Messenger, you can see who's viewed your post and who's reacted. Your team can have various chat rooms for different functions (i.e. one for questions, one for announcements, one for status updates). There's also a file system built in that functions similarly to Dropbox or Google Drive and allows admins to share documents with the group that they can reference at any time. You can add gifs, photos, or videos, but my group doesn't have much need for these functions, so I can't comment on their quality.

The ability to reach any of my employees directly as well as them being able to reach me.

I like that I can get a message out to our team in seconds, and if I need to, I can add a required response. Every team member can get the source's message, so there is no confusion or missed communication because the employee wasn't working or they weren't told. It is also a great way to recognize individuals for good work.