Automating Community Management

Launched in 2015, Discord has garnered over 250 million registered users as of December 2020. Initially developed for concise communications among team members engaged in collaborative online gaming, such as League of Legends or Final Fantasy XIV, Discord quickly attracted attention from musicians and tech companies as well.

Given that a significant portion of their target audience was already familiar with the platform, it was a natural choice for computer manufacturers and software firms to establish Discord servers for both their employees and user communities. Today, Discord hosts a diverse array of thriving communities, including political think tanks, cryptocurrency investment groups, digital art societies, and more.

In this article, we'll outline Discord's functionalities and their applications in business, helping you determine whether it's worth trying for yourself.

If you're already acquainted with Discord's features, feel free to skip the next chapter!

Core Functionality

Discord servers include four types of communication channels for both administrators and users. Text channels allow users to send messages to all members, react to discussions, and share files.

Announcement channels function similarly to text channels, but with the added benefit of allowing users to subscribe for external content updates. Generally, users without special permissions are restricted from posting in these channels.

Audio and video (VoIP) channels facilitate conferences and screen sharing among server members, resembling platforms like Zoom, Teams, or Google Meet.

Stage channels resemble audio channels but require users to request speaking privileges to participate actively. By default, users can only listen after joining the stage.

Discord also allows the scheduling of events, sending notifications to users when they commence. While gamers primarily use this feature for streaming announcements or merchandise reveals, businesses can leverage it for any type of online gathering.

With the integration of social media, video platforms, and other third-party applications, Discord enables administrators to cultivate an engaging community environment. Most features are designed to enhance user participation.

Note: Discord continuously rolls out new features to simplify server management and usage. You can find an updated list of functionalities on their official website.

Customer Support

Organizations provide customer support via Discord, enabling customers to access a community for assistance. This allows users to communicate directly with the support team and, within certain limits, with one another.

By creating a guided onboarding path for new members, companies can ensure that users understand the product before seeking personalized support. Ideally, a supportive community can form around product usage on Discord, where experienced users assist newcomers with inquiries.

Community Management

Discord has faced criticism regarding its content moderation, particularly on large public servers. While this is less relevant for most business applications—since outside users are usually barred from company servers—it has prompted Discord to enhance its administrative tools.

These tools empower server owners and community moderators to manage information flow effectively and transparently. For businesses, this translates to easier supervision of departmental structures and communication channels.

Over the past year, Discord has implemented numerous updates to its role management and server administration interfaces, simplifying the creation of user permission structures.

Team Communication

Discord’s channel structure mirrors that of Slack, featuring both permanent and temporary chat rooms alongside video conferencing capabilities. Interestingly, Slack initially aimed at gaming communication in 2013 before being acquired by Salesforce in 2021.

The similarities between Discord and Slack—both used by over 600,000 businesses—highlight that gaming and work communication share fundamental principles: transparency, organization, and engagement.

Temporary Replacement of Physical Locations

The onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses to develop home office strategies for the first time. With existing operations relying on outdated processes, many companies struggled with modernizing communication channels.

As a result, numerous home office initiatives faltered, leading to employee disengagement. The absence of an established communication infrastructure exacerbated feelings of isolation during social distancing.

However, some companies turned to Discord (and similar tools) to recreate their lost communication networks. They established dedicated channels for each physical location in their offices, instructing team members to use them as if they were in their physical offices.

When employees logged into Discord each morning, they could see colleagues in their respective virtual offices, fostering a sense of connection. Those used to shared office environments could now replicate that experience from anywhere in the world, even using the platform to socialize during lunch breaks.

Companies that adopted this approach reported enhanced employee connections and a more optimistic outlook regarding ongoing home office arrangements.

Notifications & Automation

At our company, one of the primary uses of Discord is consolidating relevant notifications and updates from other software. When our Trello boards are modified, we receive detailed notifications in various Discord channels. Additionally, when someone places an order through a connected webshop, we get an overview of the transaction.

We have also set up notifications for public holidays, important news articles, social media metrics, events, contact requests, and newsletter distributions. Our internal Discord server functions as a communication hub, ensuring team members do not need to constantly check multiple software platforms.

Benefits of Using Discord

Beyond the previously mentioned use cases, Discord offers several additional benefits relevant to businesses.

Most notably, Discord's core functionalities are free to use. While some premium features or third-party services may incur costs, you can explore Discord's capabilities without any financial commitment beforehand. For instance, our internal communication server operates entirely without paid features.

Moreover, Discord allows users to maintain privacy settings, preventing other Discord users from contacting them. This is particularly beneficial for company accounts and is essential for effective corporate usage of the platform.

Disclaimer: Our company has utilized Discord for internal communications and various events since its inception. We leverage our digital expertise and experience with Discord to assist other companies looking to implement the software. While we offer free consultations to help you explore how to integrate Discord into your operations, we have no affiliations with Discord and do not receive compensation for promoting their product. We simply believe it is an invaluable tool.