👋 Chat feature depreciation

gilgi

You may have received an email already (worth marking the success@atera.com ‘not spam’), and I wanted to ensure you’re updated, here is the message sent:
We’re writing to inform you that the Chat feature in Atera will be deprecated on March 1st, 2025. After this date, the feature will no longer be available.

We’re working on a new Teams integration that will replace this functionality, more about this to come!

This decision comes after a thorough review of our platform to ensure we’re prioritizing features that align with your evolving needs. By focusing our efforts on other key areas, we aim to deliver a better and more reliable experience across the platform.
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If you have any questions or concerns feel free to reach out. Additionally our support team is here to assist you with any questions or guidance you may need during this transition.

tanderson

I have a couple of concerns about the upcoming Teams integration and the removal of the built-in chat feature. First off, will the Teams integration be rolled out before March 1st? It’s important to have time to update and train clients before they lose access to a feature that some are actively using. If the integration isn’t ready by then, I’d strongly suggest keeping the current chat feature until there’s a working alternative in place.

Second, for users who don’t use Teams—whether it’s Atera customers or their end clients—this change feels like a step backward. Without a built-in chat, those users lose a key feature, and the only way to replace it is by paying extra for Teams or another solution. That means they’re paying the same for Atera while getting fewer features, which isn’t ideal. For those who need chat functionality but don’t already use Teams, this adds unexpected costs and complexity.

It’s not a great look from a customer satisfaction perspective, and honestly, it feels like a misstep in terms of sales strategy. Forcing users into additional expenses or third-party tools to regain lost functionality could make it harder to justify sticking with Atera. I hope the team takes this into consideration and either ensures a seamless integration before removing the current feature or rethinks this approach entirely.

cguerra

https://community.atera.com/discussion/comment/3323#Comment_3323

I like the idea of the teams integration. That's something I've asked about before. I do agree with all of you points and it makes me wonder, why not keep both functionalities? So the customer/clients can choose what best fits their use case.