In this video, we break down Slack and explain why some think it's the future of enterprise software.

我們將在這個影片中分析 Slack 這個工具，並講解為什麼有些人認為 Slack 會主宰企業應用軟體的未來。

Slack's namesake platform is a cloud-based collaboration tool.

Slack 其實是一個供商務用途的雲端溝通平台。

Most people would describe it as a messaging service, but it does so much more.

多數人把它視為訊息傳送的軟體，但 Slack 的功能遠比單純的收發信息還要強大。

With Slack, users can share files, create project-based channels, and easily communicate with teammates around the globe.

在 Slack 上面，用戶可以分享檔案、建立專案頻道，輕鬆地與全世界的夥伴溝通。

Instead of the siloed approach that e-mail offers, Slack allows new teammates to access information that was added before they joined on.

每一個加入 Slack 的新用戶都可以完整地瀏覽公司過去的聊天和資料紀錄，光是這點就狂胜傳統電郵。

Slack's name really says it all⏤it's an acronym and stands for Searchable Log of All Conversation and Knowledge.

Slack 的名字完全解釋了它的功能，它的全名是「觸手可及的完整對話和知識搜尋工具」。

The software was born out of frustration.

其實當初 Slack 的發明者發明 Slack 只是為了解決自家公司的煩惱。

The staff at the company that would eventually become Slack couldn't find an enterprise communication tool that fit the needs of their business, so they decided to build their own.

在 Slack 誕生前，他們在市面上找不到任何一個符合他們工作需求的企業溝通工具，於是決定自己動手打造一個溝通工具來解決問題。

And to date, the service has been wildly successful.

結果他們的無心插柳造就了 Slack 的巨大成功。

Slack is using the classic software-as-a-service approach of a land and expand with its freemium model.

Slack 是典型的「軟體即服務」產品，並利用免費增值商業模式擴張影響力。

It's free with limited functionality for small organizations.

Slack 開放有限的功能免費讓小型組織使用。

As the companies grow and their needs grow too, they can move to paid tiers ranging from $6.67 to $15 per month per user.

至於規模更大、需求更多的組織，可以改用付費方案，按人頭每個月支付 6.67 至 15 美元不等的費用。

Right now, over 600,000 organizations use Slack, including 88,000 paying customers.

目前為止，共有超過 60 萬個組織使用 Slack ，其中 8 萬 8 千個為付費用戶。

The average user spends 90 minutes per day on Slack, and the service is used to send one billion messages a week.

每位用戶每天平均花 90 分鐘使用 Slack，而每週共有十億條訊息通過 Slack 傳送。

All those metrics point to the fact that users like Slack, and the more they use the service, the stickier or harder to leave it becomes.

這些數據都顯示了用戶非常愛用 Slack ，而且越常使用就越無法棄用 Slack。

All of that employee communication turns Slack into a knowledge repository for a business, which means companies can't switch to a competitor without losing the accumulated, easily accessible knowledge.

除了內部溝通外，許多員工把 Slack 變成企業的知識庫，把大量資料存在 Slack 當中，所以如果公司改用其他軟體，就會失去這些日積月累，並垂手可得的珍貴資料。

Slack has been able to turn all of this into the beginnings of a solid software-as-a-service business.

在商業表現上，可以看到 Slack 成功地把「軟體即服務」模式變現。

Slack collected $400 million in revenue in fiscal 2019, up 82% year over year, and management thinks they're just getting started.

Slack 在 2019 年賺進了 4 億美元，比前一年成長了百分之八二，對於這樣的好成績，該公司的管理階層認為這只是個開始。

The company is looking to take a sizable bite out of the market for workplace communication and collaboration software, an industry they estimate could be worth $28 billion in 2020.

該公司希望拿下大部分的商務溝通與協作軟體市場佔比，他們預估這個產業到 2020 年會有高達 280 億美元的價值。

Slack's fast growth and sizable addressable market are two big reasons why investors have been eyeing the company.

憑著快速成長和龐大的市場潛能，Slack 受到許多投資者的親睞。

Like a lot of early tech companies, Slack is losing money right now.

和許多早期的科技公司一樣，Slack 也還在虧錢。

But the hope is that at a larger scale, the business can ratchet down its sales and marketing spend and get into the black.

希望隨著 Slack 的規模化，能逐步降低業務和行銷費用，轉虧為盈。

Looking at the financials, the story seems to make sense.

看看 Slack 的財務表現，你就知道為什麼這家公司備受看好。

Software is generally high-margin and Slack is no exception.

軟體產品的利潤都很高，Slack 也不例外。

The company posted 87% gross margins in the last fiscal year, a sign that, down the road, the business could print cash for investors.

他們上一個財政年的毛利率達到百分之八七，這代表不久之後，這隻金雞母就可以開始幫投資者人賺進大把鈔票。

Of course, all this potential also has market expectations and Slack's valuation high.

當然，Slack 的身價水漲船高，市場的期待和高估值也是原因之一。

And the business will be going up against some big names in enterprise software segment, namely Microsoft.

一旦 Slack 坐大，就勢必會和其他大型企業軟體公司，比如微軟，正面交鋒。

So far, the company has thrived by creating its own category of communication.

目前為止，這家公司因為獨創的溝通工具取得了傲人成績。

But as it gets bigger, the competitive heat might turn up.

我們也相信 Slack 和同性質產品的競爭會越來越白熱化。

And now that shares are publicly traded via the company's direct listing, we'll get a lens into exactly how that fight plays out.

在 Slack 上市之後，我們將有機會更透明地看到這些企業軟體公司間如何互相較勁。

Thanks for watching this video!

感謝你收看這支影片！

If you have a company you'd like to see us break down, mention it in the comments section below.

如果你想看我們分享其他公司的故事，請在下方留言給我們知道。

And be sure to like the video and subscribe to get more videos like this from The Motley Fool.

並且記得按贊影片，訂閱 The Motely Fool 頻道就可以收看更多類似的影片！