What works for me: it's not a problem with tools, but with tactics of communication. Make one person from every company you work with responsible with keeping you in the loop (that doesn't mean to CC you on every mail) and answering your calls when you have doubts; only those two things - not asking for much, right? Make wrap-ups often. Don't read Slack BS, jizz. It's neither pleasant nor valuable. One can spend an entire life in an endless loop of "communication". Slack isn't communication. Real comms has to do with: agreements, negotiation, partnerships (even if temporary ones), taking responsibility. That last one might be the most important one.
And don't attend meetings that aren't absolutely mandatory for you.
Make someone else from the companies you work with to mark your progress on their internal systems however they like to use them, purely based on your to-the-point (calls, mails) communication.
With that approach you can take 5 more customers ;) All of the above sounds kinda crazy, but it's been tested in the battlefield for more than 10 years. Being as pissed as you are, @Op, is the best time to make those changes. Howk!
PS: If someone from you costomers' side isn't OK with that approach - fire the bullshitter. Take one that is going to comply. World is full of morons doing mostly virtue signaling, endless meetings, etc, instead of getting to the point.
