Workplace by Facebook is the social media giant's affordable alternative to Slack.
It's designed to support team collaboration, with a similar interface to Facebook's normal platform, including features such as groups, chat and video calls.
To us, the platform is particularly ideal for organisations that are split across locations, employ remote staff or work in multiple offices/cubicles.
Although, we haven't adopted it - we all work in the same open plan office - we can really see benefits available to other organisations.
It's also more cost effective than Slack and offers a three-month free trial of its premium level when you first get started.
"There are 30,000 companies around the globe using Workplace, spanning multiple industries including, retail, technology, telecommunications, financial services, media, entertainment, food and beverage, transport, property, utilities, shipping and government."
Source: Workplace by Facebook
How does Workplace work?
It's like a "next level" company intranet, designed in a way that is familiar to most internet users, thanks to the global adoption of Facebook, making it simple for employees to use.
It comes with a number of integrations including Microsoft Office and Dropbox, as well as most recently, HubSpot.
It's perfect for sharing updates on projects or specific clients, sharing documents for viewing and collaborating on.
Ideally, it doesn't require a personal Facebook profile, so employees who aren't on Facebook needn't worry. For employers worrying about introducing Facebook, it isn't connected to personal profiles and the Workplace account you open for your business, is only viewable by your business and who you invite to it.
Tiers of Workplace
With two levels of Workplace access - including a free and premium version - including a free trial of Premium for new users, there are two clear options for users.
Free: Provides access to its communication features such as live video streaming, voice and video calls and group chat, with limited functionality.
Premium: All of the above with full access to the platform's functionality including admin controls and third-party integrations.
Pricing for the premium version is based on the number of users on your Workplace. The cost is $3 per active user.
If you're a non-profit or educational organisation, Workplace is free to use.
Summary
We think there's lots of value in using Workplace by Facebook if you are a busy company that isn't always able to communicate in the office together.
The best way to find out if it works for you is probably to give it a go on the free version and trial it with a few trusted team members to start with.
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