Facebook Inc. launched the mobile app and website version of Workplace (formerly known as Facebook at Work) which is the company’s first venture into the hot and crowded software enterprise arena.
The Workplace, which has been under testing by many companies for more than a year, will be now available to all the organizations and businesses that are looking for better communication and coordination amongst the co-workers within the company. Facebook is looking to build a direct sales force for its Workplace and also to get the businesses signed up along with many professional services to use the product.
With more than a 1,000 business groups signed up already, the social networking company seems to be very excited about the positive response and is looking forward to extending its power in the mobile communications arena especially at the time when the businesses are drooling for communication tools that are mobile-friendly. The Workplace is already hit with the organizations that are using it in different countries with India, Norway, the US, the UK, and France topping the charts.
The Workplace has been designed keeping in mind the people who are associated with the traditional non-desk places of work like the ships, baristas, and factories etc. where they stay out of office for most of the time. So, by using the Workplace, the employees can stay in constant touch with the company, their co-workers, and also give updates and hold real-time meetings across the globe.
The Best of Facebook to Workplace
Facebook has brought in the best of its social networking features to its Workplace, be it the basic framework like its News Feed, or its ability to create and share stuff in the Groups or Messenger, or its other useful features like Reactions, Search, Live, and Trending posts. This means that now the users can have real-time chat with a colleague who is on the other side of the world, follow the presentation of the CEO on Facebook Live, or get things rolling out virtually to solve work issues in Groups.
There are also a few features that have been introduced that many companies might benefit from like the dashboard with analytics and single sign-on integration. The companies will also have an identity provider, which will help in the easy integration of their existing IT systems with Workplace. The Workplace technology has been integrated with basics from Windows Azure AD, Ping, Okta, OneLogin, and G Suite. The companies can create unlimited teams and separate project groups in Workplace. There is also provision for storing unlimited photos, videos, and files.
The multinational companies that have embraced the Workplace include Booking.com, Danone, Starbucks, Yes Bank India, Oxfam, and Government Technology Agency of Singapore to name a few.
Facebook also announced Multi-Company Groups, which will offer shared spaces to employees from various organizations to work and coordinate together, and extend the collaboration of both the companies beyond work, but in a secure and safe manner. These features should be out rolling out soon in the upcoming weeks to all the customers.
Facebook Workplace Partner Program
In an attempt to help many more companies to get started with Workplace, Facebook has now announced the Workplace Partner Program, where a group of professional service and technology-based organizations like Deloitte will now work the social networking giant with the aim of bringing Workplace to more business companies across the globe. With this program, the companies will have plenty of ways to access Workplace, by directly working with the Facebook’s teams or via the trained and approved partners.
Workplace Pricing
The Workplace has been priced competitively. The companies will only have to pay for people who will use the product actively. If the company will have up to 1K active users per month, then it will have to pay Facebook $3 per active person. Similarly, $2 per active person if the company has 1,001 – 10 K active monthly users and $1 per active person if there are more than 10,001 active monthly users.
The new Workplace, which is global and mobile, is not just about meetings behind closed doors or separating the people on the basis of the department, title, or geography. Workplace follows the rule which says that the organizations become more productive and stronger only when all its employees come and work together.