Facebook Launches Workplace, a New Way to Work
October 10, 2016
After nearly two years of a closed beta called “Facebook at Work” Facebook has launched Workplace.
Workplace is an ad-free space that is separate from your personal Facebook account. Workplace connects everyone in a company. Workplace provides a personalized News Feed, voice and video calling Chat direct messaging, live video, reactions, translation features and group discussion, allowing people in a company to work together, turning “ideas into action.”
Facebook has had an internal version of the platform for its employees for years now. Taking this idea and launching it for other companies was started.
There are currently more than 1,000 organizations using Workplace. There are about 100,000 groups. Because of this success Facebook has launched it to any company that wants to use it.
Workplace is currently a desktop app. However, it has also launched as a mobile app, as some people spend their entire day out in the field or away from their desks. This allows employees to communicate and keep up with what is happening company-wide, even when they are across the globe.
Facebook Workplace provides some interesting ways to stay connected business-wise. Shipping companies are using Live video to connect with their shipping crews. A bank has been using Workplace instead of a fax machine to share newsletters with their branches.
“People work in different ways, around the world, and Workplace’s mission is to help them stay connected.”
Workplace includes a feature that companies can use to more easily integrate the app with their existing IT systems. Additionally, Facebook is also “announcing Multi-Company Groups, shared spaces that allow employees from different organizations to work together, to extend collaboration beyond your company in a safe and secure way. These will be rolling out to all customers in the coming weeks.”
Workplace will be a paid service within Facebook and Facebook has announced that it will be competitively priced. Companies will only pay for people who actively use the product.
Currently, Facebook is offering a 3-month free trial, after the trial it will cost $ 3 up to 1,000 monthly active users and over 10,001 active users the price drops to $ 1.00. Workplace will be free for non-profits and educational institution. See the pricing details here.
Facebook summarizes this new product by saying, “the new global and mobile workplace isn’t about closed-door meetings or keeping people separated by title, department or geography. Organizations are stronger and more productive when everyone comes together.”
For more information visit the Facebook Newsroom or the Workplace site.
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