Collaboration tools are now some of the most fundamental parts of any business strategy. With the right team collaboration solutions, businesses can build stronger connections between coworkers. That’s particularly important in a world where employees are spending more time away from the office in remote and mobile environments.
The best solutions for collaboration combine a variety of tools for knowledge sharing, with instant communication strategies. Real-time messaging and video conferencing bring employees together in real-time, offering them more immersive team experiences.
Today, we’re going to look at two of the top performances in the collaborative space, Workplace from Facebook, and Slack. While Slack stands out as one of the world’s best known platforms for collaboration, Workplace offers a familiar solution for full team connectivity.
So, which one is best?
Workplace from Facebook Features
Workplace from Facebook is the social media company’s approach to keeping professionals connected in any environment. Facebook believes that it’s important for people on every level of the company hierarchy to have access to the same communication tools and information. According to Facebook, teams work better when everyone is on the same page.
Workplace from Facebook offers a familiar experience to today’s employees, complete with news feeds for catching up on information, video conferencing rooms, and content sharing features. With this intuitive tool, front-line and back-end employees can connect in seconds. Features include:
- Easy file and information sharing
- Polls and surveys
- Mobile and desktop access
- Instant messaging and group messaging
- HD video calls at the touch of a button
- Specialist search and Org chat
- Auto-translate to communicate with people worldwide
- Reactions and GIFs
- Integrations with over 50 enterprise tools
- Build your own integrations and bots
Workplace from Facebook gives everyone in the business landscape a voice, and a way to share information. Whether you’re holding quick conversations through the Workplace chat tool or accessing HD video calls and rooms, Workplace has you covered.
Slack Features
For many companies, Slack is the original collaboration tool. Slack was one of the first companies to introduce the world to the possibilities of real-time messaging and file-sharing. Today, Slack continues to be top choice among businesses and individual users alike. Not only is Slack easy to use, but it’s incredibly extensible, too, with endless integrations.
Slack makes it quick and easy to share information and ideas through threaded messages, channels, and direct messaging. Customers can tap into video calls through the AWS architecture, and share files or screens in seconds. There’s also plenty of ways to update your work experience with bots, plugins, and add-ons too. Features include:
- Threaded messages and channels
- One-on-one and group conversations
- Intelligent searchable message history
- Video and audio conferencing
- File and screen sharing
- Countless leading integration options
- API access for customisation
- Smartphone applications
- Secure encryption options
- Custom desktop and mobile applications
- Shared channels
To make it easier for companies to reach out to contractors and external contacts, Slack also brought Shared Channels into the mix. This solution allows today’s team members to communicate with people from other business groups, also using Slack.
Workplace from Facebook vs. Slack: Experience
Both Slack and Workplace from Facebook are committed to making it as easy as possible for companies to transform their collaborative environments. With Workplace by Facebook, companies benefit from a professional communication environment that feels like a familiar social media channel. Employees can keep track of updates on a news feed, and leaders can pin and highlight important messages that the entire company needs to see.
There’s easy access to video conferencing to take conversations to the next level, and plenty of ways to collaborate with team members. Facebook users can even launch live videos in seconds while accessing features like automatic transcription and translation.
At the same time, Slack stands out as one of the easiest tools for adoption in the collaboration marketplace. The system is extremely straight-forward, with well-organized channels and conversational threads. You can search through conversations in seconds, and use bots or add-ons to strengthen the performance of your collaboration app.
Slack works on a variety of devices, and provides things like custom notifications, so your team members can decide what they need to hear about straight away.
Workplace from Facebook vs. Slack: Integrations
One of the major things that make both Slack and Workplace from Facebook so appealing is that they both come with plenty of ways to extend and update your collaboration environment.
Workplace from Facebook connects with many of the tools that businesses are already using. This includes options like Dropbox for file sharing, G Suite, and the Office 365 apps. You can connect with over 50 enterprise tools, with familiar features that make Workplace easy to adopt.
Businesses can automate everyday tasks on Workplace with bots and build their own bots or integrations. There’s also the option to create groups with training resources to support new starters.
Slack is also excellent for any company that wants the freedom to expand and transform according to their needs. Slack comes with an accessible API that companies can use to add functionality into their favorite tools and systems. What’s more, Slack has countless native integrations available too.
The Slack app and integration marketplace is constantly evolving, with tools for everything from workforce management, to employee engagement. There’s no limit to what you can create by mixing and matching services.
Is Slack or Workplace Right for You?
So which is the better tool for you? Both Slack and Workplace by Facebook have a lot of amazing features to offer. Each solution is great for adoption, thanks for a friendly, user-focused design and an intuitive interface.
Slack is likely to be the top choice for companies that want a flexible environment to use for natural chat-based conversations and threaded messages. Slack is all about keeping the conversation going in real-time, so everyone can feel like they’re in the loop.
On the other hand, Workplace from Facebook is a convenient solution for companies worried about adoption. The similarity to the popular Facebook social platform makes Workplace one of the most suitable tools for business communication and collaboration.
Are you already using one of these amazing tools? Tell us about your experiences in the comments below!
