On March 11, 2020, The World Health Organization upgraded the novel Coronavirus to pandemic status. In weeks following the WHO’s declaration, nearly 16 million U.S.-based knowledge workers left their offices to help flatten the curve of COVID-19. What was almost one-quarter of all knowledge workers in the U.S., according to Slack, this number has since skyrocketed as more companies jump on the remote working bandwagon.
Many companies have been on the receiving end of significant usage upticks and forced to innovate to ensure working from home means employees having everything they need to be productive and to collaborate with customers as well as employees. Workplace from Facebook is one such company and is today reporting five million paid users, up by two million since October 2019.
On a live stream featuring Facebook Founder and CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, we learned ‘Workplace’ from Facebook would add a range of new features. ‘Workplace’ has expanded its Messenger Rooms feature with the introduction of ‘Workplace Rooms,’ a meeting space that accommodates unlimited time, and allows up to 50 video call participants along with external attendees. According to a statement released by the company, Work Groups gained over 20 million monthly active users since launching in October 2019.
Workplace Rooms lets users screen share and can lock Rooms to prevent others from joining. Beefing up security on the platform, Workplace told me a new link’s generated every time a room’s created for security purposes. “Links cannot be used again once they have expired,” ‘Workplace’ added. Such features have left many wondering if ‘Workplace’ has plans to compete with Zoom. I reached out to Julien Codorniou, VP, Workplace from Facebook, to get his take on things, he told me:
“The coronavirus crisis has forced us to rethink how we work, with changes expected to happen over several years happening in a few months. Many companies now realize it’s not about where employees are, but whether they can connect and stay informed. This is why we believe video calls are central to the future of work, will allow companies to maintain community while exploring the opportunities, and the diversity that flexible working extends”
COVID-19’s forced Workplace to rollout ‘Messenger Rooms,’ which a spokesperson told me, would be available ‘soon.’ Facebook made the announcement back in May. Already this year, Workplace launched new analytics tools (Insights in February and Campaigns in April) to measure audience reach/engagement as well as to improve communication, I’m told by a spokesperson. ‘Workplace Groups’ is already present in the Facebook app and it has 170,000 active Work Groups on Facebook so far.
Launched back in May, Live Producer helps businesses create more professional-looking live videos. It recently got a facelift, too, the company’s expanded its toolset so ‘Workplace’ users can live-stream from their desktop as well as integrate with third-party tools, add graphic overlays, polls, and more.
Facebook’s Live Producer for Workplace users has all-new automatic translation functionality that supports automatic captions for live videos in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. Workplaces Portal, the company’s smart home video-calling device extends new ways to connect via Facebook’s Portal camera, while Facebook’s also added a new way to watch Workplace Live on Portal.
Starting next month, you can use Portal TV for Workplace calls and videos, according to a statement released by the company. Sales for Facebook’s Portal devoices are up by more than 10 times the normal amount during the novel Coronavirus period, which contrasts the endpoint’s launch where users were hesitant to allow Facebook cameras into their homes.
