Facebook Workplace: a revolution for your internal communications?
The Facebook Workplace platform, formerly known as Facebook at Work, was launched last October after 18 months of testing. The Californian firm developed this corporate social network on its London premises. How do you form an opinion on a corporate social network? How does it revolutionize internal corporate communication?
Facebook Workplace: a new professional social network
A new kid on the corporate social networking block
Like LinkedIn, this recently launched version of Facebook, the most famous of all social media, is dedicated to the professional world. As a CSR (corporate social network), like Yammer, blueKiwi or Slack, it aims to centralize, streamline and manage internal collaboration and communication. Transversal, it breaks down silos. Teams, especially those spread out geographically, share their intelligence and questions, and work together. This stops the retention of information and facilitates collective decision-making. It's a great innovation that boosts team productivity!
Features of collaborative instant messaging
All the technology of Facebook, the leading social media expert founded by Mark Zuckerberg, can be found here. Event management, instant messaging, video broadcasting, audio and video conferencing for multiple users, simultaneous translation, and more. It's all there in this next-generation intranet. The only difference is visual: a predominantly gray color replaces blue.
A professional social network
Although almost identical to Facebook, the professional platform is totally disconnected from it. A user's private and professional accounts are not related. Your sessions are clearly separate, including your profile photo. And there's no need to create a new Facebook account on purpose: your work email is all you need to join the professional social network.
The benefits of Facebook Workplace
Familiar ergonomics
There's no need to learn or train employees. Firstly, because the tool is intuitive. And secondly, because it's very similar to what they already know as Internet users in their personal lives. Facebook has 1.7 billion users worldwide. By comparison, Slack has 3 million. A real asset when you consider the human barrier to the adoption of a CSR by certain audiences.
The global impact of launching
A few figures? Workplace is already available in 100 languages. The tool has been tested by a thousand companies and is proving a great success. Among the top 5 most receptive countries are India, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom and France. The market is estimated at 2.5 billion potential users.
Commitment to confidentiality
Workplace is designed for companies of all sizes, from start-ups to multinationals. In particular, the platform offers the possibility of creating secret groups with partner companies or individuals. All data exchanged remains the property of the company. In terms of security, the solution has been awarded SOC2 certification.
Why adopt Facebook Workplace in your company?
A price that's anything but a deterrent
The pricing policy is very attractive. Companies are billed according to active users, with no commitment and no advertising. And the price is on a sliding scale: from €3 per user per month, it drops to €1 above 10,000 active members. That's less than most CSRs. What's more, the first three months are free, and the platform is even free for NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and students (school & university).
A medium conducive to mobility
With this digital platform, Facebook is endeavoring to respond to the omnipresent challenge of mobility in the professional world. There's an ever-increasing need to travel and homework. Some people are constantly on the move: delivery drivers, salespeople, waiters... It's becoming increasingly common to work without access to a computer or in a coworking environment. Colleagues, customers and suppliers are located in different countries, with the space-time discrepancies that this entails. Work tools are no longer confined to the physical office, but must be accessible in real time on smartphones and tablets in the form of mobile applications. Facebook advocates "mobile first", and its platform is available on iOS and Android.
A vector for management commitment
Facebook Workplace is an agile way of adapting to new ways of working. And its great strength is that it is participative. Employees are given a say and the initiative: an opportunity to get them involved and share their expertise, while at the same time ensuring that their colleagues develop their skills more quickly. A post from the manager publicly thanking the team, or a like from the CEO on a publication, and motivation is at its peak.
How can we improve interactive performance within the company?
Social media and your internal processes
The collaborative flow reduces the number of emails exchanged. And information is consolidated within a discussion thread, so that the company's memory is unified and preserved: it no longer disappears as people leave. For young people, social networking is a more familiar way of communicating. It's easier to integrate new recruits and spread a corporate culture thanks to this tool for fluid, efficient conversations. The CSR is therefore a marketing asset for managers, helping to create a positive a priori impression of the company's reputation.
Prioritizing information
It is possible to weight the importance of shared messages. The CEO's message can be highlighted, for example, or targeted content can be offered to everyone. However, the flow logic has its limits when it comes to structuring information or managing tasks.
Change management
To be successful, implementing a CSR in your company may require support from both employees and managers, who must dare to trust their teams. Facebook-certified consulting and communications agencies are available.
Workplace by Facebook is a tremendous opportunity for companies. This powerful tool is immediately familiar to a large proportion of users. Enhanced last December with several integrations, Workplace can now be integrated with G Suite and Salesforce. The future looks bright for this corporate social network! Just out of curiosity, we invite you to discover a French equivalent that competes with Workplace by Facebook.
Article translated from French