Herringbone just expanded, which creates a need for a work platform. Since our small, but mighty team sometimes works from different locations and continents, we need a web-based intranet. After recommendations from friends and other people familiar with the topic, the options were boiled down to two – Podio and Salesforce Chatter.
Since I didn’t know which recommendations to trust, I decided to do my own investigation and looked at features important to a marketing communications agency specializing in social media:
1. Price:
Podio comes at no cost for organizations with 10 users or less.
To Chatter, size doesn’t matter and is free for any size organization. Although Chatter has a free version, it is quite limited.
Winner: Podio
2. File sharing:
Both platforms offer file sharing and a central location to share and access documents and we can kiss the irritation of searching through emails goodbye.
Winner: Draw
3. Customization:
After all, we specialize in social media and need a place to gather ideas for wall posts, tweets, and blog posts, a spot to store all material needed for clients’ marketing campaigns etc. Podio lets us do all this and have many other apps in its App Store to choose from that fits our organization and what it doesn’t have we can create ourselves using the App Builder. Through ChatterExchange we can add and modify apps, but we have to pay $15/month (not even the calendar comes for free).
Winner: Podio
4. Easiness of use:
Chatter is like a Facebook for enterprise and I can write a bio and “like” things such as coworkers’ comments. This functionality in Chatter is also very easy to use.
Podio lets you like something and make comments as well, but with all the different apps it gets a little bit messy and it takes a while to get used to.
Winner: Chatter
5. Chat/Skype:
I couldn’t find a one-on-one chat feature on neither of the work platforms. You have to chat with a whole Group/Space (explained below).
Winner: Draw
6. Mobile:
If we need to interface with each other while on the go, a mobile app feature is important. Both Podio and Chatter offer one.
Winner: Draw
I also looked at other important criteria, such as:
7. Collaboration:
When in a larger corporation with many departments and external users to keep track of, both Chatter and Podio let the user create multiple workspace areas. Podio’s Spaces is easy to use for various team and client collaborations as well as Chatter’s Groups.
Winner: Draw
8. Number of users:
If we let the numbers speak for themselves, over 100,000 companies using Chatter can’t be wrong. If you need to create a Group/Space with an external partner, the likelihood that they are using Chatter is greater.
Winner: Chatter
9. Support of local businesses:
Podio might be Danish, but like Salesforce, it has an office in San Francisco so this one is a tie.
Winner: Draw
10. Personal Planner:
With apps such as Birthdays and Wish List, Podio is great for sharing and planning with your better half, friends, and family.
Winner: Podio
Close race, but after looking into both free versions Podio seems to be the winner.
For a company such as Herringbone it makes more sense to use Podio’s services. We can enjoy customized apps that fit our organization, and other great features, all at no cost. After getting the hang of how to work with it, Podio is the choice for our virtual office needs.
Anna
