But What Does ‘Built for Business’ Really Mean?
By Jeffrey Cohen
During press interviews and at conferences, Wrinkl is often asked something like the following: “So, Wrinkl is group messaging built specifically for business. What exactly does that mean, ‘built for business?’” It’s a question we love because the answer is our reason for being, and makes us unique among group messaging platforms.
First, as a general matter, our approach to group messaging is different in kind from the industry’s, as exemplified by Slack, Microsoft Teams, Workplace by Facebook, Atlassian Stride, et al.
Simply put, group messaging has its origin in social media and, for business, is overwhelming and less than productive. The industry has concentrated on third-party software integrations and has not added the tools and guardrails that make group messaging itself suitable for business. So in business contexts group messaging is an all day interruption requiring immediate and constant attention. Building Wrinkl for business meant introducing the controls and native tools a business user needs to utilize group messaging productively rather than becoming its victim. In a nutshell, we’ve introduced asynchrony to group messaging, the ability to distill what’s important, act on it on the user’s timeline, and save and file important conversations, thus creating a system of record. Wrinkl gives control back to the user, ends the frantic rush to respond now before messages age off the page, and enables a whole conversation to take place in just one app — Wrinkl — and just one channel in the app.
We do the above in many ways, among them via several patented innovations, a number discussed below:
1. Email Integration. During a group messaging conversation it is often necessary to get input from someone outside the company, say a vendor. Today, you would switch to email or make a call, wait for a response and report back to the group. Wrinkl integrates email so that when such input is needed, a group member simply sends an email from the discussion itself, which is published both to the group discussion and sent via email to the vendor or other third party. The email remains in conversational context and the discussion continues pending receipt of a response. The third-party responds by email, which is delivered to Wrinkl in the channel from which it was sent — only the member who sent the email sees the reply, which that member can click to share with the group or paraphrase without sharing.
2. Lists. Messages fly by and age off the page never to be referred to again. So reply now, or lose your opportunity. This is fine in a social context but not in business. Wrinkl enables you to quickly scan incoming messages, mark them with a click to consider later, or as to-do items, or as “outstandings” (things you’re waiting for). Each marked message is added to one of several Lists, which can be viewed later when you have time, and acted on then. So if someone sends a phone number you need, but not right now, you mark it for your “later” list. Someone asks you to do something, you add it your to-do list. You ask someone to prepare something, you mark it “outstanding” so you can follow up. Someone raises a point you need to think about — star it for review later in the day.
3. At-a-Glance. Wrinkl is the only group messaging app with two modes, one for chat, the rivers of messages rushing through every group channel, and At-a-Glance, where the waters are still and calm. At-a-Glance is where your lists reside and can be worked on. It’s where all messages mentioning you by name reside, so that you can review them one by one on your schedule. It’s where your Bundles reside, described below, but essentially your files containing saved conversations. It’s where you can see all the articles and documents you’ve been sent, or that you’ve sent, and read them, work with them as time permits. It’s where everything that’s important is distilled, and where you can work away from the deluge.
4. Bundles. This is another of Wrinkl’s unique business solutions for group messaging. It is your group message file system. Conversations and other messages can be saved, named, and archived, or even forwarded to, say, management for approval of a decision or to document a conclusion reached. Bundles can be private or public, meaning they can be for your reference alone, or for the reference of everyone (for example, an employee handbook). Bundles can be updated and appended-to, so they can be kept current and be comprehensive. Bundles can be emailed, messaged, and otherwise collaboratively curated. Bundles, together with additional innovations, makes Wrinkl a system of record — something other group messaging platforms are not.
Wrinkl’s innovations for business work together to keep the whole conversation in one app and in one channel (e.g., Email Integration, Sidebars (below)), let you organize and pluck what you need from the stream (e.g., Lists, References), let you name and archive it with Bundles, and provide a calm place to view everything important and work on your own timeline (At-a-Glance).
5. Sidebars. Lets you message one-to-one, privately with one person, within a group discussion, instead of by DM. At bottom, it lets you whisper in someone’s ear without leaving the larger conversation. Conversational context is maintained because these private messages appear only in the sender’s and recipient’s screen-view of the larger group conversation. One app, one channel, containing the whole conversation (even the asides and the emails with third-party input), which can be saved, named, and filed.
6. Advanced Channel Settings. Almost all group messaging platform offer just one type of group channel: everyone can post, everyone can reply, everyone can see everyone’s posts and replies; everyone can see who else is in the group and how many members it has. So when you create a new channel, the important decisions have already been made for you — and every new channel becomes a fire hose of banter and emojis, all mixed in with info you can’t afford to miss. Businesses need “tailored” communication channels that cut down on chatter, structure activity and purpose it to meet company needs, specific goals, projects, tasks, roles, member privacy requirements, and discussion types. Wrinkl’s Advanced Channel Settings let users tailor channels that do all this and more.
So, need intra-channel confidentiality? HR might need everyone’s social security number, but what user of Slack, Microsoft Teams, etc., would dream of asking for such private info in a group message channel? A Wrinkl user would. HR, using Advanced Channel Settings, would simply create a Broadcast All/Private Reply group-channel for such requests. HR’s request for SSN would be seen by the whole group, but all member replies would be private to HR only — employee group members would not see each other’s replies. Only Wrinkl enables such use cases for business.
There’s much more to say, but you’ve got work to do!
When we say Wrinkl is built for business, we mean this: Wrinkl is a fully integrated, wholly different kind of group messaging platform built specifically to meet the needs of business users. We’ve described some of how we do that above — but please visit us at www.wrinkl.com — lots more info there and our blog.
Start your 60-day free trial today, no credit card required, or request a demo of Wrinkl at www.wrinkl.com.
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