It's probably not a good idea to constantly being scrolling through your News Feed while at work, but now users will have a new reason to launch the Messenger app during business hours.
Facebook quietly launched a version of Messenger aimed specifically for chatting with coworkers on Thursday, Nov. 19, in the Google Play Store.
Called Work Chat, the business-messaging app allows users to compose messages for individual coworkers, engage in group chats, make voice calls, share photos and video and use stickers. That means you can privately message your colleague for notes from the big meeting, send your boss a video about the conference you are attending, or receive a thumbs up of approval from your manager.
Work Chat will compete against other popular communication apps used in the office such as Slack or Hipchat, although there seems to be no difference to the pre-existing Messenger app besides the fact that users chat only with their work friends. The iOS version of the app is expected to launch soon.
The new messaging app joins Facebook's work platform, titled Facebook at Work, that launched for private testing back in January. Facebook has 300 businesses testing the platform, including Heineken USA, Hootsuite and the Royal Bank of Scotland. The freemium service allows businesses to share documents, start discussions, collaborate on projects and more.
Work Chat is available to download on the Google Play Store, but only those testing Facebook at Work will be able to use it.
Businesses interested in Facebook at Work and Work Chat can contact Facebook.com/help/work to learn more about integrating the platforms in their office.
Source: TechCrunch
