I believe we made a great decision by choosing Blink and I would recommend them to any other company looking to up their communication game.
Pros
In searching for a new communication platform, I thought I knew what I was looking for and which company I would go with. Blink was added as just another platform for comparison. However, during my first demo, I was convinced this was the right choice. It ticked off all the boxes: top down communication, bottom up communication, side to side communication, individual and group chats, an information repository, and one of the best price points of (in my opinion) even inferior platforms. Plus, they were up front about all costs, so I didn't have to worry about a surprise invoice I would have to explain.
Cons
There are a few small functionality issues I have had since getting into the platform (such as not having control over what shows up under an employee name or what is displayed in the Directory), but I have been assured the team is adding my suggestions to their list and looking into how we can work around the other issues.
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
Just prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions put in place, our company anticipated needing a way to communicate internally with our staff and contractors about rapid changes to our workplace and daily lives. Most of our staff are front-line workers and do not have company email accounts. Our internal scheduling app that we use for hourly staff did not have the ability to upload attachments or allow staff to respond to high alert notifications. Setup was quick and easy. We were able to test Blink for free prior to committing to it, but knew immediately that it was perfect for our needs. Now, several months into the COVID-19 crisis, we've seen a shift from senior staff using the app solely for important internal communications, to all staff using it for staff recognition, company highlights, events, contests, motivational and uplifting posts, etc. It helps keeps our employees engaged and informed, allowing everyone to have a voice, and it seems to help boost employee morale.
Pros
- Ability to share and communicate with all employees or with individual teams
- Quick and helpful responses from Blink staff/developers -- willingness to go above and beyond to meet our company's needs
- Allows for multiple administrators at different levels
- Ease of use
- Ability to communicate privately -- staff can even contact our CEO and get a real-time response
- Real-time chat
- Search feature
- Ability to use on smartphone and PC
Cons
When we first started using Blink, posts were limited to one attachment each, which has since been updated. Blink has evolved quickly and quite honestly we have zero complaints.
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
More casual internal communications and email but very primitive. Newsfeed is good but difficult to search so only really works for real-time updates. Lack of ability to share files properly limos use severely and the ‘hub’ feature is too basic as it does not allow the creation of pages to view only upload of docs. The admin and access level features are not rounded enough, it’s all or nothing!
Pros
Simple IM app and the newsfeed like appearance of the home page. Some limited integrations, calendar works well.
Cons
Lacking in support for 3rd party apps, no ability to view documents in the app only have attachments.
Hi,
We are sad to hear that Blink hasn't lived up to your expectations and appreciate your honest review. It definitely helps keep us in check.
To your point, we do have a search feature, which should allow you to not only search Feed posts and Chats but also content on 3rd party integrations. We also have Pages in the Admin Panel, which lets Org and Team Admins create native content for the platform - this should address your concerns about the Hub. Access to different levels of teams or user permissions can be customised in the Admin Panel - it would be great to get your thoughts on what's missing (hello@joinblink.com). We have passed on your feedback regarding limited previews of files (since last month this is available for PDF and Word files but we don't yet support all types). Glad that you find the platform helpful for internal communications and hope to hear from you soon!
Thanks again,
The Blink Team
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 5/10
We're still playing around with the features but so far after less than a month we are happy with what we are working with.
Pros
- free for up to 20 users
- great alternative to a company intranet / communication portal for the micro businesses who want to share their management system documentation with field staff and don't want to fork out expensive licences with Microsoft for similar products like yammer / SharePoint.
- if you are IT savvy and know how to build microapps feature will draw your attention.
- Can download on android and iOS devices
- Has a desktop app for windows and iOS devices
Cons
- you have to purchase the premier package at a monthly cost per user to do branding. It would be good if there was a fixed fee per month for up to 10 users for the small companies e.g. £20 plus VAT.
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 8/10
The level of communication has increased. Blink has been a great tool for people to share their experiences without having to send a company wide email. The chat function has also made it easier for people to ask simple questions without having to send email.
Pros
It's super easy to set up and use. The team at Blink are always quick to respond, listen to feedback and suggestions for future features.
Integration with some business applications have been useful for daily updates.
Cons
Now that they've allowed multiple photo uploads and direct video posts I can't think of much else. Permission levels could do with more rejigging as most things if you're not admin you can't control perhaps there could be something inbetween admin and user.
Also if you're not part of a team you can't post to that news feed - however there are times when someone from one team might want to post something to only a couple of teams but not the whole company and that's not easily achieveble. Perhaps "team admins" can post to other team news feeds and just not see any of the feed other than their own post?
Perhaps business collaboration tools could be more advanced?
Rating breakdown
Likelihood to recommend: 10/10
Premium plans for Blink start at $6.18/user/month (billed monthly) or $3.40/user/month (billed annually). Custom enterprise plans are also available. Blink offers a free demo and a 45% discount for annual plans.
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