Before we begin, please know that in my review here, I have focused on the Mac app.
Flock Team Communication App for iPhone, iPad, Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux
Initial Setup Process
The set-up process for Flock App is straightforward. On the initial set-up screen, Flock lets you create your team or find team to join an existing one. To be a part of a current team, you can ask the admin for a URL, or you may even input the name and search for it. If you are an administrator, you get the notifications for new joinings inside the Flock Bot. Any other requests are also shown here. By a click, you can approve or reject. From setup to actual work, Flock, with its suite of options, serves exceptionally well as a team management app. Finally, a notification is sent to existing members when a new person joins the team. They may say ‘Hi’ and welcome the fresh entrant. If you ever feel you receive too much of these, you have the option to hide those messages.
Design, Colors, and Layout of Flock App for Mac and Windows
After set-up, you are treated with a clean and polished design. On the left side, you have two sidebars – one very thin that has a list of Accounts (or workplace), and the second normal-sized sidebar has open chats, pinned chats, and more. In the middle, you have your central column. On the top right of this, there are clean, separate icons for audio calls, video calls, and creating a private channel with invited members to have a private group discussion. On the right, there is another organized sidebar that boasts options for search, files, to-do, calendar, Google Drive, and more. The green, white, and gray color scheme imparts a neat look and feel, and it is comfortable on the eyes. On Mac and Windows, the Flock app also supports dark mode.
Flock Channels for Group Communication
Flock app gives you the option to create infinite specific channels for focused communications. If your workplace is a media house, you may have multiple channels for writers, digital marketing professionals, HR department, and finally a channel for memes too. You can also create a channel for temporary projects or for a small group of certain employees. Announcement Channel: For administrators, Flock creates an announcement channel by default. A participant can only see the messages posted here by the admin. So, next time you reach a milestone or have to convey about a planned company trip, use this channel for reaching everyone in a single message. A unique feature that Flock has is Smart Channels. They let you predefine membership rules, and when in future, any new employee matches the set criteria, they will be automatically added to the channel.
Audio and Video Calls on Flock
Flock has two tabs for audio and video call on its desktop app. You can video chat with a single person or conference with up to 20 people. During a video interaction, Flock also lets you share your screen from your computer in just a click. Now when we talk about audio calls, it is a bit complex. Currently, Flock allows you to make audio call from its smartphone app. You require a SIM card. When you initiate a voice call, you and the participant get a number that needs to be dialed. Further, there is a Moderator PIN and a Participant PIN to input. In short, the experience is doable but cumbersome. I contacted their support (more about it later), and one solution they provided is to make a video call and turn the camera off. Well, for the time being, I see no harm in this.
Collaboration and Working Together with Flock
Collaboration tools on Flock are plenty. Realistically chat, calls, creating and getting answers via polls, writing plus sharing notes and code snippets are all collaboration tools. You can use them in private chats or channels with multiple people. The quick to-dos built right into the app has options like adding due date, and assigning it to a person. The Shared To-dos bot reminds you in the morning of the to-dos you have for that day. Overall, Flock works as a great task management app. In addition to these, you can also invite guests to work with you. They can be customers, vendors, freelancers, etc. Flock only lets them access specified channels and contacts. I believe this excellent option will be super handy in situations when you need an external perspective from someone outside your workplace, like a knowledgeable friend. Flock also lets you access your entire company directory. This means that you can quickly begin a chat and collaborate with just about anyone.
Flock Chat with Polls, Notes, Google Drive, and More
To start a chat, you may select a person from the list. Additionally, you may invite a colleague with their email address to start a conversation. The clean chat screen lets you collaborate one to one or in team/group via channels. Flock allows you to send code snippets quickly in two clicks. In addition to these, you can also share notes, create polls, and attach files from computer and Google Drive. Good old emojis and big stickers enable you to say more with less. They are beautiful to look at, and it is fun to share them. My experience with Poll: I created a Poll, shared a few programming code snippets, and also shared a note with one of my fellow workers. The practice is quick and impressive. If you are familiar with Slack, you would know that poll and notes, along with some other features that are in Flock, aren’t available by default on Slack. One neat thing is that when you create a poll, you have the option to turn on ‘vote anonymously.’ So, if you want honest feedback about something, from people whom you pay, this feature is a must-have.
Third-Party App Integrations
Google Drive, Google Calendar, Google Analytics, GitHub, Dropbox, Trello, Twitter, Giphy, One Drive, Pingdom, and more play nicely with Flock app. Currently, it has integration with over 60 top chosen productivity apps. So next time you have to access GitHub, do it from within the Flock app. There is no need to switch apps or worry about sharing rich GitHub content. Flock ensures that you have everything in one place and focus on growth than utilize time elsewhere. Pro Tip: Flock also provides you with the freedom to build your apps and integrations via the Flock API.
Flock Support
I had a confusion with audio calls, and I sent a message to Flock Support right from the app. Sending them a message is the same as sending a message to a coworker. I hoped the customer care would take time to reply. But within a few minutes, I heard back from a human support representative. The person was kind enough to address my issue and also note my query for future product development. Overall the experience was quick, effortless, and fantastic. If you wish for a personalized demo, you can get that here as well.
Other Features
Flock has a robust search that is fast and advanced. It shows you messages, files, and links, irrespective of who shared it or when. Data encryption, privacy of the messages you exchange and all your profile data are secure, which gives peace of mind. Reminder bot, the ability to bookmark important messages for later, pinned chats, online status, estimated last seen, a small icon below the name that shows the person is on PC or mobile are all thoughtful additions.
Ease of Use and Verdict
After having used Flock for some time on multiple devices, I can conclude that the service is easy to use for people of all kinds. Everything is standard and beautiful. Within some minutes, you can explore the app and get to business. The look and design screams ‘work’ from the first glimpse. App integrations, organized sidebars, availability on all major platforms including web, the attention to design, a plethora of collaboration tools, easy adding to calendar or setting a reminder, and top-notch security are things that make me recommend this over the competitors. A successful company begins with happy and productive people. Flock is here to ease the way you communicate among one another. It is built with creativity and fluidity in mind. Flock will assist you and your coworkers to talk, share, collaborate, and save time. Availability: Windows PC, Mac, Linux, Chrome, Web, iOS, Android Price:
Basic: FreePro: $4.50 per month per memberEnterprise: $8 per month per member
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What do you feel about this communication service? Share your opinion in the comments below.
