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The Virtual Water Cooler

By 06.24.14
Reading time: 2 minutes

Technology has a unique ability to replace the most classic items, even within the kitchen of your office. How many offices still maintain a standard coffee brewer? Not many I’m sure. It is not because the classic brewer (from entry level to gourmet) is inherently flawed; it’s because the Keurig and Nespresso’s of the world offer a compelling value statement. They have figured out how to completely transform a global, multi-billion dollar market through a unique delivery mechanism. The introduction of a pod based component to serve up tea, coffee, hot chocolate or a variety of other refreshments in an extremely short timeframe is not only more efficient, but offers tremendous flexibility in flavor options.

There is another item your office’s kitchen that is going through a transformation as well, although slightly different – the water cooler.

The actual disbursement of water is not going anywhere. However, its analogous role as an informal gathering place to share information, stories, updates, and other items with colleagues is evolving.

Even as our society becomes increasingly dependent on mobile devices (and at the same time slightly more anti-social), the interactions between colleagues is a critical component of a work environment.

Technology must adapt and capitalize on this change.

Greater access to new communication methods and virtual or remote office structures promote new ways in which colleagues interact with each other and their organization. Although this shift is occurring, the value of “watercooler interactions” can not be underestimated – critical information about your organization, its policies, projects, and other items related to daily operations still must be delivered.

Enter The Watercooler: A Social Intranet Application. Silverline’s goal was to create an application, accessible on Salesforce’s AppExchange, that leverages the scalability of the Salesforce.com platform to deliver a social intranet that solidifies the formal and informal interactions that occur at the physicial watercooler. Further, it promotes a seamless location where administrative tasks and other activities can be coordinated and completed.

Some of the features of The WaterCooler include:

  • Employee Directory
  • Collaboration Engine
  • Office-specific Information and Notifications
  • Company Calendars (integrates with CalendarAnything)
  • Interactive Document Library
  • Fully Customizable to Your Brand’s Look and Feel
  • Mobile & Tablet Ready
  • Single Sign On Capabilities
  • Widget based architecture for plug n’ play customization
  • Configurable Field Sets
  • Custom Settings
  • Exposure of standard and custom objects

Interested in learning more about The WaterCooler? Check out this demo.

 

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