The integration with Teams is the biggest value for us. In fact, it has only become more valuable now that it has integration with Teams. Teams allows you to stream, so that's good.
Owner with 51-200 employees
Lync and Yammer
Over the past couple of years I’ve been working with SharePoint at various sites, and more recently with Lync and Yammer. Now these are two products that mainframers may not be that familiar with and I thought people might be interested to know more.
Microsoft Lync was called Microsoft Office Communicator. It’s an Instant Messaging client – like MSN Messenger or Yahoo! Messenger – that can be used either with Microsoft Lync Server or Lync Online, which is available with Microsoft Office 365. In fact it is an up-to-date version of Windows Messenger which was used with Microsoft Exchange Server.
As well as running on PCs, Lync 2010 has Windows Phone, Android, and iOS apps. Lync provides instant messaging, Voice Over IP, and video conferencing facilities, and uses Microsoft Outlook contacts stored in a Microsoft Exchange Server. Office can show whether other people are working on the same document, and Lync allows file sharing.
What makes it so useful is those really unimportant e-mails that you don’t need an audit trail for can be replaced by Instant Messaging conversations. That cuts down on the number of e-mails that need to be backed up each evening and eventually stored on the off-chance they’re important. And, of course, you can type or you can talk. And you can set up meetings with people in offices around the country and video conference – assuming your organization has the bandwidth to do so.
Lync and Sharepoint integrate to an extent – they’re both from Microsoft. For example, there’s an “online presence indicator next to an individual’s name wherever their name appears in a site collection in SharePoint”. “Assist in providing colleague suggestions for use in My Sites, My Profiles, and People Search”. And “through Lync, provide access to SharePoint people and skills search including names and skills and a link to the user’s My Site”. Thank you to J D Wade, who’s blog at http://wadingthrough.com/2012/04/04/lync-and-sharepoint-integration-more-than-presence-information/ was the source for these examples.
Yammer is described as an enterprise social network service. It was launched in 2008, but, more importantly, Microsoft bought it last year. Yammer acts like a corporate Facebook service. It allows people to send message to other individuals or to groups. Only people with the same domain name in their e-mail address can access the corporate Yammer network. As well as access from a PC, there’s Android Windows Phone and iPhone apps available.
Chris Wright, in his blog at http://www.cmswire.com/cms/social-business/five-yammer-features-that-sharepoint-users-are-going-to-love-020339.php, lists features of Yammer that SharePoint users will like. Chris says “SharePoint has never really had its own ‘messaging’ system, so the Yammer Inbox fills a real gap”. Chris adds: “Yammer polls are a nice quick way to ask a question of people in your community, and will add a lot to the sense of community SharePoint is trying to foster”. Looking ahead, Chris says that documents held in a Yammer feed can be edited in Office web apps. He says: “This is a great example of a few of the features SharePoint is bringing to the table to improve Yammer (rather than the other way round)”.
We know that Microsoft plans to integrate Yammer with SharePoint and Office 365. It appears that Yammer will eventually replace SharePoint’s newsfeed. It seems there’s a plan to share documents with Yammer using SharePoint. And Yammer users will be able to upload and store documents using SkyDrive Pro. A file preview and edit capability with Yammer will work in conjunction with Office Web Apps. There’s even talk about translation capabilities being added to Yammer. Eventually Yammer and Lync (and Exchange) will be integrated.
From what I've seen, the integration of Yammer with Office 365 is excellent. You can see your Yammer feed at the same time as, for example, your Outlook e-mails.
The integration of Yammer builds on Open Graph – an open API protocol for following objects external to a social network site used by Facebook. IBMers are perhaps more familiar with OpenSocial 2.0 for IBM Connections. Both provide a way for people to follow things.
What makes Yammer and SharePoint integration so interesting is that staff can use a the type of social media they’re familiar with from home in a business situation. If I can see you’re meeting client A tomorrow, I might ask you to check how he thinks project X is going. Or I might even just want to say hello to someone who is an occasional customer. Yammer is a business tool that is fun and easy to use – certainly compared to the more heavyweight Web parts etc of SharePoint.
The fact that Instant Messaging and social media can be included in a business environment shows that these tools are maturing. And, like BYOD, it shows end users are driving the environment they want to experience at work. I wonder how long it will be, with IBM’s pushing of social media tools, before something like this is available to everyone on z/OS.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Owner with 51-200 employees
Alternatives to Yammer exist, but it can be very useful within an organization to help with communication
I’ve been to a few companies recently that have been using Yammer as a business tool. If you’ve got offices that are spread out, or if your workforce aren’t usually in the office, then it provides an easy way for people to be able to share things – like comments, documents, or images. And you can form groups so discussions, that are only relevant to a small group of people, stay within that small group or team.
Yammer started life in 2008 and was bought by Microsoft in 2012. It’s described as an enterprise social network. That means it’s not a public social network like Facebook, it’s for internal communication between members of an organization or group.
It’s free, it’s very easy to use (if you’ve ever used Facebook), and it provides a private and secure place for discussion. The simplest way to use Yammer is from your browser (Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc), and you can download the app for your smartphone or tablet.
It’s easy to set up and use, but I thought I’d put together some instructions for new users, so they know how to get on and start using it.
To sign up, go to
www.yammer.com. You’ll see a large box in the middle of the page:
Type in your company e-mail address – you can’t use your personal e-mail address because it won’t work.
Complete your Yammer profile and add a photo. New people in your organization may not be familiar with who you are and your particular skill set.
You can join groups and follow topics that are relevant to you. If Yammer gets very busy with people posting, you won’t want to be informed every time there’s a new post. So, click on the three dots in the upper right-hand corner. In the drop-down menu, select ‘Edit Profile’. Then select ‘Notifications’ from the list on the left, and then choose how often you want to receive notifications. ‘Save’ your choice. There’s a ‘Back Home’ box top-left to get back.
You can also follow other people – that way you get to see what they’re posting.
When you come to use Yammer on subsequent occasions, you simply click on ‘Log In’ on the right of the top menu bar.
Now you can start to use Yammer.
You can post messages – these can be comments, questions, updates. You can post links to articles or blogs elsewhere on the Web.
You can follow people, which means that you want to view messages from them in ‘My Feed’. It’s not like a friend request. They don’t have to agree. They don’t have to follow you back.
You can read what other people are posting and get a feel of what’s going on across the organization.
You can ‘Like’ other people’s posts.
You can find out more about people in your organization by reading their profile.
You could start your own group or join existing groups.
You can upload pictures. You can organize events/meetings. You can survey what people think about things
You can use topics so that all the posts are around a specific topic. To add a topic to a post, click ‘add topic’ while writing the message or you can use a hashtag. You can also add topics to a published message by clicking ‘more’. Hashtags (#) are used to identify what posts are about and to make finding information easier.
You can search for information in the search box near the top of the page. This will find whether anyone else has posted about a particular topic.
And you can send a direct message in three ways. Use the @ sign followed by the user’s names. As you start to type the name, a drop-down menu will give you suggestions. You can send a private message:
- Click ‘Inbox’ in the left column.
- Click ‘Create Message’ on the right sidebar.
- Select ‘Send Private Message’.
- In the ‘Add Participants’ field, start to type the person’s user name. A drop-down list of matching user names appears.
- Select the name of the name of the person you want to send the message to.
- Write your message, and then ‘Send’.
And you can send a message through ‘Online Now’:
- Click ‘Online Now’ in the bottom-right corner.
- Start writing the person’s name. A drop-down list of matching user names appears.
- Use the up and down arrows, and ‘Enter’ to select a name. A message box opens.
- Write your message, and then ‘Send’.
Recipients are notified that they have a message.
Unbelievably, Yammer refers to all communications inside Yammer as “Yams”. Yams are sorted into various feeds. A feed, if you’re new to social media, is a way of keeping you up-to-date with content that other people are posting.
I think many organizations would benefit from an internal social media tool. There are alternatives to Yammer available, but I think it can be very useful within an organization to help with communication. And it can be fun!
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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October 2024
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General Manager: Internal Communication at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
Integrates well with Teams but cannot stream on its own
Pros and Cons
- "The integration with Teams is the biggest value for us. In fact, it has only become more valuable now that it has integration with Teams. Teams allows you to stream, so that's good."
- "The solution must be able to stream by itself, without integration, the same way that you are able to do it on Facebook Live, Instagram, etc. Streaming must be embedded into it."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The solution must be able to stream by itself, without integration, the same way that you are able to do it on Facebook Live, Instagram, etc. Streaming must be embedded into it.
The ability to just be live, I think is very important. You don't want to leave the app to go live. You want to be able to just go live within the app. So I think that their internet streaming ability would be a very good feature to add.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been using this solution for about two years.
What other advice do I have?
I'll give it a six out of ten because I'm comparing it to what's out there. It's not the best solution out there. It doesn't compare well to the new tools that are in the market. It's not the best, but it's getting there.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
Global Communications Manager at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
People from around the world can share posts, create polls, and make group announcements. I want more control over the all network feed.
What is most valuable?
The ability for people from anywhere around the world, from any team, to connect and share their posts in groups, create polls, make group announcements, and provide feedback and recognition posts.
How has it helped my organization?
- In its simplicity, it has given our people across our organization and around the world a voice
- Helped people to network, ask questions, and get answers
- Helped people to share activity and best practices
- Segments liked-minded people together
- Creates engagement
- Allows people to give feedback and improve our culture
What needs improvement?
It's constantly evolving and Microsoft allows users to suggest ideas to improve.
There's always going to be room for improvement, because it's not the answer for everything. But it is a start.
For me, it's about:
- Having more control over the all network feed
- Improving how people filter the good stuff from all the noise
- Allowing you to make certain important posts sticky at the top
- Improving the removal process of people who are no longer with your business
- Better integration with Microsoft products in the cloud
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Yammer for about three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are not problems with stability. It's all Microsoft stuff, so it’s pretty well managed.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have had no scalability issues.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't used support yet, but plan to soon.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We didn't have a previous solution.
How was the initial setup?
It was a really simple setup. You can either join Yammer Freemium or purchase an Enterprise Office 365 licenses, which includes Yammer. I'd recommend this approach.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Go for a corporate/enterprise license to give you full admin control of Yammer, rather than the limited free version.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We didn’t look at alternatives, simply because this social network came with the license. Therefore, it was a one-time price.
What other advice do I have?
First consider whether you plan to purchase a license. If not, then I'd look into other software to suit your needs. If, however, you are investing in Microsoft software for your business, then Yammer is a great product.
Really understand what you need in terms of socially connecting your people and teams. If your teams are spread across a country or around the world, this is a great way of connecting everyone together.
Make sure you invest a bit of time to train, guide, and build up a solid and competent community manager network.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Web and Intranet Content Management Advisor at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
You can join networks outside of the organization
What is most valuable?
Ease of use and the ability to join networks outside of the organization. These are valuable to drive adoption and to collaborate, be informed of events, and developments in related organizations.
How has it helped my organization?
We have set Yammer up inside IFrames that appear on our intranet home page, most content pages, and in all-team sites. This has enabled us to cater to large and very small audiences where they interact and not require a separate application or login.
What needs improvement?
The ability to edit replies to previous posts or answers would be useful. Navigation to different Yammer Groups could be improved. Navigation to external groups could be better integrated to reduce clicks. This is a minor annoyance only.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this for four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no issues with stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There were no issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
No external support has been needed from the vendor. Online help and community support has been enough.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Apart from chat programs and discussion lists (e.g., SharePoint, MS Lync, and IBM Sametime), there hasn't been a similar product I've used at work previously.
How was the initial setup?
The installation was very simple. Just follow the prompts and the setup help.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I haven't been involved with licensing issues.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
This was installed when I joined this company.
What other advice do I have?
Undertake a small trial before rolling it out to an enterprise. This will help build interest. Don't attempt to control what gets posted, apart from the usual ethical/legal guidelines and rules.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Business Consultant with 1,001-5,000 employees
To Yammer or not to Yammer – can we guarantee success with enterprise social tools?
I’m very keen on the idea of the enterprise social network Yammer and what it could mean for internal business communication.
I visualise a time when our interstate frontline staff are discussing the pros and cons of a new business initiative with our senior managers at Head Office. When the CEO spots a game-changing idea from a new employee during his daily check of the site. When our sales teams are reporting back from the field, creating excitement about wins as they happen.
But enterprise social tools like Yammer are not like our traditional internal communication tools:
- We don’t control the message.
- We can’t force people to get involved - and success relies on interaction.
- We can’t guarantee success.
It’s actually pretty scary. I know of plenty of organisations that have experimented with Yammer and it failed. People didn’t see the value, they didn’t find the time and it fizzled out.
At this moment in time, the success of Yammer within my own organisation is at make or break point. Over one-sixth of our workforce signed up within the first few weeks of my soft launch, simply via word of mouth. I invited those people I could rely on to join first. That worked well. A key group of about half a dozen people from across the business were very keen and began posting updates, asking questions, replying to threads and creating groups.
Next, with a good proportion of staff onboard I sent an email to our Senior Management Team, outlining the benefits and asking for their commitment to the network – just five minutes a day, twice a week to begin with.
I also spoke face-to-face with a number of staff: if they were working on an interesting project I suggested a Yammer post. If I was writing an intranet news story on behalf of a business unit, I suggested that they could also promote their work in a status update.
I’ve nudged conversations along, introduced talking points, asked questions and tried to encourage the lurkers.
Now, we’re six weeks in. The initial excitement has died off. There are other business priorities. Less people are joining. Those who signed-up haven’t revisited the site. The goodwill of our Senior Managers is there, but they just haven’t found the time.
So, I’m asking myself some key questions and I’d be interested to hear your thoughts:
- do we just ‘experiment’ with enterprise social tools such as Yammer, or do we strategise the roll-out as we do with all other internal comms channels?
- by creating a strategy for success, can we ever guarantee a social tool like Yammer is a success?
- what does success look like on these tools anyway?
- finally, what can we learn about our employee engagement if there is low interaction through Yammer. How can we use this to influence the rest of our internal communications strategy?
These are the questions I’ll be working through over the coming months…..I’ll keep you updated.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head of People Operations at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Enables internal communication between different countries and locations.
What is most valuable?
- Enables internal communication between different countries and locations.
- Provides easy access and low hierarchy: Everyone is able to comment, ask questions, share knowledge, and get to know colleagues.
How has it helped my organization?
- Has brought leaders closer to people: Leaders can share video messages which are more engaging than just faceless email messages.
- People are encouraged to comment on these messages or ask questions
- Leaders/managers can respond back
What needs improvement?
They need to somehow enable better document sharing features. They need to provide joint drafting of documents.
In regards to the document sharing and modifying feature, currently it does not entirely work together with the mobile devices.
If the documents are saved in OneDrive, then the connection to Yammer is not very easy to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used this solution for a little over three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There were no stability issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
At first, we did encounter some scalability issues on some mobile devices.
How are customer service and technical support?
I would give the technical support a rating of 6/10.
It takes a long time before getting a reply. Sometimes there are language barriers in terms of poor English or when no Finnish speakers are available.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did not have any other tool before this one.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was very easy. It helped a lot that I participated in the Yammer Community Manager training that was organized by Blue Meteorite.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is good to know that Yammer is now included in the Microsoft Office 365 subscription without any extra fee.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at the WhatsApp business version, but it was not sufficient. Later, we also looked into Slack. However, we still haven't decided whether we should change or not.
What other advice do I have?
You should exchange experiences with other companies who have implemented this solution. You might also participate in the Yammer Community Manager training as well. However, the exact way to launch Yammer depends on the needs of the organization.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Business Analyst for Sales Enablement with 1,001-5,000 employees
Secure collaboration environment for crowdsourcing knowledge
What is most valuable?
- Inline video
- Mobile apps
- Secure collaboration environment for crowdsourcing knowledge
- Translation tool
How has it helped my organization?
We have been able to have multi-country project teams where members can interact in their own language.
What needs improvement?
Ability to edit posts and also rich text would be good. Currently, unlike other social tools like Facebook at Work and Chatter, Yammer does not have the ability to edit posts. Also, the only rich text (bold/italics/bullets) that are supported are in the Announcements.
I know that Microsoft are currently testing the editing feature and it is due to be released in the next couple of months. This is the most requested feature which we receive from our users.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this solution for eighteen months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Occasionally we have some stability issues. But that is to be expected in a rapidly developing platform and the A-B testing does give some stability issues sometimes.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I did not encounter any issues with scalability.
How is customer service and technical support?
Technical support is very good and responsive. We have premier support.
How was the initial setup?
The setup was straightforward but inconsistent. Now that it is fully integrated with Office 365, the consistency is there.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Jive and Facebook Business.
What other advice do I have?
Go for it, especially if you are a Microsoft shop.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Allthough the article is a couple of years old, some statements keep nagging as I keep hearing them. They can be summarized by the following quote:
"But enterprise social tools like Yammer are not like our traditional internal communication tools:
- We don’t control the message.
- We can’t force people to get involved - and success relies on interaction.
- We can’t guarantee success."
Starting with the third item: Can you name any tool that actually does guarantee success?
And the first: when your goal is to control the message, don't use a collaboration tool. Use a send to all mechanism, preferably with a 'do-not-reply' from address. ;-) You then automatically arrive at your second point: if you want involvement, let go of the control issues....