Item: Chatter (discontinued)
Rating: 9
Author: Pete Bennett ☁️

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use Chatter internally in multiple ways. We use direct messaging to send private messages back and forth between users. But what we really use it for the most is the Chatter feed on records. We are able to host info about a record in the feed, so in the future we have a reference of what has happened previously.

Pros and Cons

Can store files via Chatter Files. We use this for picture files the most
Notifications. It's great for sending alerts
Using the Chatter feed is a great way to keep info specific to a record

Having message functionality in the Salesforce One app

Return on Investment

It helps a lot with collaboration and transparency
Organization. It has helped with keeping relevant info within each record where it can be found easily

Alternatives Considered

Facebook for Business and Slack

Chatter is much more basic than other solutions, mainly, because it is not the core product for Salesforce. It is great for basic communication needs, but if you are looking for a much more robust solution then I would recommend using an application that is more focused on this. Chatter is still great for most communication needs

Other Software Used

Salesforce.com, Conga Composer, Adobe Sign (formerly EchoSign)

Likelihood to Recommend

It is well suited for uploading files and attaching them to records. It is not as well suited for mobile messaging. There used to be a mobile chatter app, but not anymore, so the private messaging between users is not really available at the moment. The Salesforce One app has the ability for Chatter, but lacks small portions of functionality.

Chatter is great....and free!

Overall Satisfaction with Chatter