Jun 2, 2021

How Convince & Convert uses Filo as a virtual office to power collaboration

Founded by Jay Baer in 2008, Convince & Convert provides content marketing consulting, social media strategy, digital marketing, and customer experience strategy for leading brands.  As a fully distributed team of 15 employees across the US, staying in sync has been crucial to their clients’ success and their team culture.

The challenge of a growing team

The Convince & Convert team worked 100% virtual pre-COVID. However, as a growing team, a better collaboration tool was needed. Convince & Convert needed a place to keep essential threads, limit email communication, and power collaboration; they needed a central place to come as a team. A virtual office platform was a necessity.

Convince & Convert began using a virtual office platform in 2017. However, that platform was overflowing with tech issues that slowed down their productivity. A well rounded, reliable virtual office was essential.

How Filo helped build a reliable virtual office space

Streamlined communication

The team switched to using Filo as their virtual office platform and immediately experienced a smoother collaboration. The chat and direct message features eliminated the need for an additional communication platform like Slack and ended “quick question” emails. Since the chat messages are saved within Filo. Convince & Convert found it helpful to have the ability to skim the thread for reminders.

Seamless collaboration

With a team in multiple time zones, Filo is the central place where the team gathers each work day. The Filo virtual office platform gives visibility into everyone’s whereabouts, so it is easy to see when someone is available for a quick chat. 

The team are huge advocates for Tap, a feature in Filo that allows teammates to instantly hop on a 1:1 video call, thereby reducing the friction of swapping links or scheduling meetings. 

“With functions like Tap and chat, Filo allows for quick conversations to happen, just like they would in person, which makes us feel closer to each other. It helps us connect with team members coast to coast throughout the day” -Kelly Santina, Convince & Convert Director of Operations

It just works

“The fact that Filo integrates with Zoom was hands down the tech reason we moved to Filo.”-Kelly Santina

The previous virtual office the Convince & Convert team used had unreliable audio and video. Since switching to Filo, which integrates directly with using Zoom, the team got minutes and hours back in their day.

“We would spend the beginning of each meeting channeling the old Verizon Wireless commercials by asking, ‘Can you hear me now?’”

Sense of place

Filo gave the team a place to connect and feel closer. It has been noted that this sense of place has improved team morale and the overall culture–they can have FUN! The group gets closer by sharing jokes and moving GIFs around the space.

The Convince & Convert virtual office space is configured with project rooms, team rooms, and individual offices. Each team member adds a little pizazz to their individual offices with gifs and graphics in their individual offices–another small element that adds up to building a sense of team in the virtual environment.

“We are able to create a great camaraderie with our co-workers thanks to Filo. We are still able to go ‘next door’ to chat and connect.”-Kelly Santina
A view of the Convince & Convert team's custom individual offices.

Curious as to how Filo can help your team’s remote collaboration with a virtual office space? We are here to help!