FAQ
What is Sococo?
Sococo is the online workplace where distributed teams come to work together each day, side-by-side, no matter where team members might be. Down the hall, across campus, or halfway around the world–working in your organization’s online office is even more productive than being on the same floor or in the same room.
In your Sococo online office, all team members feel connected to each other and the organization, including those working from home or remotely. Anyone can pop into a collaboration session, bump into a colleague in the hall, or attend a team lunch. By coming to work in Sococo, your team grows closer and more productive as they see and speak to each other in real time each day. This relationship-building quickly creates alignment, builds trust, and increases employee engagement and satisfaction.
Overview
How is Sococo different from tools like Skype, Zoom, Slack, and others?
Video conferencing and chat solutions may allow you to communicate with your teammates, but they don’t allow you to truly connect. Communicating through these tools is often asynchronous, overly structured, and formal, whereas working side-by-side in your Sococo online office allows you to collaborate in real time, hold ad-hoc meetings, and get to know the people you work with around the virtual water cooler. When you work in Sococo, you don’t just communicate; you work together.
What are the top three benefits I can expect from coming to work in Sococo?
Drone’s-eye view of your entire organization
Even when your team is co-located, it can be hard to get a sense of what is happening in real time—who’s at their desk, who’s in a meeting, and who’s heads-down on an urgent project. With Sococo, you get at-a-glance insight into work and collaboration happening in real time as you see your colleagues’ avatars “pop” around the map. You can see who’s in a meeting, who’s chatting in the breakroom, and who’s available. Your team can also label breakout and conference rooms to give everyone a glimpse into what’s being discussed in each meeting. As you “walk the halls” of your distributed team’s Sococo Office, you’ll get a comprehensive, real-time perspective on what’s going on within your team or organization.
In-room video and audio conferencing
Whether your teammates are in a different time zone or merely the next office over, you can work together at a virtual table within your Sococo Office just like you would if you were co-located. Need to ask a quick question? Just toggle on your mic to start a conversation with those in the room. No matter where you are in your Sococo online office, you can switch on your audio and video conference tools and share your screen. This allows you to make decisions in the moment and get work done efficiently in your Sococo space.
Sense of presence
Working in Sococo enables you to feel like you’re in the same room, regardless of physical distance. Teams that come to work in Sococo grow closer and feel more connected to their teammates. The online manifestation of your office in Sococo powerfully reproduces the feeling of being together in one physical location. In fact, in a recent survey, 70% of our customers identified this “sense of presence” as one of the top three benefits of working in their online office.
What is needed to come to work in Sococo?
All you’ll need to come to work in your Sococo online office is an internet connection and an up-to-date Chrome web browser. You can also download our desktop app (available for Mac OSX, Windows, and Linux) or our mobile app to take your team with you when you’re on the go.
Can I come to work in Sococo from anywhere?
Yes! You can come to work in Sococo from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a Wi-Fi connection. Whether you’re in Bali or Baltimore, you can jump into the office and work side-by-side with your team.
Does Sococo integrate with any tools?
While Sococo has all of the chat and video conferencing functionality you’ll need, we understand that some companies rely on tools like Slack, Zoom, and Google Hangouts. That is why we fully integrate with Slack, so you can send and receive Slack messages without clicking out of your Sococo Workspace. We are also compatible with video conferencing tools like Skype, GoToMeeting, Google Hangouts, Zoom, and more—you can launch a meeting on any of these platforms directly from Sococo.
Is there a Sococo mobile application?
Yes! If your team is currently working in a Sococo online office, you can access the same office from our iOS and Android mobile apps. These are available in the App Store and Google Play Store.
Using Sococo
How can I connect with my team in Sococo?
Coming to work in Sococo allows you to work alongside your team as if you were physically in the room. You can see where your teammates are, if they’re in a meeting, or if they’re available for a chat with one glance at the Map. Pull them into a room and toggle on your in-room video and audio conferencing to talk through projects face-to-face, or use the chat feature to send a message to an individual teammate or the whole room.
How many teammates can I bring to work in Sococo?
You can bring as many teammates to work in your Sococo online office as you’d like. We have a variety of online office Maps available with different room capacities, so you can build one workspace or an entire virtual building to make room for everyone on your team.
What office tools will I need when I bring my team to work in Sococo?
None! Coming to work in Sococo allows you instantaneous access to everything you’ll need to get work done—including video and audio conferencing options, chat, and at-a-glance insight into what’s happening in your organization—all while allowing you to truly work side-by-side with your remote team. You can finally close all of those browser tabs!
Can I invite guests into my Sococo online office?
Bring clients, collaborators, or consultants into your Sococo space at the touch of a button. Guest links are shareable invitations to Sococo that allow your guest limited access to your online office. That way, you get all the perks of holding a meeting in Sococo without having to add another team member to your space.
Will everyone be able to hear my conversations in Sococo?
Not if you don’t want them to. To keep your conversations private, all you’ll need to do is pop into an unoccupied room in your online office and “close” the virtual door. That way, anyone who wants to enter the room will have to “Knock” and be allowed in.
How can I tell if my teammate is available?
With just one glance at your team’s Sococo Map, you’ll be able to see everything that’s happening in your online office. See whose avatar is in a meeting, who’s heads-down working on a project, and who’s available to be interrupted. You’ll be able to see your teammate’s location on the Map; visual indicators that show when they’re speaking, sharing their screen, etc.; and availability indicators. If their headphones are on and their status is set to “Available,” it’s probably safe to pop in and ask them a question.
How do I join a meeting in my Sococo online office?
The beauty of Sococo is that all you need to do to join a meeting in your online office is pop into the room where the meeting is happening. This will automatically pop your avatar into the room, and you’ll be able to see and hear what’s happening in the room, as well as turn on your video and audio and share your screen. No meeting links, no dial-in numbers, just pop into the meeting room to join in.
How do I get started?
Start building your free trial workspace. For more info, feel free to contact us at sales@sococo.com.
Learning About Sococo
Do I have to be working remotely to come to work in Sococo?
Nope! Whether your team is located in the same office or on different sides of the country (or some combination of the two), coming to work in Sococo will help your team boost productivity, engagement, and company culture. (Also, technically, if you work with someone sitting one or more bus-lengths away from you, you are already part of a distributed team. Just saying.)
Is Sococo industry-specific?
Not at all! Any team—distributed or co-located, large or small—in any industry can benefit from working in a Sococo online office. We currently have customers in industries ranging from insurance to healthcare to education to software development coming to work in Sococo. If you have more than one person on your team and want to be able to work together more effectively and collaboratively, consider building your own Sococo online office.
Can I see a demo of what it’s like to work in Sococo?
You bet! Here is a video tour of a Sococo online office. If you’d like a live tour of Sococo HQ, let us know at sales@sococo.com.
How can I get in touch with a Sococo team member?
There’s a number of ways to get in touch with us—you can pick which one you’d prefer on our contact page. We’re looking forward to hearing from you!
Customize Your Space
Can I customize the way my Sococo online office looks?
You can choose your office layout, name the rooms whatever you’d like, and organize your team in a way that fits your needs. Full online office customization is coming soon!
How do I choose a Map for my online office?
If you aren’t an administrator for your team’s online office, get in touch with them to discuss choosing a Map. If you are your team’s Sococo administrator, you can choose a new office Map from the menu in your Sococo online office. Watch this video for more details.
How many online offices can I build for my team?
As many as you’d like! We have customers that build virtual “skyscrapers” with 10 or more online offices that function like “floors,” allowing team members to pop between office spaces. Build one cozy workplace or a whole campus of online offices—whatever works best for your team. If you’re interested in more info, let us know.
14 Day Trial
How does the 14-day free trial work?
Our 14-day trial allows your team to come to work in Sococo with full access to your online office at no charge. This time period allows you to move everyone in and start working side-by-side, regardless of distance. At the conclusion of your free trial, you’ll have the option to choose a longer-term Sococo plan.
Can I extend the trial period?
We are more than happy to work with you to make sure you have plenty of time in your Sococo online office. If you feel you need more time during your trial, please email sales@sococo.com and we will help you outline the best plan for your team.
What happens at the end of the free trial?
To continue coming to work in Sococo at the end of your free trial, you can sign up for a plan to make your online office official. We offer monthly plans as well as annual plans that come at a discounted rate. You can learn more about Sococo plan pricing here.
Where can I get support?
If you have questions or concerns, you can live chat with us on our website or via the in-office Sococo Help Desk Monday through Friday between 8:00am and 4:00pm PT. We will be happy to answer your questions, provide tips and tricks, and chat with you about any ideas you have. Additionally, our online Knowledge Base is available to you at all times. It is a terrific source of information on working in Sococo, complete with frequently asked questions and helpful tips for success.
Pricing and Payment
How much does working in Sococo cost?
Sococo pricing is custom and based on the number of colleagues you bring to work in your space. We offer both monthly and annual plans, and annual subscribers receive a discounted rate. More detailed pricing information.
Are there Sococo options for enterprises?
Most definitely! Contact us to get more information on enterprise options.
Can I set up purchase orders and invoicing for my Sococo online office?
Yes! Reach out to your customer success manager at customer.success@sococo.com for more info.
Where can I get a receipt?
You and your team can request to receive monthly receipts via email by contacting customer.success@sococo.com.
Can I change from a monthly to an annual plan?
Yes! That’s a great idea, because annual plans are discounted. ???? Reach out to customer.success@sococo.com to update your plan.
How can I change my Sococo plan or billing information?
To change your plan or billing method, drop us a line at customer.success@sococo.com. Your dedicated customer success manager will get in contact with you to make changes.
How do I cancel my online office subscription?
We’d hate to see you go, but if you need to move out of your online office, please reach out to customer.success@sococo.com.
Do you offer discounts or referral bonuses?
We want to enable as many people as possible to come to work in Sococo, so we’re happy to discuss discounts and referral bonuses with you and your team. Reach out to us at sales@sococo.com to discuss your options.
Privacy and Security
What are your privacy and security safeguards?
All data in Sococo is SSL encrypted.
Is my Sococo online office available as a cloud service and/or on premise?
Sococo is cloud-based. Single tenant private cloud-based instances are also available for certain customers. Reach out to sales@sococo.com for more details.
Do you have a privacy and security policy document?
Yes, you can access it here: Privacy Policy.
