Facebook Inc. is making significant inroads into the enterprise collaboration market.

The social network revealed at its Flow 2019 event today that Workplace by Facebook, its alternative to Slack and Microsoft Teams, now has 3 million paid users.

That’s up a million from when the company last shared data on subscriptions eight months ago. Facebook announced the milestone alongside a slew of new features aimed at boosting the service’s adoption even further. 

Headlining the enhancements is a Workplace app (pictured) for the social network’s Portal-branded videoconferencing devices. Companies can now use the gadgets, which were originally designed for the consumer market, to let staffers host virtual meetings with colleagues.

Facebook bolstered the Portal line in September with two smart displays and a TV add-on that can turn an existing monitor into a communications system. Now that the target market for the product family has been expanded to include the enterprise, it’s possible the social network will in the future add business devices specifically optimized for Workplace.

Workplace is in a way also a consumer product repurposed for businesses. The service allows users to communicate through an interface based on the Facebook News Feed, which provides a familiar environment for frontline workers who aren’t accustomed to traditional office collaboration tools. This familiarity factor is one of the service’s main differentiators from the likes of Slack and Microsoft Teams. 

The core Workplace interface is receiving new features, too, as part of the update announced today. Users can now have the service generate captions below clips they post to team channels. Workplace furthermore provides the option to translate the caption text into 14 languages, which could come in handy for companies with globally distributed workplaces.

Facebook is pairing the video features with a number of enhancements meant to let enterprises use Workplace in more ways. A new polling feature enables human resources departments to send surveys through the service’s mobile companion app, while managers can now curate instructional content for their staff. In the interest of broadening access to the service, Facebook has also added login codes that allow workers to view their team’s Workplace room even if they don’t have an email account.

Photo: Facebook