The team writes:
However, when it comes to the groundbreaking features that make up this particular update, we feel like shouting from the rooftops. Why? We think it's an amazing creative collaboration tool for anyone using Chorus – especially those doing so remotely.
Long before current events scattered everyone between home and office, we started thinking about how marketers and creative people shape and use digital media. We focused on the tasks that were eating up time that could have otherwise been spent on specialist work - planning, downloading, editing, gathering feedback and uploading, for example.
We set out to develop a solution. The result is a suite of next-generation features in Chorus that, used together, connect team members and drive creative projects-in-progress. They plug already powerful features of our digital media library directly into existing workflows. We've automated the majority of file management tasks, so everyone has more time to create and deliver more of the work that matters.
First up is this game-changing app for Mac or PC, which synchronizes files between a Chorus site and the desktop of any user. It works with every desktop application, without using plugins.
The benefits of this are immense. Uploading and downloading is no longer necessary and there's no need for those fiddly, buggy Adobe plug-ins anymore. Once synced, files can be opened and edited with your usual software, such as design, production or office programs. Saving a file locally updates it almost instantly in the Chorus site, where whoever's keeping an eye on progress can see those amends in file preview views - even in Illustrator or InDesign.
First up is this game-changing app for Mac or PC, which synchronizes files between a Chorus site and the desktop of any user. It works with every desktop application, without using plugins.
The benefits of this are immense. Uploading and downloading is no longer necessary and there's no need for those fiddly, buggy Adobe plug-ins anymore. Once synced, files can be opened and edited with your usual software, such as design, production or office programs. Saving a file locally updates it almost instantly in the Chorus site, where whoever's keeping an eye on progress can see those amends in file preview views - even in Illustrator or InDesign.
We've already tested it with a few users to see how it works in real-life marketing use cases, and the feedback's been beyond our expectations. "Anything that makes things easier for me is great," said one. "I simply drag files and there they are, on my desktop - it just works." It's ideal for working offline, but he also found it reduced his reliance on the company's sluggish VPN when working from home.
Comments and activity
Work-in-progress projects need effective communication, and lots of it. However, going back and forth between platforms isn't the most efficient way of pushing projects to delivery. For this reason, we've added a comments feature in the Chorus site itself - so team members can give feedback, post quick reactions via emoji and tag in other users, right next to the work itself.
In tandem with the activity log, comments mean every action, decision and remark is stored for posterity, adding up to a bigger picture that’s really useful for managers and senior stakeholders.
Statistics and reporting
Our final major improvement for this update sits at the other end of the creative process, but it's incredibly useful for informing how the next project is shaped. Detailed insights - on views, shares, downloads and more - are presented in simple, elegant graphs that tell the real story of how people are reacting to your content. You can even see if media shared via a specific email addresses has resulted in a download.
"This is more than an update - we almost think of this as a new product," explains our founder and Managing Director Michael Wells. "Even if global working arrangements weren't changing the way they have this year, the effect Chorus will have on how people do creative work will be nothing short of transformative."
Would you like to experience Chorus for yourself? We're offering a free 30-day trial so you can see its powerful, next-generation features in the best possible context: in action on your own projects. Any questions? Just ask@thirdlight.com, and we're here to help.