Flowz Review

What Is Flowz?

Flowz is an all-in-one business management solution. It provides a comprehensive selection of software. For example, video conferencing and email, along with a portal of services. You get everything from software programming to SEO.

Unlike other business software, Flowz doesn’t integrate with existing tools. Instead, you get its own in-house suite, saving on costs associated with individual apps. For example, instead of Zoom, you use the Flowz Video Conferencing app. 

There is an element of syncing when it comes to email accounts, calendars, etc. 

The platform is free with 2GB of storage and a $0.27/minute services charge. Premium plans up storage limits and provide a cheaper services rate, with a faster turnaround time.

It’s all cloud-based, so you and your team can access the platform from anywhere with a browser, including by mobile. There are also desktop apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android, though only for the cloud storage feature.

The company traces its roots back to the early 2000s and OfficeBeacon. However, Flowz itself only launched in the past year. It currently has over 4,000 customers, including Harvard University and stationery manufacturer National Pen.   

Will your business join them?

Let’s see what it offers.

How Does Flowz Work?

Flowz may be a huge suite of tools and services but it manages to deliver everything in a well-organized web interface. On the software side, everything is accessible even from the free plan. Moreover, you don’t have to download any programs. They all function from the cloud.

For example, to set up a video conference, you just hit the Meetings tab, add a new meeting, and fill out details like the date and start time. The conference itself happens smoothly in-browser. It’s a similar experience for the other tools.

Your main consideration is whether you’re willing to trade a popular solution like Zoom for the Flowz version. Also, think about whether your team can easily make the transition. In this case, the video conferencing solution is more than capable of replacing other common software. 

On the services side, it greets you with a straightforward storefront for browsing by category, industry, and other filters. When you’ve found the service you need, you put in a request with a job name and a small description of what you require. Then attach any files that might help the process along. 

You choose the number of hours and pay the rate which corresponds with your plan. 

It’s not always apparent how long a service should take and depending on its complexity, you will need to set aside adequate time to communicate with your expert. However, you can easily extend a job and keep an eye on its progress. The number of revisions depends on your plan.

Features and Services

Is the platform right for you? I’ve prepared Flowz core feature reviews to help you decide.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage allows you to store files securely online and share them with individuals or your team. Create circles (groups of users) with different permissions to maintain security. 

‘Drive’ integrates into the platform’s email service and you can easily provide access to anyone via link or email, not just team members. 

Because it’s cloud-based, nobody has to be in the office or at a specific computer to access a file. Further bolster your remote work capabilities by creating spreadsheets, slide presentations, simple text, and whiteboards – all on the fly. 

The likes of Dropbox or Google Drive are easily replaceable by Flowz.

Email

The Mail dashboard lets you manage all your email accounts from one unified inbox. It supports Gmail, Outlook, and Yahoo. Setup is simple enough, requiring you to create an ‘app password’ from your original accounts and then logging in on Flowz to link them together.

Now you can receive and send emails from any of your accounts without leaving Flowz. Contacts added via the CRM system are also available in Mail.

Other features include a favorites folder for emails you’ve starred, a priority inbox, and the ability to add event invites and travel itineraries to the Flowz calendar. You can also attach files up to 11MB before you must upload them to Drive.

Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is all the rage right now. Many businesses didn’t anticipate the cost of premium services like Zoom, however, which can set you back $88.22 per month for just five users.

For less than that, you get the entire Flowz package, which includes its own powerful conferencing solution. It’s fundamentally sound, with unique links for each meeting, no restrictions on who can be invited, and a public chat room with moderation.

Most importantly, up to 150 people can take part in a meeting with no restrictions. That makes it perfect for even the largest business conferences.

Participants can join as silent viewers, just with audio, or full webcam. As host, you can also control who gets to speak and who is visible on screen. Dynamic switching allows those who are currently speaking to replace one the panels, while a hand raise button keeps large sessions cordial. 

Furthermore, there are a wealth of interactive features to maintain engagement. Share notes and files, conduct a poll or collaborate on a multi user whiteboard. Screen sharing lets you simultaneously speak and present, and you can play and share external videos.  

If you hit the record button the stream is saved for on-demand viewing with a unique access link you carshare anywhere. Just remember to keep an eye on your storage limits.

Project Management

A business platform would be useless without the ability to manage projects and tasks. ‘Projects’ lets you easily plan, assign, and track your team’s work.

It functions via a task board and integrated calendar, with cards grouped by To-Do, Doing, and Done. Admins simply create and share projects, then drag and drop the cards around the board as they see fit. Choose to share projects discreetly with specific team members or let everyone take part.

The project functions as the parent, which can contain many individual tasks. Set an overall project due date alongside task due dates, while assigning team members to the entire project or only certain tasks.

A large field allows you to describe the task in detail and you can add attachments if needed. You can also set a timeline to keep each step on track. Along the way, the task page supports commenting to communicate feedback, instructions, or changes. Team members can respond and @mention each other to stay informed. 

A simple internal linking system connects related projects and tasks together.

CRM

‘Contacts’ is the Flowz customer relationship management (CRM) section. Here you can import contacts in CSV, sync Google contacts, and manage things manually.  Standard fields include name, address, country, zip code, telephone number, and email address.

You can easily group contacts to create segmented lists and it’s up to you how to label them. For example, you might have lists for customers, suppliers, and distributors. You can also sort them on the fly by name, date added, location etc. 

Sharing is simple enough. Export lists back out to CSV or share a link to team members via any of the Flowz communication methods.

Chat Room

‘Talk’ is a messaging tool that replaces the likes of Slack. It allows your team members and vendors to securely communicate in text, with the ability to share images and other attachments. You can also start an audio or video conference from the chat window by clicking the blue button in the top-right corner.

Starting a new conversation is easy, just select or search users to add them to the group. Outsiders can also join via a unique link with password protection. This prevents unauthorized access, while it restricts unverified users from starting their own conversations.

Users can receive notifications for all messages, only when someone @mentions, or it can be turned off entirely. Furthermore, a search function lets you find previous chats to continue the conversation or review what was said.

Flowz Talk is not quite as advanced as some platforms out there. For example, you can’t create permanent stickied rooms and there are no threaded conversations. The UI is intuitive, however, and there’s nothing missing that will hinder your workflow. The project management area fills in some of the missing gaps.

Talk is also secure, with end-to-end encryption, suspicious login detection, and malware scans on shared files. 

Call Center

The omnichannel call center enhances your customer service response. It combines VOIP, email, SMS, and social media all in one dashboard. So, you can reply to one customer on Twitter and another on WhatsApp with the click of a tab. Moreover, you get to publish status updates without having to switch to the Facebook or Twitter apps.

This section also lets you manage marketing campaigns, pulling contacts data, organizing your lists, sending out emails and SMSs, or sharing campaigns with your team to execute. 

The auto-dialer keeps your calls efficient, and you can: 

• monitor your remote call agents
• assign them to specific customers
• prepare scripts for different campaigns
• log call outcomes. 

You can even record inbound and outbound calls to monitor performance and aid the training process.

It’s got a great set of reports. The home dashboard has figures for your campaigns and lists, the number of successful calls, and a real-time overview of calls waiting, ringing, and in process.

Calendar

A functional calendar is important for business planning. You can manage multiple calendars from one dashboard, keeping your personal and team schedules separate. Each user has the same interface and can also create a calendar for themselves, while receiving assigned events from managers.

If you have a lot going on, scrolling or sorting the list of calendars is simple. Alternatively, use the search bar to find a calendar or specific event.  

Flowz syncs everything, so your projects, conferences, and other events are all sent to a calendar, with links directing users to the appropriate area of the platform. The notification bell reminds you when the day comes.

You can also share interactive calendars so team members or vendors can schedule appointments based on your free slots. Never experience scheduling clashes again.

Furthermore, when you’re away from the platform, Outlook or Google calendars sync to keep you in the loop.

e-Sign

All modern workplaces require digital signatures. While the current go-to is DocuSign, Flowz offers a comparable tool called e-Sign. It supports PDFs and Word documents and keeps records of every file sent for signing. You can easily which have been signed or are still waiting, while an automated reminder can be sent with the click of a button.

e-Sign supports all devices, and you can enforce or allow users to choose between typing or drawing their signature. The latter is particularly beneficial for mobile or touchscreen users, who can sign using their finger or a stylus. 

You can even modify documents with extra fields to collect all the data you need.

Business Services

The range of business services is impressive. Categories include:

• Back-office support
• Consulting
• Creative services
• Customer service
• Engineering
• Finance
• HR & staffing
• Legal services
• Marketing
• Operations & logistics
• Risk mitigation
• Sales & lead generation
• Software programming
• Writing and translation

You can also browse by your specific industry e.g., apparel, healthcare, education, etc. In total, there are over 1,000 individual services across all categories.

It’s worth noting that this isn’t a marketplace that connects your business with freelancers. Nobody openly bids for the job and it fixes your rate to your plan. Instead, Flowz has curated its service providers and handles the relationship on your behalf. 

The benefit is a guaranteed turnaround time and a high standard of work. The downside is there’s no accepting cheaper offers or building a long-lasting relationship with the freelancer you like. 

As a newer platform, there’s an element of the unknown here. It’s not practical to test every service. Nonetheless, the rating and feedback system should keep things kosher. Flowz is not going to risk swathes of negative reviews for services it represents. 

It gives two hours of free credits to all new customers, even on the free plan. Furthermore, an affiliate program lets you earn free work hours by inviting others to Flowz.  

Interface and Mobile Apps

Overall, the Flowz platform is very user-friendly. You can access all tools via icons at the top of the page. Sometimes loading stalled and needed a refresh, but this didn’t occur often enough to affect performance.

However, one design flaw that does become annoying is links opening in new browser tabs. You would assume that navigating the dashboard, jumping from Mail to the Calendar etc., would be seamless. Yet, every time, a new tab opens and can eventually leave your browser cluttered. This might not be the case on every browser, but it was when testing with Chrome.

The services section is simple to browse and adds a couple of extra links in a navigation bar. These let you view your orders and associated reports. A Recently viewed box also lets you go back and complete an order without trying to find the service page again.

The software works well. The fact that it’s all cloud-based and accessible from anywhere is a huge plus. 

Flowz is lacking slightly in CRM and email marketing capabilities, but you can easily import and export contacts if you need something more advanced. Moreover, the call center is an excellent addition. 

I also explored the set of mobile apps. You can buy and manage services on iOS and Android via a dedicated app, while the cloud storage tool is only available on Android via another app. You can’t access any of the other software with apps.

There are also Drive apps for Mac, Windows, and Linux. At first glance, this might seem redundant, but integration with your computer’s file system is pretty neat and can save you time when sharing files.

Of course, the obvious criticism is that there are no mobile apps that replicate the entire platform. However, the mobile browser site is just as intuitive as the desktop version. There isn’t necessarily a reason for accessing the same content via an app. 

Technical Support

Flowz has several modes of support if you run into technical trouble. Your first port of call is the Knowledge Base, which includes guides for its tools, working in the cloud, service delivery, billing, and more. There is also an FAQ to answer common questions.

Furthermore, it pops up a video explaining how to start when you first access key tools

Direct support is also available via email and web chat. In fact, the chat window sometimes pops up if you linger on a page. It doesn’t take long to reach a member of staff. During the test for this Flowz review, support offered me a video conferencing demonstration after asking a question. So, you’ll have no trouble getting the help you need.

Email support is slower - it requires you to choose a department, level of urgency, and share as much detail as possible. This ensures a thorough response.

The only nitpick is staff are only active five days a week, not Saturdays or Sundays. Nonetheless, during the working week, you can get a response 24 hours a day and, in my experience, you’ll only be waiting a few minutes.

Judging by Flowz reviews, most users also had positive experiences. 

Flowz Pricing

The cost of Flowz is refreshingly straightforward. There’s no user limit or different levels of software access. Even the free plan opens up the entirety of its toolset. The only variables are the rate, turnaround time, and number of revisions permitted for services. Storage space is also a factor.

As you can see, upfront pricing is accessible to small businesses, while large businesses can pay more for the privilege of better rates and faster jobs. 

Flowz estimates you can save hundreds a month from subscribing to tools like Zoom, Slack, and Dropbox.

Hosting

• Dedicated Server and Database: $450/mo

Add-ons

If you reach your plan’s storage limit, you can easily scale by 1GB for $1. 

Furthermore, you can hire part-time staff on 20 hours contracts for $695/month. Meanwhile, full-time staff are on hand for 40-hour contracts at $1295/month. You can choose staff for any available service on the platform.

Customize any software with a professional programmer for $25/hr.

Verdict

Although there are a few hiccups, such as the opening of new browser tabs, Flowz doesn’t fall into the trap of a cheap imitator. If anything, each tool exceeds expectations. The video conferencing solution is a powerful example. 

Regardless of business size, you will absolutely save money by replacing your separate software subscriptions with Flowz. Its pricing model, which doesn’t charge based on users, is a revelation. Plus, if you’re smart about storage and backups, you could get away without paying a penny thanks to the 2GB free plan.

These features alone are worth your time. Its affordable business services are the icing on the cake. 

If you liked what you read in this Flowz review, definitely give the software a try. You won’t regret it.

As you can see, upfront pricing is accessible to small businesses, while large businesses can pay more for the privilege of better rates and faster jobs. 

Flowz estimates you can save hundreds a month from subscribing to tools like Zoom, Slack, and Dropbox.

Hosting

• Dedicated Server and Database: $450/mo

Add-ons

If you reach your plan’s storage limit, you can easily scale by 1GB for $1. 

Furthermore, you can hire part-time staff on 20 hours contracts for $695/month. Meanwhile, full-time staff are on hand for 40-hour contracts at $1295/month. You can choose staff for any available service on the platform.

Customize any software with a professional programmer for $25/hr.

Verdict

Although there are a few hiccups, such as the opening of new browser tabs, Flowz doesn’t fall into the trap of a cheap imitator. If anything, each tool exceeds expectations. The video conferencing solution is a powerful example. 

Regardless of business size, you will absolutely save money by replacing your separate software subscriptions with Flowz. Its pricing model, which doesn’t charge based on users, is a revelation. Plus, if you’re smart about storage and backups, you could get away without paying a penny thanks to the 2GB free plan.

These features alone are worth your time. Its affordable business services are the icing on the cake. 

If you liked what you read in this Flowz review, definitely give the software a try. You won’t regret it.