The Future of Org Charts
4.6/5 (529 reviews)Pros
I love that it's such an intuitive product. As new hire start, you assign their manager and they get added to the system. I also LOVE the reporting tool. We use it often when we need an accurate headcount of active employees and their emails. It's so quick, and so easy to use.
The UX/UI is also beautiful. Pingboard is the standard that we hold all org charts to.
I also LOVE the weekly emails. Our employees really reference them, especially for new hires, knowing birthdays and anniversaries.
The Out of Office integration is so great. It feeds over automatically to our Google Calendars.
Cons
I wish that you had a help line that we can call. We have to submit a inquiry whenever we have questions. Response time is still great. We typically get a response within 24 hours, but would love for a line to call directly.
There aren't different levels of admin privileges. For example: if our IT team were admins. they can log in and see all the information, so we have to limit them, and only keep the admin rights with our HR team.
Also the "Remote" feature of the OOO calendars was really confusing for our recruiting team, as they're heavily reliant on our G-Cal, and the remote feature does not show up when the person's calendar is set to private. This has caused our team to schedule several interviews for directors and employees who are working from home.
The Pingboard software is a excellent tool, especially if you utilize it to its full extent. I would add, however, that it is does not provide features that are essentially to our business operations, so it's more of a "nice to have," as opposed to a "must have." If you have the budget for the monthly cost, I would recommend it. If you are looking to trim expenses, I would say it is not vital software at this point.
Pros
The Pingboard software is very easy to use. We utilize for company communication, so that people are aware when teammate our on vacation, out sick, or on a business trip. The integrations are very helpful as well. Our Out-of-Office calendar links directly to Google Calendar and Slack, which makes communication seamless. Their customer service is exceptional as well, as they always return my requests by the next business day, and are very flexible.
Cons
Overall, the features are somewhat limited. The Out-of-Office reporting gives you a breakdown the PTO/Sick Days taken, but it would be nice to export into an .xls or .csv file that depicted the actual dates, and not just the number of days taken. We also run into issues with offices in different time zones. The Slack integration does not seem to be sophisticated enough to differentiate the different zones, so there is often confusion as to when people are actually out of office.
Easy to use software and see visually. Sometimes the ease of use of all areas building off one another can be too restrictive. Would like flexibility that not everything on the actual org chart needs to be connected to a person.
Pros
Ease of use in building a dynamic org chart. Searchable directory, customizable profile fields, admin and end user views, ability to create multiple org charts.
Cons
Everything needs to be tied to a box. Would be helpful to add text box fields ex: a text box or popup box to appear when hovering over a particular position title that explains what the responsibilities for that role are. There are times where a box that's created shouldn't show that it is a direct report of someone above. For instance, it makes sense instead of listing all sales reps to be directly under the VP of sales, that we have boxes for each region that say something such as west, central, east, etc. and have the reps underneath those boxes. This setup currently how the program functions shows that the person's manager is the west region.
Bulk import. Would like an option to bulk add a few users or a few new fields to all users instead of having to submit a whole spreadsheet of all of the company data again.
Printed fully expanded org chart functionality needed where org chart can be large enough to read (should likely printed on MULITPLE pages).
We have a complex organization with many team members. We are now able to easily look up employees from the org website.
Additionally, this tool has helped with morale, as the solution delivers a weekly email to management to provide an overview of who is in, out, telecommuting etc. However, one of the great aspects of this report is that it also includes upcoming anniversaries and birthdays, which is a great morale booster when supervisors are aware of such.
Pros
The best aspect of Pingboard is the ease of onboarding, implementation, and management of the product. We can stand up new, complicated organizations in about an hour. The users love it, and it is immediately publishable.
Also, the ability to have multiple versions of the org chart that you can keep hidden, in draft, allow for the management team to collaboratively work on org design without the hassle of sharing ppt or visio slides, using tools like SharePoint, etc.....
Cons
I really do not have anything negative to say about the solution.
It's very nice overall and makes it easy to view your organizational structure. It would be nice if employees within a single branch could update one another's status, but it's very nice that a "manager" can update everyone below them in the chart.
Pros
The software is very easy to use and allows both managers and employees to know each other's whereabouts. The mobile app. is very convenient and the integration with Google Calendar allows you to set a status in Pingboard and have it appear automatically in your Google Calendar. The "face game" is an especially nice way to get to know co-workers when your company goes from a small to medium-sized company. Also, Google Authentication makes it very easy to login both at a computer and on-the-go.
Cons
It is slightly inconvenient that if you first put an event in Google Calendar, it does not sync with Pingboard (although the it DOES work the other way).
This has made our organization so scalable and has allowed everyone to stay communicated. We've integrated Pingboard into every process- declaring sick days, determining head counts for lunch, leveraging the "Out of Office" feature to inform and auto-update calendars.
If you get a chance, use the phone app to play the faces game. A VERY fun way to get folks engaged and learn new faces.
The basic info on the profile also serves as our source of truth for t-shirt sizes, etc. All around a great tool.
Pros
EVERYTHING- in today's world of dynamic and nomadic workforces this tool is incredibly easy to communicate new faces, location statuses, and act as a central repository for where our largely remote workforce happens to be that day.
It also ends up being a great way to explain a re-org of teams (happening often when you're growing fast!), since you can graphically see the new table of organization and who reports to who.
Cons
The desktop version is not as slick as the mobile application. Other than that, the program is very flexible and can be easily integrated with other products.
I can quickly access more information (especially report chain and out of status) about my colleagues. Our organization is making an effort to make sure Pingboard is used widely; I hope it becomes better in that aspect.
Pros
1. The org chart visualization is absolutely great and considering how fast it loads, I love referring back to it all the time.
2. Integration with Google Calendar is great! Single place to provide your Out of Office status and you're done!
Cons
1. "Out of Office" option is a bit hidden, I wish there was a way to set an out of status state from my profile page itself; instead of going to the overall "Out of office" page.
2. It sometimes takes a while to see the title/report structure changes on Pingboard but I doubt this is related to Pingboard itself but more like how the data is fed into it.
It is very helpful especially to someone like me who needs to always coordinate with different teams everyday, but someone who do not socialize much. I can just go to their profile and pretend like I know them whenever they need help from me or whenever I need them to help me with something.
Pros
Easy access to profile of each employees. I work with different departments and teams, but I'm not good in memorizing names and faces. Whenever I need to coordinate with someone from a different team or office, I check their Pingboard profile first. I try to improve in getting to know my colleagues by playing the Pingboard game in the Android app.
Cons
The changing your status when you are out of the office. I always forget where to find it.
Overall a great experience. I do feel like there are more features that I'm not taking advantage of, so perhaps there is an opportunity for end-user education or middle-management education to get more use of the tool.
Pros
It is helpful to find who folks's roll into (who is their manager, director, vp, etc.). We also use the Out of Office to tie into a Google Calendar so everyone across the team is updated on when folks are out. The shared skills are also useful, for identifying who speaks foreign languages. I like the weekly emails. I typically take birthdays and anniversaries for my team and plug them into my calendar each week so I can remember to get that person a card, etc.
Cons
The Teams don't seem to always line up. I realize that is ridiculous, given it is something my company manages. However, it makes me believe that there is something inherently tricky about this from an admin perspective.
I wish that I could see items such as T-Shirt size for just my team, as a Manager. I don't think I have this ability, but this could also be an admin setting?
Pros
Pingboard is so simple to use for both admins and end-users. They make regular improvements to help integrate with other apps, to the org char user interface, and to the overall feel of the product. It feels like their engineering team is really on top of things, we've had very few issues with the software.
Cons
As much as we love the product it is priced a little high. I would love to see more integrations with HRIS systems and other tools for the price asked for. At the end of the day it's the perfect team directory! Their API is awesome and easy to use which has helped me get around the lack of integrations with a few other products we use.
When a new employee joins my company, they are always blown away by one piece of software in particular. It isn't GitHub, SalesForce, Office365, or any of the boilerplate onboarding items. It is Pingboard!
When you can see every person in your company on your first day, the reporting structure, the faces, people, and places, it is the singular best resource a new employee can have.
Pros
Pingboard is easy for end-users and admins alike, integrates with GSuite and auto-syncs, and allows everyone in our org to connect our schedules and statuses. Pingboard support is genuine, quick to reply, and very helpful.
Cons
Inviting new employees is sometimes accidentally forgotten when a new admin uses the software. Adding a new employee vs generating the invite can be easily mistaken. Timezone issues have confused one or two of our users but Pingboard support quickly resolved this for us.
The placeholder feature is super helpful. We have run into a small issue in that the CTO want's his people listed in different departments/teams and we're not quite sure how to get this accomplished because each CTO can only have one department (i think).
Pros
It's really fun to use and new hires routinely let us know how helpful it is in their first days with the company.
Cons
There's definitely a ramp-up learning period because different functions/actions are hidden in magical mystical spots. After the new hire learns everyone face, I feel usage drops off substantially, we need to find a way to keep employees engaged and coming back to Pingboard on a regular basis. Thoughts they can submit colleagues for Above & Beyond recognition by completing a Google form/survey. Let HR, or Workplace use Pingboard as a survey system.
It really helped us track vacation/sick time. We used an antiquated spreadsheet approach which wasn't easy to get how much time someone took at the end of the year. It also has brought a level of visibility to where people are now that we're more mobile and remote than ever.
Pros
I love the out of office feature. Its the biggest reason I implemented Pingboard when I joined my current company. The org chart feature and integration with GSuite has come in handy and made onboarding super easy.
Cons
The reporting could use some work. There is a lack of being able to filter things like Out of Office statuses to just the team you are a member of, especially through the Slack integration.
There used to be a feature too where you could post In and Out status on a big board which my leadership team was looking for. I'd like to see that sort of In/Out board feature that could be posted on monitors or public spaces for everyone to easily know.
Pingboard is a fun and visually appealing way to learn about your coworkers, especially in a large organization.
Pros
Single source for clear photos and information about your coworkers. I like being able to check my teammate's start dates, birthdays, job titles, or upcoming vacations from time to time. The Slack integration is helpful to know what's happening across your entire organization for the day.
Cons
- Some individuals didn't have photos of themselves
- I often want to sort people by start date so I can see the newest hires.
- It's another piece of software to keep track of. For example, when I submit PTO, I have to submit it in payment software, put it on my calendar, and then add it to Pingboard.
Overall works great - we have it fully automated as Okta is pushing any changes in real time over. A couple of added features would make this perfect
Pros
Easily to deploy if you use an IdP such as Okta. This made populating data and rolling out to our end users a breeze. Easy to use, mobile phone game is loved in our company, and overall is a must-have app for our company.
Cons
Some critical features for us are missing with no progress or updates on them since we rolled Pingboard out over a year ago. More flexibility and customizability are needed but there haven't been a ton of new updates.
Also got rid of their TV app to showcase your company on digital signage which I think is a must for an app like Pingboard.
Updates are in real time, so contractors can change their status and I can see it immediately. This helps in team coordination. The organization chart feature is easy to use and modify as changes occur. So it is quick and easy to keep current. I really do like this software.
Pros
I like that contractors can indicate their current or future status as working remote, on vacation, sick, etc. I can quickly run a report on the status of all contractors on my team or run a report of those out of office.
Cons
There is no ability to mark a team as a Favorite, so it floats to the top of the team directory. There are several teams I manage in Pingboard and I would like to be able to mark some as Favorites, or have a Favorites option in the Directory.
Pros
I like how easy it is to use. I can use it on my computer or on my phone, and I appreciate that I can have a colleague's contact information readily at my fingertips if I need to get a hold of them. I also like that there are pictures for each employee, I am a visual learner so it helps me match faces to a name. There are a lot of employees at my organization, so that feature is helpful.
Cons
There are some features that are easier to use/access on the computer than on the phone app. It would be nice if they were more similar, but I do understand that a phone cannot view all the things a computer has the capability of doing.
It's so much easier to find out more about my coworkers. A lot of us work remotely from home or in different offices around the country and this helps us learn more about our team and know where we all are at any given time.
Pros
It makes finding info about unknown or new coworkers super easy. I can share what I know about the company, information about myself and when I'm going to be out of the office.
Cons
The software is only as helpful as the information that's put into it. Coworkers that I was on the same teams with were appearing on a different team in the system because they had a different name they had entered.
Pros
Easy to use, streamlined & multi-functional. I like that you can make mock-ups of hypothetical org structures & put placeholders for "TBD" positions. Out of office, remote, etc. statuses are very helpful (if only everyone was consistent about using them)! I love using Pingboard to double check or confirm an employee's start date or title.
Cons
For check-in, I wish there was a way to only display employees in that office. We have a few different office locations, so it would be helpful if guests didn't have to scroll through the entire company. It would also help to have a more direct way of accessing signed NDAs from the check in history. I wish there was a way to export a report of employees' birthdays &/or work anniversaries as well.
Pros
I like how simple Pingboard is. We have other software that overlaps with a lot of the features in pingboard but our org has yet to migrate from using Pingboard for the Org Chart and Out of Office.
Cons
I like how simple the features are but I feel like there should be more care or attention to detail on the the very few actions a user can take. Most people are using Pingboard to update their status. I have to click on way too many things to update that. Why not just have a quick way to update your status the moment you visit pingboard?
Pros
The Google Calendar integration combined with Teams allows me to easily see who is in our out of the office on my team at a glance. It's also nice that I can look up co-workers who are not on my team, but I may be looking for.
Cons
Editing Out of Office time is not incredibly intuitive. It takes far too many clicks to try to find a previously scheduled event and edit it. There should be an easier way to access your own events, rather than having to go through the Out of Office section of the app. The mobile app also does not allow for as much flexibility for managing your time off as the website does, which has been a bit frustrating when I'm trying to update Out of Office time on the go.
I am satisfied with the product. As a user, it does all I need and would expect from an HR/Org chart software.
Pros
My favorite thing is the clarity of the org chart presentation. It's easy to expand an collapse departments, and it makes it easy to see who is reporting to who, and in which department they are.
The Out of office section is also neat, as it connects to google calendar so you always know if your colleagues are on site or not.
The game on the app is great, it presents faces of your colleagues to you and you have to pick the name of the colleague as fast as possible. It's a great feature for companies that have more than one office.
Cons
Very honestly, there is not much not to like. If I really had to pick on something, I would say that I would like if they ported the game they have on the app to the desktop. I think that's the only thing the desktop version is lacking.
It's been super helpful, but a could of the cons I described above would bring it to next level.
Pros
I'm a pingboard admin, it's helpful to see people's personal preferences when putting together something person (an anniversary or thank you gift for example). It's also helpful to track where co-workers are and quickly see their contact info.
Cons
As an Executive Assistant who supports 2 Executives, and has a separate Manager-- it would be helpful if my notifications for time off went to all three of them.
Separately, the Executive I support has asked me to log his time off in pingboard for him, but I can't because you need to sign on through Google. If we were able to sign in with just a username and password I could sign in for him and do it.
Customer Service is awesome, some of the best I've worked with. I wish the SW also prompted people in email to upload their picture and complete their profile so I don't have to nag them.
Pros
Autoloads new hires into Pingboard and the "who's new" email including anniversaries each Monday.
Cons
We cannot load our Holiday calendar into the SW and I wish I could view a specific department at a time in the org chart
Pros
Working as a remote tutor/teacher, the pingboard allows me to connect to other members of the organization. It is a fantastic way to interact with and find out when particular employees are going on vacation or out sick. It has strong integrations as well, including the Outlook Out-of-Office integration. It is a dream to use.
Cons
While it is a great product and does exactly what it sets out to do, in some businesses this may not be absolutely required. It is great for my company because we rely on each other so strongly, and since we are remote, it is nice to be able to put faces to names and have an intuitive piece of software. However, I could see this being slightly redundant in some organizations.