Dispatch.io, a 2011 TechStars graduate which created a file-focused collaboration tool for teams, is pivoting to Dispatch.cc, a product that seeks to add structure to chaotic group emails.
For some teams, an online project management tool like Basecamp is essential. For others, a simple email thread is all that’s needed. Dispatch now intends to target the middle ground between the two; the company believes it can help teams which often fall back on email to get things done, but want more order than a giant CC thread can offer.
Dispatch works like an added layer atop a standard email thread. Dispatch users will see separate threads as posts, organized neatly in the service’s Web app. From non-users, however, all they’ll need to do is reply to a pre-determined group email address.
This backwards compatibility between email and posts is meant to eliminate the friction that heavier services like Basecamp can cause, in which every team member must use the service for it to work.
As shown above, new posts can be created within the Dispatch site or via email.
Dispatch’s new service appears to be an impressive-yet-lightweight solution, but it still faces many of the same barriers that many other team communication tools must confront; in order for Dispatch to thrive, the company will have to convince teams to leave their old solutions behind. Furthermore, an improved email management solution may not be enough to convince teams to adopt a group email account and make the jump.
To be successful, Dispatch will have to prove it can be comfortably adopted by team members without requiring an intense on-boarding process or learning curve. The service is now available for teams via the link below.
Image credit: Thinkstock
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.