{"id":2587603,"date":"2023-04-16T12:10:10","date_gmt":"2023-04-16T16:10:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platoaistream.com\/plato-data\/buffers-stack-for-startup-success\/"},"modified":"2023-04-16T12:10:10","modified_gmt":"2023-04-16T16:10:10","slug":"buffers-stack-for-startup-success","status":"publish","type":"station","link":"https:\/\/platoaistream.com\/plato-data\/buffers-stack-for-startup-success\/","title":{"rendered":"Buffer\u2019s Stack for Startup Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Buffer-Marketing-Stack\"\u201cAutomagically\u201d sharing just about anything is Buffer\u2019s claim to fame. It\u2019s their business to make being a contributing member of the online community easier. But when it comes to making the lives \u2013 and jobs \u2013 of the people behind Buffer easier, it gets complicated. The stack of apps Buffer uses to get the job done was four years in the making and is still changing as the company scales.<\/p>\n

What tools does a growing company like Buffer need for startup success? Tom Redman, mobile developer at Buffer, shared not only their current stack, but their reasoning behind every layer.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe are continually experimenting with new tools and systems, changing existing ones and seeing what works. We\u2019re not really dogmatic about anything and try really hard to keep an open mind about tools.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tools for Navigating Instant Communication<\/h2>\n

Buffer is a tight-knit team, and when one person sees a need or pain-point, he or she researches available options and checks with the team to see if there are any takers. When Sunil Sadasivan, Buffer\u2019s CTO, thought that having a more open, idea-based discussion forum would help foster new ideas (without cluttering up email or HipChat threads) he set up an internal Discourse site. Anything and everything goes, keeping HipChat and email for more focused discussions.<\/p>\n

And yes, Buffer uses HipChat<\/a> rather than Slack \u2013 but they didn\u2019t always.<\/p>\n

In the beginning was the Slack channel. And it was good. But Slack didn\u2019t give the team much control over its notifications system, which lead them back to HipChat. \u201cHipChat is our office,\u201d says Tom.<\/p>\n

Buffer also uses Small-Improvements<\/a> for positive and constructive feedback. Small-Improvements is performance review software that allows users to set and track objectives, send messages, and most importantly, dish out lots of praise.<\/p>\n

Face to Face, with Miles Between<\/h2>\n

To further create the feeling of a spontaneous office environment with remote team members, Buffer uses Sqwiggle<\/a> for rapid-fire video chats. Sometimes, all the emoticons in the world can\u2019t take the place of seeing the expression on your co-worker\u2019s face.<\/p>\n

Long-Form, Long-Distance Discussions<\/h2>\n

While instant message style tools like HipChat and Slack are ideal for keeping a long-distance team connected, sometimes you need to write more than a chat window or thread can comfortably hold. When this happens, the Buffer team switches to Gmail \u2013 with \u201cheavy filtering and labels.\u201d Each team member receives a lot of mail, and as the team grows, Gmail\u2019s sorting and labeling features become more and more important.<\/p>\n

Outside Communication<\/h2>\n

In the midst of flying emails from teammates, instant messages and video chats, it\u2019s almost too easy to forget that clients, customers, and people outside your work circle might also want to speak with you. For these communications, Buffer uses HelpScout<\/a> for email, and SparkCentral for Twitter.<\/p>\n

A Place for Everything, When Everything Grows Like Crazy<\/h2>\n

When your company is growing as fast as Buffer, organization and project management become all-important. And, they can become all-consuming without the right tools. Buffer employs several tools to help them stay focused, organized and on track.<\/p>\n

For product specs, personal task tracking, getting advice, or just about any other random thought, they use Hackpad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

When it\u2019s time to orchestrate a Task Force, or perform any task that involves a list, Trello<\/a> is the preferred medium.<\/p>\n

iDoneThis<\/a> is ideal for seeing which tasks have been completed in each person\u2019s day (the Buffer team is completely transparent on who does what, when).<\/p>\n

And, for document organization and spreadsheets, Google Docs is the tool of choice \u2013 for most things. For other types of files and resources the team wants to share, they use Dropbox<\/a>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Tracking, Measuring, Monitoring & Keeping All the Balls in the Air<\/h2>\n

They say \u201cWhat gets measured gets done\u201d and by the number of things Buffer gets done, they must measure a lot. Here\u2019s their list of tools for keeping all the balls in the air (and getting instant alerts should one ball go down).<\/p>\n