Gather Pilot Guide

Over 10,000 remote organizations, ranging from startups to Fortune 500s, have built virtual offices on Gather. Based on their experiences, we've created this guide of best practices to help you launch a successful pilot. 

Step 1: Plan the Details

Before launching the pilot, decide who will participate, when, and why you’re trying Gather (this will help with evaluation later).

Who to include: Select teams that frequently collaborate, such as two engineering pods or an engineering team and a product team. 

• For fewer than 50 people, get started with our 30-day free trial. 
• For more than 50 people, contact us to discuss a custom pilot. 

When to start: Anytime. The important thing is that you’ve communicated expectations to your team so everyone can fully commit to the pilot. 

Know your ‘why’: Review the benefits of a virtual office and consider what you hope to improve about your team’s culture. Keep these goals in mind throughout the pilot and the evaluation phase. 

Step 2: Share the Plan

Before the pilot launch, give your team context about Gather and why you’re trialing it. Here’s an announcement template you can copy and paste. 

In the announcement, include: 

1. A summary of Gather and the reason for piloting it.
2. Expectations, including holding all meetings in Gather and keeping the app open during work hours. 
3. Instructions to get started. Here’s an onboarding guide template designed for you to customize and share.

Step 3: Invite & Onboard the Team

Do this during business hours, when you (as an Admin) can be in the virtual office to welcome people and help them settle in. 

To add members, open the Participants Panel (the people icon in the bottom navigation bar) and click Invite at the top of the panel. Use Invite by Link to copy a URL you can share in Slack, email, etc. (Click here for the complete guide.) 

After you send invites, everyone should take five essential steps to complete onboarding. Pass this list on to your team to ensure a smooth pilot experience: 

1. Download the Gather Desktop App for easy access to your office and the best performance
2. Connect a Calendar to schedule and join meetings in Gather easilysome text
   1. Guide for Google Calendar 
   2. Guide for Outlook Calendar
3. Move existing meetings into Gather so there’s no confusion about where to join a call
4. Claim a desk to ‘sit’ by teammates just like in a physical office
5. Set system permissions for Gather to access the microphone and camera, and to record screens for screen sharing

Step 4: Work in Gather

It’s time to start using the office together. Swing by each others’ desks, hold meetings, and collaborate on projects. 

Best practices to make the most of your office during the pilot: 

• Hold all regularly scheduled meetings in Gather. That includes department meetings, standups, 1:1s, all-hands, etc. 
• Keep Gather open even if you’re not talking to anyone. Staying in the virtual office helps others see who’s available for real-time collaboration. 
• Start conversations by waving. This action is a nice way to let someone know you want to talk. 
• Plan a Friday afternoon social event. Race each other in the Gather Grand Prix or pick a spot to socialize. (Try these 5-minute icebreaker ideas.)
• Start an open coworking session. Pick a meeting area and send a chat message to the office inviting others to join you over the next hour. 
• Collaborate with cross-functional partners. If you’re starting your pilot with a single department but plan to expand across your organization, cross-functional meetings are a great way to introduce others to Gather. 
• Ask your team for feedback throughout the pilot. Are there enough meeting areas? Does the seating chart make sense? Survey your team throughout the pilot and implement feedback for the best experience. 

Remember: Gather is a new way of working, and it’s normal for it to feel forced initially. However, as your team builds the habit of opening Gather every day and talking to each other in the virtual office, this new way of connecting will start to feel natural. 

Step 5: Evaluate the Pilot

To evaluate Gather, take three actions: survey your team, review your Insights Dashboard, and compile the results. 

1. Survey the Team

Ask these five questions to measure productivity, engagement, connectedness, and general sentiment about Gather. 

1. Gather has helped me schedule fewer meetings.
   1. Strongly Disagree
   2. Disagree
   3. Neutral
   4. Agree
   5. Strongly Agree
2. Gather has helped me feel more engaged with [company name].
   1. Strongly Disagree
   2. Disagree
   3. Neutral
   4. Agree
   5. Strongly Agree
3. Gather has helped me feel more connected to my teammates.
   1. Strongly Disagree
   2. Disagree
   3. Neutral
   4. Agree
   5. Strongly Agree
4. Overall, how satisfied are you with your experience using Gather?
   1. Very dissatisfied 
   2. Dissatisfied
   3. Neither
   4. Satisfied
   5. Very satisfied
5. Why did you provide that rating? Feel free to expand on what you liked, disliked, and hope to see regarding your experience with Gather. [optional] 

2. Review Insights Dashboard

Explore Insights to see how your team used Gather during the pilot.

We recommend referencing these four charts: 

• Weekly Active Members: The average number of people who actively used Gather each week.
• Number of User Conversations: The total number of conversations in your office.
• Median Conversation Length: If you see a small number here, that’s good – it’s a sign of quick interactions. The average conversation in Gather is 10 minutes long, compared to 52 minutes in Zoom. (Source)
• Conversation Length: Look at the percentage of conversations shorter than 10 minutes. This metric is another sign of rapid collaboration instead of reliance on formal meetings.

3. Combine the Data & Share Results

Review the survey feedback and Insights metrics to build your case for Gather. Pair the data with employee quotes to capture the complete picture of your pilot experience. 

Use this template to share your results: 

We piloted Gather for [amount of time] with [Insights Chart - Weekly Active Members] members. 
‍
Out of [Insights Chart - Number of User Conversations] conversations, our average meeting length was only [Insights Chart - Median Conversation Length], and [Insights Chart - Conversation Length] of conversations were shorter than 10 minutes – two productivity signals that people were able to collaborate quickly. 

After surveying the team, [Survey Question 1] were able to schedule fewer meetings. [Survey Question 2] felt more engaged with [Company Name], and [Survey Question 3] felt more connected to their teammates. 

Overall, [Survey Question 4] of the team are satisfied with Gather. Examples of feedback: [Survey Question 5] 
"Quote 1"
"Quote 2"
"Quote 3" 

Make the Virtual Office Official

If you’re ready to purchase Gather, start your subscription. 

If you need help setting up an enterprise plan or expanding across more of your team, contact us. We’ve helped thousands of organizations (ranging from startups to Fortune 500s) launch virtual offices on Gather, and we’d love to help yours next.