CASE-005 Meshup
Internal communication on a chat tool we built ourselves
A Slack/Mattermost-style chat platform developed in-house and connected to our own business systems.
All screens shown use dummy data.
This is a summary of the case study. Full details are available on the Japanese page.
Challenges
We had been running the open-source chat tool Mattermost on a cloud VPS. It had become essential for daily communication, but it came with problems.
On top of the cost of a dedicated server, outages, version upgrades and database migrations took real time to manage.
We mainly used channels, file sharing and notifications. The rest of the feature set made the tool harder for staff to use.
Links to our employee directory and MD SYSTEM were limited, so account management and business integration were not flexible.
Our Approach: Familiar to use, built by us
We developed Meshup from scratch in PHP and MySQL — the same stack as our other business systems. Channels, threads and reactions work almost exactly like Slack and Mattermost, so staff could switch without retraining.
Runs on our existing hosting
No dedicated server: Meshup runs on the same shared hosting as our website and business systems, cutting both cost and maintenance.
Only the features we actually use
Features were chosen to fit how we work, plus what staff asked for — such as read counts on company-wide notices and status indicators.
Connected to our systems
Accounts sync automatically with the employee directory, and MD SYSTEM posts sales activity to chat automatically.
Key Features
Channels & DMs
Channels by department or topic, one-to-one DMs and small group DMs.
Threads
Replies collect in a side thread so the main timeline stays readable.
Reactions & read counts
Emoji reactions to acknowledge messages; company-wide notices show how many people have confirmed.
Push notifications & quiet hours
Add to the home screen for app-like push notifications, with a quiet-hours mode for nights and weekends.
Search, pins & saved posts
Search by keyword, channel, author or date; pin or save important posts.
System integration
Webhook posts from MD SYSTEM and other internal systems, in the same format as Mattermost.
Results
Lower running costs
The dedicated server is no longer needed, and there are no per-user license fees as the company grows.
Better work–life balance
Each employee sets their own quiet hours, so notifications stop outside working time. Messages wait as unread until the next morning.
Business information in one place
Sales activity and other updates from internal systems arrive in chat automatically.
TECHNOLOGY
PHP 8MySQLJavaScriptPWAWeb PushWebhook