Google Hangouts (Classic) vs. Unify Office by RingCentral, from Atos

Had I completed this review a couple years ago, I would have given a rating of 9 or 10 as Hangouts (Classic) is an excellent product. However, now that Google Chat has succeeded Hangouts, I would not recommend that any new users begin using it where other more modern options are available. Android users who want an internet based instant messaging that also supports calling and video calling could benefit from using Hangouts (Classic) as Google Chat requires the user to also have Google Meet installed to make video calls and there is no voice only calling option.

Incentivized

If you are looking for a tool for Teams to use where they can keep everything together, then this will work really well. A complete package than tools such as WhatsApp or Skype for Business when it comes to documenting handling and more polished than the likes of Slack or HipChat for the team working and communication element.

Incentivized

• Google Hangouts (Classic) is embedded within Gmail's scheduler, so setting up the link is as quick as a click of the button. It's a one-step process.
• Google Hangouts (Classic) is user-friendly and [has] features to share screens easily.
• Google Hangouts (Classic) is much easier to use than its competitors.
• Google Hangouts (Classic) have [a] good connection time and there are few glitches.

Incentivized

• The mobile use of the platform is very powerful. To be able to answer a video call on your phone and them simply swipe when you get to your desktop to have a seamless transfer is impressive.
• The simple interface makes it easy for new users. There is nothing to make them feel overwhelmed.
• Keeping all the information in the threads of conversations makes it easy to find. There is also a search tool, so as long as you know what you need, you can look accross all your conversation to find the information you are looking for.

Incentivized

• I would like to see improved video support, so that saved videos can be sent back and forth via Hangouts more easily, without having to start a separate meet chat
• More pronounced notifications of messages would be helpful; pop up notifications are good, but once there is one, additional messages do not pop up
• Custom muting times would be great, so that if I am in a 90 minute Zoom meeting, I can set it for that time; right now, it is 1 hour or 2 hours. Easy to forget.

Incentivized

• We would like to see the ability to break out to Group video conferencing systems. We understand that this is on its way in a software update in the near future.

Incentivized

The tool is almost self-implemented. It is likely to be available in every pc or mobile device a user or potential user might have, and all you need to do is adding the company's account and you are done. Once you are setted up, you have almost all actual communication methods available in one tool

Incentivized

Google Hangouts works great and does not require a lot of work to troubleshoot. Everything is simple and easy to use. Google provides all of the tools that one requires to utilize Google Hangouts and any information can be found in the built-in help tools. There is also a forum for users to report issues and typically, Google responds well and will try to work out any issues.

Incentivized

Google is the white cotton socks of the conferencing world. It’s a great ad-hoc tool, but not too much more. If you are not looking to spend money or operate completely on WiFi (without data charges), it’s a great free option as well. The benefit of being free and open is also the liability. It doesn’t have a great integration story with other corporate tools, but [it doesn’t have to] if you aren’t looking for that. All in all, it’s as helpful and ubiquitous as a public payphone…without the pay…and with a video capability.

Incentivized

Each of the tools above does something well. We have found that the Unify solution simply does a better job of combining all the features of the other services. \easy to start using, while remaining a powerful tool is a tricky task to pull off, but Unify have done this and they have done it well.

Incentivized

• I believe it was part of the google suite that was purchased. It was worth the cost as it was cheaper. I believe it is now free, but also becoming deprecated. It is much better to use Teams, Discord, Telegram, etc. Google does not provide enough support or features to make using hangouts worth it these days.

Incentivized

• A shortening of timescales as information is not stuck on an internal server somewhere - we can include it as part of the thread. This also applies to updates and revisions. You automatically know which the latest revision is, as it is the most recent in the timeline.
• The relative cost of implementation is low and there is a wide range of solutions for phones and clients, from software based solutions running on desktop and smartphone or quality hardware to make your desk phone a powerful tool in itself.

Incentivized