From PGi, ReadyTalk is a web conferencing solution that has been discontinued. PGi's replaced the solution with GlobalMeet Collaboration... which is now also discontinued.
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Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams
Score 7.5 out of 10
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Skype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.
Think about your needs as an organization and whether you will be using primarily audio only or audio plus web. If audio only then ReadyTalk will certainly meet your need. If web, then shop around for functionality, support, and price. I am fairly "neutral" on ReadyTalk - neither a huge cheerleader nor a huge detractor.
Skype is useful for collaborations across distances, including work from home, as well as a more convenient way to communicate with a large group of people. Skype is also useful to communicate with specific parties quickly, rather than relying on cellular service in areas where not as available. Skype is less useful if the team does not use computers , tablets, smartphones, etc in daily workflow as it would rarely be used.
Screen share/conference calling: They make it quick and easy to join a meeting for your guests. They don't need to download anything; all they need to do is click on the link and enter the access code.
Mobile App: The app has been great for our team as they can now easily start a meeting with a click of a button from the app.
Recordings: It is very easy to record a webinar or conference call which you can then download.
Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
If ReadyTalk provided an easier way to set up the initial call through a different platform aside from email, it may make things a bit simpler.
ReadyTalk's monitor-specific screensharing process is a bit clunky and could be a bit better in identifying which monitor has been selected for sharing.
ReadyTalk's admin dashboard could use a UI update.
Probably the biggest area is the video element as it has historically struggled in this area.
The need to be forced to federate with another organisation by providing yours and enabling the other organisation settings is a bit tedious but once done, allows for simple collaboration between third-parties.
Functionality wise, as it's an older product and being superseded by MS Teams, it feels as if it's run its course but was very good for what it does/did at the time.
The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
ReadyTalk is easy to use, but I did find the initial integration to Outlook a bit cumbersome. I couldn't tell you how to do it now - someone else had to walk me through it when I started at the company. We also have a lot of issues with people trying to use their computers for audio; often, it stops working entirely mid-meeting
Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
Other regions in our organization have implemented WebEx. We have experienced poor audio and lack of customer service in our region. For quick interoffice communication and screen share, we use Skype for Business. Many people who have had the choice between WebEx and ReadyTalk will, more times than not, request a ReadyTalk account to be created. They feel the interface is much simpler to adapt. WebEx is not super friendly, especially on the backend of the tool.
For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
Positive impact. Able to fluidly demonstrate our software over conference call at the drop of a dime
Positively impacts clients onboarding process due to ability to screen share with a high amount of people at the same time
Higher ROI due to ability to show clients our new platform before their purchase in order to show the value of our product in real time via Readytalk conference
We almost lost our biggest client because of the poor performance early on in our implementation...the online meetings were poor quality for audio and bandwidth refreshing
Many of the employees in our company disliked the quality so much, they started to sign up for free Cisco WebEx accounts to use instead
The majority of employees in our company lost trust in our CTO because of his decision to switch from Cisco WebEx to Skype for Business
