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HCL Notes, used by users worldwide, has a wide range of use cases that cater to various functions within an organization. Users rely on …
Overview
What is HCL Notes?
Notes from HCL (formerly from IBM, acquired by HCL in late 2018) is a collaboration platform based on the Lotus platform.
Recent Reviews
Popular Features
- Notifications (10)9.090%
- Mobile Access (10)8.080%
- Task Management (9)7.070%
- Chat (10)6.060%
Pricing
N/A
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What is HCL Notes?
Notes from HCL (formerly from IBM, acquired by HCL in late 2018) is a collaboration platform based on the Lotus platform.
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- No setup fee
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- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Demos
How To View Emails as Conversations and Original Message in HCL Notes
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05 NCUG Spring Seminar 2021 - DOMI: Create meetings in HCL Notes for Teams, Zoom, WebEx and Sametime
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What is HCL Notes?
HCL Notes Competitors
HCL Notes Technical Details
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
|---|---|
| Mobile Application | No |
Frequently Asked Questions
Notes from HCL (formerly from IBM, acquired by HCL in late 2018) is a collaboration platform based on the Lotus platform.
Reviewers rate Internal knowledgebase and Integrates with GoToMeeting and Integrates with Outlook highest, with a score of 10.
The most common users of HCL Notes are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Reviews and Ratings
(92)
Community Insights
TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
- Business Problems Solved
- Pros
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- Recommendations
HCL Notes, used by users worldwide, has a wide range of use cases that cater to various functions within an organization. Users rely on HCL Notes for essential tasks such as managing emails, sending meeting invites, booking meeting rooms, accessing the company intranet, and sharing templates. The platform also serves as a reliable tool for leave management, notebook entry, creating to-do lists, and raising IT issues. With these diverse functionalities, HCL Notes standardizes processes across regions, facilitating fast and efficient global communication within the company.
Internally developed Lotus Notes databases are widely utilized for storing infrastructure inventory, workflows, work queue for builds and audits. These databases are often integrated with ERP and ticketing systems, providing seamless integration with existing tools. Moreover, the robust workflow capabilities of HCL Notes have allowed organizations to replace paper-based approval systems with secure digital workflows that offer an audit trail and enhanced security.
Furthermore, HCL Notes is increasingly being used on mobile devices, with about a third of the organization utilizing its mail, calendar, and contacts features on their smartphones or tablets. It serves as a central hub for collaboration with its sidebar app for Sametime providing chat functionality, presence awareness, web meetings, audio/video conferencing. In addition to its collaborative features, HCL Notes also functions as a development platform where users can create departmental and multi-departmental apps that integrate seamlessly with various databases and platforms.
Notes is highly regarded for its quick development capabilities and easy integration with new releases. Its versatility extends beyond email and calendar functions; it serves as a reliable CRM system integrated with back-end accounting systems in some organizations. By leveraging HCL Notes' document management capabilities and internal workflow features, users can maintain an organized repository of client-specific details while saving time navigating through relevant information. The platform's user-friendly experience enables users to access critical data easily while enjoying enhanced security measures.
Overall, HCL Notes has proven to be a vital tool for organizations, offering a wide range of use cases and functionalities. Its seamless integration with existing systems, robust workflow capabilities, and mobile accessibility make it an indispensable asset for efficient communication, collaboration, and data management.
Seamless Integration: Users have found that HCL Notes can be easily integrated with other software platforms, such as Sametime chat, Concur, and Productivity Management System. This integration allows for seamless communication and access to various tools and resources.
Efficient Calendar Management: The calendar management feature in HCL Notes is highly praised by users. Once they accept a meeting invite, their calendar is automatically updated, and they can easily view all their meetings for the day or week. Additionally, users can book meeting rooms, and the availability of these rooms is visible to all employees, making it convenient for planning meetings.
Robust Database and Custom Applications: Users commend the strong database of HCL Notes which is extremely scalable and can handle thousands of users effectively. They also appreciate the enterprise-grade framework for developing custom database applications in HCL Notes. This simplicity of access makes it convenient for users while reducing administrative burdens.
Slow web browsing capabilities: Some users have experienced slow web browsing capabilities in HCL Notes, with extended connection and loading times for web content. Users have mentioned that links shared in HCL Notes emails often fail to connect and sometimes the web content is not visible, requiring them to manually copy and paste the link in another browser.
Unappealing user interface: Less tech-savvy users and new users have expressed their dissatisfaction with the unappealing user interface of HCL Notes. It is suggested that improvements should be made to make it more visually appealing and user-friendly.
Backward compatibility issues: The backward compatibility of HCL Notes can be problematic at times, causing cluttered menus and outdated options that are not commonly used by modern users. Navigating preferences can also be challenging for those transitioning from other email platforms like Gmail or Outlook.
Based on user reviews, there are three common recommendations for IBM Notes:
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Consider other software options before committing to IBM Notes. Many users suggest exploring alternatives such as Microsoft Outlook or Google software before deciding on IBM Notes. They believe that these platforms provide better user interfaces, more features, and a more modern experience.
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Use IBM Notes only if there is a need for custom databases. Some users recommend using IBM Notes specifically for its ability to build custom databases that integrate with the email system. They believe that this feature sets it apart from other email platforms.
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Keep options open and explore different solutions. Several reviewers advise against relying solely on IBM Notes and encourage keeping options open by not getting locked into a single vendor's proprietary software. They suggest considering different platforms and not being hesitant to migrate to a different solution if needed.
Overall, while some users appreciate IBM Notes for its secure email services and custom database capabilities, many recommend looking at other software options with better user interfaces and more features before committing to the platform.
Attribute Ratings
Reviews
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December 19, 2022
HCL
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
HCL Notes provides business collaboration functions, such as email, calendars, to-do lists, contact management, discussion forums, file sharing, websites, instant messaging, blogs, document libraries, user directories, and custom applications. It can also be used with other HCL Domino applications and databases. I particularly use it for email, calendars, and to-do lists. It helps me to be more organized and save time by making everything stay at on place with easy access and user-friendly experience.
- Helps me with notifying the email status.
- Helps me with better organization of my time on calendars.
- With the help of calendars, I am also able to use to-do lists to adjust my time and hence saving me a lot of extra effort.
- I can also save important notes as well.
- Could be more user friendly with a better UI.
- Can add time blocker to be synced with google.
68.57142857142857%
6.9
75%
7.5
72.85714285714286%
7.3
- It has helped me with getting a good and clear picture of my day at work and hence helped in improving my efficiency at work.
It helps in organizing work by just speaking to it, and you don't have to specifically type in the data and use it. It has a better UI and also is faster.
IBM Notes is being used across the entire organization both nationally and internationally. Notes is primarily our email, calendar, and contacts solution, but also serves as a collaboration tool, messaging, and database client/server.
- Data sharing via small database format is valuable as they are quickly deployed, easily managed and distributed on backend email servers.
- Integrated messaging allows quick communications between geographical sites reducing long distance costs.
- Policy documents for registering new users, setting initial security levels, assigning default database access is managed easily with the admin client.
- There is room for improvement in the OS compatibility arena. IBM Notes tends to run behind and crash issues exist.
- I would like the Recent Contacts feature removed, it has caused many issues within our organization, it is activated by default after a local installation.
- Client misunderstanding of the "All Documents" view. This is a dangerous view, primarily because many users misunderstand it as a "folder".
67.5%
6.8
77.5%
7.8
58.33333333333333%
5.8
- As an overall solution for email communication, it has been effective in so far as the licensing per client being very competitive!
- Having largely autonomous administrative control per datacenter has been valuable for expedience. Sites do not have to wait to enable features.
- Availability of qualified administrative personnel or the lack thereof has impacted management and deployment.
Outlook has been considered for years as a replacement platform. Pricing and support staff made it prohibitive. Our long-time use of Microsoft Office productivity suite naturally led us to consider the adoption of Office365. A recent investigation told us that Azure Cloud services propel an O365 solution to the forefront. Early adopters in international divisions have paved the way for Azure and O365.
March 16, 2018
IBM Notes: Decent interface, old school style
IBM notes is being used by our whole organization as an email and meeting scheduler. We also have sametime, another IBM product, which we use as an instant messaging system. It is currently being phased out as we are moving to a new email provider. It addresses our need to have a communication and scheduling platform for the organization to collaborate.
- Collaboration
- Scheduling
- Communication
- Archaic
- Weak user interface
- crashes frequently
40%
4.0
37.5%
3.8
N/A
N/A
- Higher productivity
- Decreased efficiency at times due to slow program/difficulties with figuring out how to use the program
- better organization
February 04, 2014
IBM Notes help me to be a better consultant
IBM Notes is used in the whole organization to collaborate internal and external information. It's not used just for e-mail, but for custom developed applications that meet special needs. Like CRM, Document Management, Internal Workflows.
- Simple, plain text for the email client.
- Good document management capabilities.
- Direct integration within the organization through Sametime (instant message) client.
- Special encrypted mobile client called Traveler.
- N/A
- Employee efficency internal communications.
Database development capabilities. Document management orientation.