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HCL Sametime

HCL Sametime
Formerly from IBM

Overview

What is HCL Sametime?

HCL Sametime (formerly IBM Lotus Sametime, acquired by HCL Technologies from IBM in 2018) is an enterprise-level unified communications and VoIP platform. It includes features such as instant messaging, web conferencing, voice and video integration, telephony capabilities, and presence information.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Sametime is widely used for internal communication purposes within organizations, enabling seamless collaboration across different …
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Sametime review

9 out of 10
June 04, 2019
Incentivized
IBM Sametime is being used globally in almost all departments from down to top in our company. We use it as a instant messenger to …
Continue reading
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Popular Features

View all 16 features
  • Directory of employee names (7)
    8.0
    80%
  • Message alerts (6)
    8.0
    80%
  • Mobile app for iOS (8)
    8.0
    80%
  • Mobile app for Android (7)
    8.0
    80%
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Pricing

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N/A
Unavailable

What is HCL Sametime?

HCL Sametime (formerly IBM Lotus Sametime, acquired by HCL Technologies from IBM in 2018) is an enterprise-level unified communications and VoIP platform. It includes features such as instant messaging, web conferencing, voice and video integration, telephony capabilities, and presence information.

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services

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What is 8x8 Work?

8x8 Work is a collaboration hub for phone, video, and messaging. It brings secure unified communication and collaboration experiences to every employee.

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Product Demos

HCL Sametime v12 Demo

YouTube
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Features

Cloud PBX

A cloud PBX system is based on cloud computing technology where data is stored and transferred over the intenet without any need for on-site PBX equipment

8.4
Avg 8.2

Call Management

Customized phone system settings

8
Avg 8.4

VoIP system collaboration

Team collaboration via cloud phone system

8
Avg 8.3

Mobile apps

Apps are compatible with mobile devices.

8
Avg 8.3
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Product Details

What is HCL Sametime?

HCL Sametime (formerly IBM Lotus Sametime, acquired by HCL Technologies from IBM in 2018) is an enterprise-level unified communications and VoIP platform. It includes features such as instant messaging, web conferencing, voice and video integration, telephony capabilities, and presence information.


HCL Sametime is ideal for cross-team chat in countries with strict data privacy and gravity laws, companies in regulated industries, and government entities who need to be able to ensure the security and auditability of their data.  ​ 


HCL Sametime Technical Details

Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

HCL Sametime (formerly IBM Lotus Sametime, acquired by HCL Technologies from IBM in 2018) is an enterprise-level unified communications and VoIP platform. It includes features such as instant messaging, web conferencing, voice and video integration, telephony capabilities, and presence information.

Reviewers rate Directory of employee names and Answering rules and Message alerts highest, with a score of 8.

The most common users of HCL Sametime are from Enterprises (1,001+ employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(21)

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!

Sametime is widely used for internal communication purposes within organizations, enabling seamless collaboration across different departments and locations. It provides a range of features including instant messaging, persistent chat rooms, meetings, and VOIP to address various business needs. Many IBM customers rely on Sametime as their go-to instant messaging platform due to its integration with email and web-based programs. Additionally, its compatibility with telephony systems and availability of free mobile iOS and Android clients make it a versatile choice for users.

One of the main use cases for Sametime is facilitating quick internal team meetings and project discussions. Users appreciate the convenience of being able to connect with colleagues in different offices across regions without the need for constant emails. The platform's integration with IBM Notes allows for easy booking of web meetings and checking availability for chat. Furthermore, its centralized settings and preferences management reduces the learning curve for users.

Another advantage of Sametime is its flexibility in deployment options. Organizations can choose between on-premises, cloud-based, or hybrid setups based on their specific needs. This adaptability enables teams to communicate efficiently regardless of their location or work environment.

Users have found Sametime invaluable in improving productivity, collaboration, and communication within their organizations. For example, savvy users utilize Sametime as a tool for presentations instead of searching through shared drives for files. Salespeople rely on the mobile app to obtain quick responses to time-sensitive questions while on-site with customers. The ability to record meetings and transfer files faster than email further enhances workflow efficiency.

Sametime is widely used as a standard text-based chat tool across organizations, especially for quick questions. Its REST API allows for easy integration of chat functionality into existing web apps. While Sametime is a preferred messaging app within many organizations, it may not be suitable for all teams, leading to competition from other messaging tools like Slack, Google Hangouts, and Skype. Organizations need to evaluate which solution best fits their specific requirements.

Based on user reviews, users recommend Sametime for its basic instant messaging capabilities and easy setup. They find it convenient for quick chats and collaboration, making it a suitable tool for internal team communication. Reviewers appreciate its features for file transfer and texting.

Users suggest using other apps like Microsoft Workspace, Slack, Google Chat, or Hangouts instead of Sametime. They feel that Sametime requires infrastructure, feels outdated compared to other solutions, and lacks updates. Users prefer these alternatives due to their ease of use, additional features, and better integration with video and audio.

Reviewers recommend Sametime for secure communication within companies. They appreciate it as a good software for video conferencing and messaging with most of the required features, such as an AI assistant, backup, video conferences, and multichats. However, some users mention slow service, frustrating attachment loading and transferring, and suggest making Sametime less resource-consuming and more affordable.

Overall, users have mixed opinions about Sametime but commonly recommend it as a basic communication tool while suggesting using other platforms for additional features.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-9 of 9)
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Bhawnish ㅤkumar | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Cisco Jabber and Teams are the competitors for HCL Sametime but the thing that makes Sametime better is the cost. Cisco and Microsoft are big players and have [higher license cost than] HCL Sametime has.

For a small and medium size companies HCL can be a recommended if they want to save on investment of the communication devices.
You can even opt for a free trial online and configure Sametime, which can't be done with Jabber.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Sametime is very similar to the other chats I have used, with some better features, such as the screenshot feature and file sharing, which demonstrates to be faster than the others.
June 04, 2019

Sametime review

Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
We use Jabber globally in our company and Symphony (no relevant app in able list) in some of the teams as well. All these are instant messenger tools, but Sametime is the easiest one to be used and its chat history is easy to be searched. Sametime can be used to contact almost all internal staff as it’s included in default computer package. Symphony is used to chat with front end business while Jabber is used for call.
Score 6 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Slack is the best messaging app that I have used for work communication. Slack is actually so easy to use, and offers such a good mobile app, that I use it on my own for personal conversations. Slack offers many features that Sametime either doesn't or doesn't do well. We chose IBM Sametime because it was the first chat app that we used at our company. Many people are familiar with it and did not want to move to a new tool.
Score 1 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Text chat is text chat. It's not a technically hard problem to solve. It's when you try and move out of text chat into more fully featured applications that allow for audio or video calling, transcripts, etc, it becomes apparent that the developers on Sametime gave up a long time ago. In my organization, Slack has nearly completely replaced Sametime for any and all purposes that Sametime used to fulfill.
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Workplace is honestly much better than Sametime and is what our company is moving towards using. Workplace lets you do group chats, calls, videos, and is very similar to regular Facebook so it's easy for alot of people to pick up. Even if the user hasn't used Facebook before, the UI is incredibly clean and it's very straightforward how to use their chatting system. Whats great is you can actually message people if they're offline - so they can see your message and log in and reply.
Chris Whisonant | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
ResellerIncentivized
Sametime's flexibility with regards to the options available is quite a compelling reason. For an on-premises solution, Sametime is great. One of the major benefits for current IBM Notes customers with the IBM Cloud option when compared to something like Skype is the seamless integration with the mail client and current systems along with other IBM solutions.
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
IBM's Sametime solution did not require that third party users have their own account, which was a big win over Skype at the time we reviewed that solution. Additionally we found users were frustrated with GoToMeeting and WebEx (the two big names at the time) because plugins had to be downloaded and installed (and frequently updated) for those to work.

Not only was Sametime a "zero-load", no plug-in client for anyone participating, but it had a cleaner interface. Integration with IBM Notes was a big factor for us initially, and as time went on we were happy to see IBM provide solid iOS apps as well.

Another advantage for us was our users could make and keep their web meeting rooms, fully stocked with presentations and other files, ready to go whenever they needed to use them. Integration with the Notes calendar meant it was easy to send out an invitation with the correct link.
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