Convenient chat and video conferencing!
Updated September 20, 2019
Convenient chat and video conferencing!
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts
We use Google Hangouts daily as a chat tool, and occasionally for videoconferencing. It's especially useful for videoconferencing on mobile devices, cross-platform. It's nice as a chat system, because it's right in the email, so you don't need to log into a separate program or website to use it. I've almost always been impressed with the speed, accessibility, and navigation.
- Ease of use: very simple to use.
- Cross-platform: works in browsers and apps for all mobile devices.
- Integrated functionality: videoconferencing, image insertion, etc.
- Missed notifications: Sometimes I'll get a chat message, but won't get a notification. The send will either be oddly delayed, or it just won't register as a new message.
- Invitations: In order to chat with someone new, you need to send them an "invitation." I wish it was a bit more automatic that you could chat with anyone at your organization.
- File sharing: I wish you could send files, not just photos.
- I work remotely, so use Hangouts more than many others at the organization in order to have conversations with coworkers that otherwise would likely be in person. It's a great substitute, I think!
- Zoom and Jabber
Google Hangouts is simply more convenient for chatting and video integration! The quality on Zoom or Jabber, and video functionality may be higher, but I'll often choose convenience and user accessibility over quality, though it depends on the situation. As a remote worker, I utilize all 3 quite frequently, and they all serve different functions.