Item: Google Hangouts (Classic)
Rating: 10
Author: Kaleb-John Loo

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Google Hangouts provides strong audio over the internet, for free. It is easy to connect on the go as well with their integrated mobile app. Since everything is linked to your Google Account, it is easy to quickly to integrate into a business that already utilizes the Google platform to maintain its online contact services. In addition to high-quality audio, Google Hangouts also provides good video chat and messaging functionality that can also be used on mobile devices.

Pros and Cons

High-quality audio.
High-quality video.
Integration of messaging.
Mobile application.
Integration with Google.

Limited controls.
No desktop application.
Groups can be a bit confusing.

Return on Investment

Google Hangouts is free to use, so it has an immediate, positive ROI.
Google Hangouts can be a quick setup for anyone with a Google account, which saves a lot of time.
There is no need to download software.
Google Hangouts can be used to communicate beyond the Google platform, which provides a lot of extra usefulness.

Alternatives Considered

Skype

Google Hangouts provides better audio and video experience than seen with Skype. It also has the added benefit of not making you download, install, and update a program. Google Hangouts have a much better mobile application experience than Skype as well. With Skype, users have to create a Skype account and then add other Skype users, but with Google Hangouts, you are already connected to others through your Google account.

Support Rating

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.

Key Insights

Do you think Google Hangouts (Classic) delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Google Hangouts (Classic)'s feature set?

Yes

Did Google Hangouts (Classic) live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Google Hangouts (Classic) go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Google Hangouts (Classic) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Dropbox, Slack, GitHub

Likelihood to Recommend

Google Hangouts is useful for any type of user. It can be a low overhead video chat client that connects users with each other without the need for setting up desktop applications and accounts. It does not provide the more advanced features one would find using industry web conferencing software, but for a simple voice and video chat, Google Hangouts is a go-to, especially if connecting with users who are not familiar with the technology.

Come Hangout With Google Hangouts

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts