Item: Google Hangouts (Classic)
Rating: 7
Author: Shannon McNamara

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use this product across the organization, mainly for internal meetings to speak to each other. When we have to speak to anyone externally we will use Zoom, but considering that the entire company uses the Google Suite for most products, this is the easiest way to communicate with each other.

Pros and Cons

Ease of access
Easy to understand how to first use
Syncs well with other products

Blurry quality happens more with Hangouts than other apps
Sounds like a small note, but better sounds and ringtones
Sometimes the hangouts chat vs video feature can be confusing

Return on Investment

Positive - helped with ease of communication
Negative - sometimes video quality is bad which isn't great for remote employees
Positive - easy to use even for new employees

Alternatives Considered

Zoom, Skype and Join.me

Google Hangouts is honestly just the easiest to use because it is already integrated with other products in the Google Suite (such as Gmail, Google Calendar, Drive and more) so you don't need to approve and secure any other app to use this, which is nice because we already use so many products.

Support Rating

The Google Support is great and willing to help, I find that it's usually easier to just get on the phone with them and speak to someone that way rather than wait for an email or live chat response because sometimes that can take longer and when you call their support you will always speak to someone.

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?

Yes

Would you buy Google Hangouts (Classic) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Zoom, Join.me, Skype

Likelihood to Recommend

If your company uses almost everything already in the Google Suite (such as Gmail, the Google Calendar, Drive - which almost everyone uses - and more of the software items like that) then Google Hangouts will be a well suited product for you and your company to use because it is in sync with other products.

Google Hangouts - the easiest option out there

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts