Item: Google Chat
Rating: 8
Author: Kristi R-C, CTS, CQT

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I use Google Hangouts Chat primarily when "visiting" school groups to talk about careers in the performing arts and for audio-visual companies. Because many schools use Chromebooks, sticking with the Google family of products makes it easy for teachers, parents, and school administrators to use the product both inside and outside the school walls.

I also occasionally use it to meet clients.

Pros and Cons

Security for kids in school
Easy to load
Intuitive usage, which makes is more user friendly than things like GoToMeeting

I'm not convinced about the security
Often "laggy"
Audio isn't consistently good--better with headset mic

Return on Investment

Good impact in that I can talk with students easily
Didn't cost us anything to get it started other than some learning time for me
We also like the fact we haven't been "Zoom bombed" while using it

Alternatives Considered

Zoom

Schools, in my area at least, are not being allowed to use Zoom because of incidences of security breaches known as "Zoom bombs," so the schools here chose to use Google Hangouts Chat. That means if I want to talk to the kids or the teachers, I need to use Google Hangouts Chat.

Usability

It's not perfect. There are occasional glitches, drop-outs, and it takes a bit to get everything loaded and working. But it is significantly better than Zoom or GoToMeeting when you're in instructional settings. I know my teacher friends here like it and the administrators and parents seem to be satisfied too.

Support Rating

I have not needed to contact the support folks for Google Hangouts Chat, so I can't speak to this with any accuracy. The online instructions are fairly clearly written, so it is fairly intuitive to start with. I did not feel the need to use the support people anyway.

Key Insights

Do you think Google Chat delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Google Chat's feature set?

Yes

Did Google Chat live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Google Chat go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Google Chat again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Zoom, Skype, GoToMeeting

Likelihood to Recommend

Google Hangouts Chat is well suited for those K-12 schools where you need to manage a group of students who are on Chromebooks and need to communicate with their classmates. The way it works is simple enough for the kids to be able to use it, and the teachers like the fact that all students are doing the same thing.

Talking with K-12 kids? Use their language.

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts Chat