Item: Google Hangouts (Classic)
Rating: 10
Author: Mark DiNallo

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Hangouts is used by nearly all employees in the company as a quick, easy communication tool. It comes in extremely handy as a way to keep from having to track people down to ask them questions face to face, especially given the pandemic; it is great for things that are not quite as time sensitive, as people have some time to respond; and it prevents employees from needing to use their personal phones all day. It works as well, if not better, than most paid communication platforms for intraoffice messaging that I have used, and given the (lack of) cost, it is perfect.

Pros and Cons

Can set up different user groups with various personnel. In our case, we have different groups for different vehicle brands, one group for service advisors, one group for management, etc. Information can then be tailored to the correct people.
It is a contact less form of communication in an environment where various different people NEED to interact with one another throughout the day. Very helpful given the covid.
Setup and implementation are incredibly easy. Especially if work domain for email is attached to gmail like ours is
Ability to use Gmail search bar to search through chat history is very handy

I would like to see improved video support, so that saved videos can be sent back and forth via Hangouts more easily, without having to start a separate meet chat
More pronounced notifications of messages would be helpful; pop up notifications are good, but once there is one, additional messages do not pop up
Custom muting times would be great, so that if I am in a 90 minute Zoom meeting, I can set it for that time; right now, it is 1 hour or 2 hours. Easy to forget.

Return on Investment

Usage of this tool has made it possible to get much quicker answers for customer questions, resulting in the ability to increase customer sales enormously
Cost of the tool is basically nonexistent, so any improvement is pretty great
Having a searchable reference for scheduling constraints, special accomodations needed for customers, or really any such information, has made it far easier to schedule customer appointments, thereby increasing overall sales and gross.

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?

Yes

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

Yes

Would you buy Google Hangouts (Classic) again?

Yes

Other Software Used

CDK Drive, vAuto Conquest, Zipwhip, MiCloud Connect (formerly ShoreTel), Podium, Dealer.com

Likelihood to Recommend

In the automotive industry, we often have occasions where a specific individual needs to answer one or two questions, from different areas of the building, or separate facilities. Such as when speaking to a customer about needed repairs, they will sometimes ask, for example, what their tires look like; really easy to send a message asking the technician that, rather than walking to the other end of the building, finding that technician, and asking, then going back to the customer.

It would be less appropriate in situations that require a great deal of detail or confidential private information.

Google Hangouts- the easiest, simplest instant messaging platform there is

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts (Classic)