Item: Google Hangouts (Classic)
Rating: 8
Author: Ejaz Hussain

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We have been using Google Hangouts within our company for interaction with clients & colleagues. It's being widely used within our KPO segment for the purpose of internal meetings & also sometimes for interaction with our clients. Since we are in a google ecosystem where all the applications we use are mainly from G-suite, it was very natural that would use google hangouts as our instant messaging platform.

Pros and Cons

Easy to setup platform especially if the organization is already in Google ecosystem.
User interface is very easy on the eye & minimalistic.
All the Gmail events are properly synced up with google hangout.
Very good & versatile mobile application.

Call & video quality connection becomes very unstable when on low latency network.
Could improve on its sending invite option & make it more easy.
Automatic away status can be implemented if not active on platform.

Most Important Features

Ease of usage & user friendly.
Good integration with other G suite apps.
Flexibility to join a meeting through mobile device.

Return on Investment

It comes in G-suite package so no licensing costs.
No need of deploying any technicians to install this tool thus saving hassle & money.
works seamlessly even on mobile devices thus increasing productivity.

Alternatives Considered

Skype for Business (formerly Lync), now part of Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Teams

well, google hangouts classic doesn't stack up that well when compared to either Skype or Teams, as it lacks advanced features. But the fact that it nearly costs anything to get it set up & running in no time is a positive point for the platform. I'm pretty sure that Hangouts will get a lot of features added to it in the coming time.

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

Skype for Business (formerly Lync), now part of Microsoft Teams, Microsoft Teams, GoToWebinar

Likelihood to Recommend

This tool is best suited for the organization that's already working with a google driven ecosystem wherein they use all the web-based google applications. Google Hangouts doesn't present a high level of encryption & lacks some advanced features that are present in other tools. Overall a decent tool for instant messaging within the company for internal purposes.

A Decent instant messaging, calling & video conferencing tool.

Overall Satisfaction with Google Hangouts (Classic)