IBM Notes is basic, but gets the job done
January 14, 2019

IBM Notes is basic, but gets the job done

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with IBM Notes

IBM Notes is used by some departments in our organization, but others have moved on to the Google suite of tools. I still use IBM Notes on a regular basis as I work across many different teams so I need to stay in touch with them. We use IBM Notes as a scheduling and communications tool mainly at this point. IBM Notes integrates well with IBM Sametime which is the main reason that some people at our organization have not wanted to move on.
  • IBM Notes does a great job as a calendar and scheduling tool.
  • The features available on mobile are comparable to that found on a desktop.
  • Very simple user interface keeps distractions to a minimum and makes it easy to use.
  • The simple user experience can be touted as a positive, but it is also a negative in some ways. Compared to other calendars, email and chat tools, IBM Notes looks like it is from the 90s.
  • We have constant issues with chat crashing. This is the main reason so many people in our organization chose to switch away from Notes.
  • There aren't a lot of integrations with IBM Notes and other applications we regularly use. Notes seems to have been left behind by many.
  • Over the years, we have lost countless hours of productivity from the thousands of crashes we have experienced.
  • One benefit of IBM Notes is that it is very simple to train a new user on. Many people prefer and are familiar with Google tools, but those that use IBM Notes have very little trouble acclimating themselves.
Our organization used IBM Notes before I started working there and is a legacy system that some teams still use. Many others in our company have switched to Slack and Google Hangouts as well as Google calendar. Slack and Google Hangouts offer a much better chat experience that can interface with many other applications. They offer a better mobile experience and also benefit from an up to date user experience.
IBM Notes works great as a basic email, calendar and chat tool. While there are better and more feature-packed tools available, if you are familiar with IBM Notes, there is nothing really wrong with it. It looks a little dated but works well (when it works). We have had some issues with the tool crashing on us.

HCL Notes Feature Ratings

Task Management
Not Rated
Gantt Charts
Not Rated
Scheduling
8
Workflow Automation
Not Rated
Mobile Access
8
Search
Not Rated
Visual planning tools
Not Rated
Chat
8
Notifications
6
Discussions
Not Rated
Surveys
Not Rated
Internal knowledgebase
Not Rated
Integrates with GoToMeeting
Not Rated
Integrates with Gmail and Google Hangouts
Not Rated
Integrates with Outlook
Not Rated
Versioning
Not Rated
Video files
7
Audio files
7
Document collaboration
Not Rated
Access control
Not Rated
Advanced security features
Not Rated
Integrates with Google Drive
Not Rated
Device sync
Not Rated