Item: Webex App
Rating: 6
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Jabber is used cross-organization, though primarily by office-based staff rather than front-line workers. It's used primarily for desk-based instant messaging including group conversations, benefiting from integration with Microsoft Office, and screen-sharing. Officers tend to use the tool for quick queries and mini-conversations which aren't suited to email (requiring interactive conversation) but don't necessitate a face-to-face meeting (don't take up much time). Some workers use mobile apps to continue connectivity while away from desks, but this isn't the primary use in our organization.

Pros and Cons

Instant messaging
Availability
Outlook integration
Screen-sharing

Managing contacts
Guidance and documentation for users
Responsive design/space saving config options to maximize screen use on laptops

Return on Investment

Improvements in coordinating responses to new work requests, saving time in deciding how to act on small work items
Quicker availability management of employees and colleagues, reducing time spent especially on managing home-working staff
Unquantifiable costs of disrupting concentration--our biggest Jabber users are also our worst victims of "focus shift" costs as they dip in and out of different tasks and discussions (but this is an inherent cost of instant messaging software, in my view)

Alternatives Considered

At least in its implementation in my organization, Jabber functions more like an enterprise-integrated equivalent of the old consumer chat tools like MSN Messenger and AOL Messenger than newer video or mobile chat software. It's not bad. It links nicely into Active Directory and Outlook so that you can maintain a contacts list but also search the universal list, easily see who's where, link into Sharepoint user profiles, etc. (disclaimer: I wasn't involved in configuring any of this, so can't say how difficult or easy it was/is). Its key failing is in retaining that old-school interface which necessarily hogs the screen on a small desktop screen, where the text chat tools web users will today be familiar with (Facebook, LinkedIn messaging, etc.) have ways of peeking in at the corner of the screen without demanding a full focus shift.

Key Insights

Do you think Webex App delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with Webex App's feature set?

Did Webex App live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of Webex App go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy Webex App again?

Other Software Used

Microsoft Office 2016, MS SharePoint, Qlik Sense, Qlik Analytics Platform, Microsoft Power BI, Microsoft SQL Server, SQL Server Business Intelligence Manager

Likelihood to Recommend

Jabber is reasonably full-functioned instant messaging software that fills a niche not well addressed by email, phone, or an in-person meeting. It works well for brief interactions or "time-lapse"/asynchronous conversations over the course of a day. With home workers, its screen-sharing tools improve collaboration. It integrates nicely with Outlook. However the user interface could offer better customization options, and the tool suffers the inherent drawback of all instant messaging software, which is in its capacity to distract workers and disrupt concentration. If you're looking for instant messaging software, you're hopefully making a conscious decision to invite this risk into your team's working days.

Support Rating

I access Jabber support through my corporate IT helpdesk, and as such, I don't know much about their support offer. I will say that the web documentation is fairly barebones in places compared to other Cisco products, and as it's a smaller product there's not the userbase (unless I'm looking in the wrong places) to provide peer-to-peer support.

Enterprise-integrated instant messaging

Overall Satisfaction with Cisco Jabber