Item: Webex App
Rating: 8
Author: Mariann Hawken

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Webex supports virtual meetings, consulting, support, outreach, and other engagement at our institution. Throughout the pandemic, Webex provided a critical tool to replace face to face meetings with its virtual platform on desktop and mobile applications, allowing staff to hold meetings for small groups, 1:1 conferences, large scale events, team building exercises, committee engagement, responding to help desk tickets, and more. Webex also allowed our team to maintain critical connections from home using asynchronous methods.

Pros and Cons

Supports asynchronous team building
Provides high quality audio/video engagement
Integrates with third-party apps
Supports live captioning

Lack of customization for accessibility/usability features (e.g.,larger fonts)
Lack of support for hashtags
Low number of emoji reactions in asynchronous channels
Status messages cannot be edited or removed once created
Extremely disorganized list of channels, messages, teams, spaces - unable to manually sort or create folders and sub-sections to make sense of everything

Return on Investment

Allows staff to meet virtually with each other and clients
Supports real-time and asynchronous engagement
Provides desktop and mobile applications

Alternatives Considered

GoToMeeting

Webex App offers high quality audio and video so it is comparable to other web conferencing tools. It has a comprehensive tool set with longer recording options. Webex offers third-party integrations and tool support so it's easy to add Sli.do poll questions, which are far superior than the native Webex polls.

Support Rating

While Webex App provides an online knowledge base, it is cumbersome to navigate to find helpful resources that are accurate and relevant to one's needs. Support can occasionally be frustrating as staff shift your request from department to department if they don't know how to handle an issue, particularly if it's outside normal "how do I do this?" type of question.

Key Insights

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

Not sure

Are you happy with Webex App's feature set?

Yes

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

Panopto, Evernote Skitch

Usability

Webex App provides decent web conferencing functionality for both real-time and asynchronous engagement. It allows my team to interact and connect on a consistent basis, which is critical during day to day operations. It can be clunky at times compared to other web conferencing tools, but serves a critical purpose during and after the pandemic to support business operations.

Likelihood to Recommend

Webex is well suited for small meetings (1:1, under 10 participants) or for asynchronous engagement. While its user reaction tools are very snazzy and Webex has very helpful live captioning tools, it is not well suited for teaching and learning or training as its polling function is extremely clunky. Webex has been helpful for personal meetings, team catch-up, team building, committee meetings, and similar types of virtual engagement.

Engage Real Time and Asynchronously with Team Using Webex App

Overall Satisfaction with Webex App