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reviewer1228851 - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Consultant at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good communication and performance, but the time limit in the free version should be removed or increased
Pros and Cons
  • "The sharing and recording, are the most valuable features of Zoom."
  • "Whiteboarding would allow me to utilize the screen to draw something, explain, and write something."

What is our primary use case?

I am a pre-sales consultant.

I use the basic features in Zoom, to have conversations with clients,  show some presentations, and for sharing. I'm not a very advanced user.

What is most valuable?

The sharing and recording, are the most valuable features of Zoom.

What needs improvement?

If whiteboarding is not available, it would be beneficial. I'm not sure if it exists. If I can do some whiteboard sessions, that would be great. 

Whiteboarding would allow me to utilize the screen to draw something, explain, and write something. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Zoom for two years.

The corporation updates this solution on a regular basis.

Buyer's Guide
Zoom
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zoom. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zoom is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I'm not sure about scalability because I didn't host that many people on it, so I can't really comment on scalability or how well it performs when there are a lot of attendees and sessions. I really don't have the experience.

How are customer service and support?

I have not contacted technical support.

It is maintained by my company; I am a user who does not get involved in the technical aspects.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am exploring Microsoft, but Studio is no longer supported.

I have some experience with Microsoft Teams and Zoom.

I use Teams a lot and prefer it to Zoom simply because I'm more comfortable with it and there's no time limit. I don't need to worry about when my meeting ends.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple, it's straightforward.

Zoom is maintained by my corporate IT team. I am a user, I use this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

What I don't like is the 45-minute time limit on the free subscription. Teams, on the other hand, do not operate in this manner. You can utilize as much use of Teams as you want. There are no time limits in the free version of Teams.

It is included with your Office 365 subscription. If you have Office 365, which everyone does, it is included. You can't use Word, Excel, or PowerPoint without it.

The free version has a time limit, but paid subscriptions are available.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Zoom a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1248843 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Category Buyer Technology at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
The breakout rooms are good for training exercise, but we sometimes have connection issues

What is most valuable?

Zoom's breakout rooms are an interesting feature that is quite useful for conducting exercises during training. I don't think Teams has this. I also like the recording capabilities, but that depends on the type of privileges that the user has. Not everybody in the organization has the ability to record. 

What needs improvement?

We sometimes have difficulties connecting, but I never know if it's an issue with Zoom or the network. I would say it's Zoom because we have been working quite a lot from home. However, I would generally say I have not experienced that many issues with Zoom. I'm satisfied.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using Zoom within the company for the past two years or so.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Our organization has around a thousand people, and Zoom is the standard tool we have been using.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Zoom seven out of 10. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Zoom
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about Zoom. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer1385187 - PeerSpot reviewer
Regional Territory Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Easy to use, and reliably supports a large number of users
Pros and Cons
  • "The product runs pretty smoothly so I haven't had to contact technical support."
  • "When you are connected to one device and you're going to log into another one, Zoom should ask you to transfer without having to disconnect you."

What is our primary use case?

I set up a lot of meetings using Zoom. Especially now that we are working remotely, every I do is via Zoom.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of Zoom is that it's easy to use.

What needs improvement?

When you are connected to one device and you're going to log into another one, Zoom should ask you to transfer without having to disconnect you. That would be a nice feature to have because what you have to do now is start the other device on mute and then disconnect from the original one. If you don't put it on mute then sometimes there is an echo or other strange sounds. Ideally, there should be nothing weird in the call.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zoom for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zoom is a pretty stable platform. In the past couple of years, we have maximized our usage because the corporation mandates its use. We have the option to use other products but I think that everybody is signing up for Zoom. It is also part of one of our sister companies.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This seems like a scalable product because a lot of people are using it.

With approximately 140,000 employees in the company, about 30,000 are involved with sales. Of these, perhaps 15,000 to 20,000 of them use Zoom on a daily basis.

How are customer service and support?

The product runs pretty smoothly so I haven't had to contact technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I used a similar solution from another company. One of the nice features with the other solution is that when you have a meeting running on one device, such as a cell phone, and want to move to another device, such as a desktop PC, it will automatically detect that there is a connection open and transfer you from one to the other.

Another product that we used to use was Webex. The company decided to switch away from that and standardized on Zoom. Webex is not a product that I miss. Zoom does an equal or better job than it did.

How was the initial setup?

I have not had to set up Zoom because it comes preconfigured for us.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In the company, we have options to use other similar products.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering Zoom is that it's okay to start small. However, if you plan to have a large installation and want reliability then Zoom is a good platform to use.

This is an awesome product and everybody is getting up to speed with it. The features that I have used are enough for me and I haven't had to request any changes. That said, I appreciate that there are things that need improvement.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Managing Consultant at Business and Technology Consulting, LLC
Real User
Convenient, easy to use, and simple to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "It's not a big deal to set up a meeting."
  • "One thing I do wish was that there was more visibility. Sometimes I have to click into a reply-all to find out who is in the meeting and whether they've accepted or not."

What is most valuable?

It works. It's easy to use and it's easy to set up.

I like that it is easy to record. 

To me, it's like using your iPhone. It's not a big deal. It's not a big deal to set up a meeting. 

Screen sharing is important. Being able to pull up spreadsheets, system presentations, PowerPoints, whatever, is very helpful. The tool's pretty effective that way.

People like it to be light. They like it to be not so technical that it's hard to learn or hard to use. One of the reasons Zoom grew so fast is that kids could learn it, old people could learn it, workers could learn it. It takes a little more learning curve to have the license and host meetings. Set up meetings, to host, there's a little bit more there, however, even that's pretty simple.

What needs improvement?

One thing I do wish was that there was more visibility. Sometimes I have to click into a reply-all to find out who is in the meeting and whether they've accepted or not. It's not convenient to check on that while you're in a meeting.

Teams is better about that. Teams is better about posting up right in front of you so you can see who was invited, who clicked in or not, who's on the call. 

Also when people are talking, you see either their image, if they've got an avatar, or at least their initials, and a little round fake avatar that's blinking when they're trying to talk, or they're raising their hand. That is the only thing I'd say that's really a frustration for me with Zoom, is I'm not always sure who got invited.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a while. I use it every day.

I'm working virtually and my clients are all over the country. I don't visit them more than maybe once every six weeks each. I'm on the phone in Zoom or Teams probably 15 to 20 hours a week.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is quite good. I haven't dealt with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. Expanding it is not a problem. 

As consultants, there's only usually a few of us that are engaged with a client. We don't send an army in. We're very senior consultants, and our rates are really high. We're like hiring an attorney or something. We're not a bunch of bodies coming in to do all the leg work. We're advising them on how to do a lot of things properly in terms of ERP selection and implementation.

That said, we're engaging with a lot of people though. For example, in this one client I have, they're in Baltimore, I'm often on a call with 20 people. I may be the only one on my side and there's all of them. I have to know who they are and get familiar with their voices. A lot of the time, more people aren't necessarily doing the video thing where they're displaying themselves. It's just is less common that people do that. That's because more people are working virtually and maybe they're still in their t-shirt or you haven't taken a shower that day. If people aren't displaying themselves, you use the tool more like a phone in a sense, as you have to know, "Okay. That was Jackie speaking. That was Lisa speaking. That was Alice speaking."

We get familiar with each other, we get to know each other. However, we typically deal with maybe 10 or 12 people on a call. They may be in different locations. With one client I have, they're in 23 states. Various key people are in different places. Other kinds of meetings I have oftentimes been a three or four-way, where you've got a client and you've got a vendor who's maybe doing something for them. We can have essentially three or four companies represented in a call, and we're having maybe calls two or three times a week.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I've also used Microsoft Teams.

The larger the client, the more likely it is that they're going to use Teams instead of Zoom. Oftentimes, they're setting up the meetings and they prefer to set them up. I have this one large client where we're recording every one of our sessions, as they're reusable then for walking back through and revisiting deep discussions we've had and requirements and so on.

I don't happen to like Teams, it's clunky. Teams is clunky and it's also just harder to use. Particularly if you're using it also is a repository for documents, folders, recording, and so on. It's just not as usable.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I have a subscription to Zoom.

What other advice do I have?

I am a customer and an end-user.

What my partner and I typically would do if we are in control of that is we use Zoom. We'll use Box for our repository of the artifacts, requirements, recordings, and so on. Box is also very, very easy to use. However, we find Teams clunky on both sides now. However, even though we prefer Zoom if a client prefers a different conference system, and they've got dozens of people inside that are married to that, well, we'll go with what they use.

We are on the latest version of Zoom. Zoom actually forces that. If you get a Zoom subscription, it pops up a patch or an update or whatever, and it's no big deal to click that and update.

What Zoom is, is it's a very convenient, easy to use, quick to set up, simple to learn tool. It works pretty effectively. 

However, people aren't using it so visually anymore as they used to. A lot of times it's really just a meetup where you're all on the same call, and people won't even post their videos too much anymore. Sometimes, if we're at a first-time meeting, we'll have our visual presence there, however, then we'll hide it away behind an avatar. People just aren't in need of that facial thing too much.

The main thing for me was just knowing who's scheduled for a call. Sometimes I don't know who's going to be on the call until I get on the call. There's a list there, however, you don't know who's accepted. We need a clear list. That would be an improvement.

Keeping it light is important. Everything is getting more and more like that. Even the system designs, major ERP systems, most of them when you log in, you feel like you're in a box. It feels boxy. That's the way Teams feels. It's got a structured menu architecture and so on, and frames around everything. The way things are going - and this is how Zoom is - it feels like you're in an open space. It doesn't feel like a box of things. It's an open flow. Keeping it that way is going to be important.

If you add more features, you have to keep it easy to find, easy to hide. Don't throw them on your whole menu. Don't throw everything at me. Just what I'm using is all I need. I'll give you another example of that. There's a system called CRM, Customer Relationship Management, such as Salesforce. Salesforce made a major strategic mistake. They built the thing that is a very complex functional solution. It's expensive due to the fact that it's so overbuilt. I don't know where Salesforce is at, however, I've got a lot of clients that I've run into that say, "Yeah, we put in Salesforce a few years ago and we're going to replace that now as too costly and we don't use it all."

They didn't do a very effective job of layering functionality so that you only see what you use, and make it simple, make it easy. Also, they didn't scale the pricing to what they're going to use. Salesforce is probably still pretty ubiquitous, however, it's probably going to get beat out by a bunch of these smaller, lighter, more open solutions. The challenge for Zoom would be to stay Zoom, and don't fix what isn't broken. It is a great tool. I really have very little, almost nothing but praise for Zoom. The only thing I'd say is that competitively, they're going to have to think about, well, what else does it have to be able to do?

In my opinion, it's going to be making the visual collaboration, not from people to people, and instead, the people to content, whether it's websites, systems, logins, spreadsheets, whatever, making that so easy to do that it's almost natural. We can more quickly say, "Oh, okay, let me pull that up."

Layer number one is, it ought to be as natural as sliding your fingers across the screen in some magical way to be able to show what you want to show. The next layer is going to have to have more social collaboration from inside and outside of the system.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten so far. In comparison, I might rate Microsoft Teams at a six or so. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1023507 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software engineering manager at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Enables one to easily connect with customers, clients and colleagues and comes with an easy and fast installation
Pros and Cons
  • "Primarily during the period of problematic travel, the solution enabled us to connect with customers, clients and even colleagues and to share our thoughts, ideas and information."
  • "The user interface should be more straightforward and easy to use."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the latest update of the solution, although I cannot specify which version. 

We mostly use the solution for presentation and conferences and, occasionally, for support. 

Initially, I used Zoom primarily for remote conferencing, but at a certain point started using it in parallel for its remote support.

How has it helped my organization?

Primarily during the period of problematic travel, the solution enabled us to connect with customers, clients and even colleagues and to share our thoughts, ideas and information. 

What is most valuable?

It is difficult for me to point to any specific feature that I found to be most valuable. In the past, I used the solution a lot more but, of late, more with my kids. Should they require assistance on their computer, I can easily join in to actively provide this. 

What needs improvement?

It is difficult for me to point to areas in need of improvement, since I have not used the solution much of late. More than a year ago, I had many suggestions, but do not recall any at the moment. 

The reason I choose to rate the solution as an eight out of ten is because it needs improvements, such as the user interface needing to be more straightforward and easier to use. My colleague also does not appear in the menu in the proper place. Particulary people who lack computer savvy would not be able to find the appropriate option in the menu. 

This said, I struggle to think of any specific features that I wish to be added or changed to the solution. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for several years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Overall, the solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I am not in a position to comment on the solution's scalability, as I did not attempt to do this. 

How are customer service and support?

I cannot comment on technical support, as I have not had dealings with them. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation was relatively straightforward.

It was quite fast, taking sevaral minutes on a standard computer. 

What about the implementation team?

I handled the installation on my own. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do not incur a licensing fee. 

What other advice do I have?

In the past, I served as an IT manager, but I was not involved in implementation in my previous cyber security role. I am just a user. 

We use the solution both for company and personal needs. 

We are talking about a company that numbered no more than ten people, consisting of engineers, architects, managers and administrators, so everyone in it was making use of the solution. 

I would recommend the solution to others. It's quite straightforward and easy to use.

I rate Zoom as an eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Software Architect at AIOPS group
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to use, scalable, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
  • "Zoom is mobile-ready and easy to use."
  • "The security and chat features should improve in Zoom."

What is our primary use case?

Zoom can be used for virtual meetings.

What is most valuable?

Zoom is mobile-ready and easy to use.

What needs improvement?

The security and chat features should improve in Zoom. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zoom for approximately two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Zoom is stable. However, in the time I have been using it I have only had trouble connecting to the server once. I think it might have been my internet connection.

On another occasion using my mobile phone on the 4G network, not on Wi-Fi. I had some trouble with the network which caused some issues with Zoom but it was still pretty good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found Zoom to be scalable. It's a very good solution. We have made huge teleconferences with a lot of people, and many video streams. During these pandemic times, I'm amazed at how this technology work and how these video streams work. We are talking about multiple video streams, not just one, not just two, but multiple video streams. This technology is amazing.

We have half the people in our organization using Zoom when we are doing projects.

How are customer service and support?

I have not used technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We are really relying on these technologies. I have used Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack.  They were really critical technologies during this pandemic.

How was the initial setup?

Zoom is easy to install and you can install the client for Zoom on an iPhone or Android phone or PC.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

There are paid and free personal accounts for Zoom.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others, there are free accounts that make it useful for anyone.

I rate Zoom a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1039926 - PeerSpot reviewer
Independent Integrator at a consultancy with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 20
Overall good features, allows large group conferences, and priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "Overall, Zoom is a good product because we are using it globally, and it is a good way of connecting with everyone globally."
  • "I find while using Zoom sometimes there is a lot of disturbance while on the call. There is a lot of network issues, and sometimes the screen freezes, and you have no way of figuring out what went wrong. You have to restart the computer all over again, or you lose some of the words that someone was saying during the meeting, such as what the person is trying to say in the midst of that conversation. Additionally, there have been times it has disconnected and was not able to start."

What is our primary use case?

I use Zoom for communication.

What is most valuable?

Overall, Zoom is a good product because we are using it globally, and it is a good way of connecting with everyone globally.

You are able to have 40-50 people or hundreds of people communicating, depending on your contacts.

What needs improvement?

I find while using Zoom sometimes there is a lot of disturbance while on the call. There is a lot of network issues, and sometimes the screen freezes, and you have no way of figuring out what went wrong. You have to restart the computer all over again, or you lose some of the words that someone was saying during the meeting, such as what the person is trying to say in the midst of that conversation. Additionally, there have been times it has disconnected and was not able to start.

The solution should be more user-friendly. I should not have to reboot and go through these steps to have a solution. I have not seen any internet connection issues. It seems to be automatically right inside the system that is the issue and this is what I have heard. These are all minor issues but they should be taken care of.

I would like to see better architecture from an end-user perspective. it should be easy to use and user-friendly because there are some places that are difficult to find or to navigate. It is difficult to figure out where to go for certain features within the application. If it had better navigation users would get things done faster.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Zoom for approximately one year.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have used other solutions, such as Skype.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The annual price of approximately $200 for the solution is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

Zoom is widely used and it has been better than other solutions, such as Skype.

I rate Zoom an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Head of Credit Risk Management at IFS Capital
Real User
Good for internal communications, allows you to share screens, and is easy to setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are that you are able to share the screen, and draw on it."
  • "The time limitations for the free version should be increased from 40 minutes."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case is for normal web meetings. We use it for internal communication.

We have regular weekly meetings and for those who don't have to share any screens, we just call.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are that you are able to share the screen, and draw on it.

What needs improvement?

The time limitations for the free version should be increased from 40 minutes. We do have an account but not enough to go around.

During the screen sharing, there is an option to zoom in. If they could add a feature where you could just drag if you wanted to zoom in or when you want to zoom out, that would be great.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the latest version of Zoom for three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is acceptable. There are no serious issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's relatively easy to scale zoom. You just get another ID.

We have 100 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not contacted technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously, we did not use a different solution. We stared with Zoom.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is relatively okay, but it's not as easy as Google Meet.

What about the implementation team?

I did the installation myself, it took a couple of minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We have an account but we are also using the free version.

What other advice do I have?

If you are interested in a free version, you should go with Google Meet because there is no time limit.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user