Best web ex solution

[moustachebandit]

Currently need to sort some web ex software for the company - so interested to know what is the most usable / consistent service.

The service will primarily be used for presentation sessions with overseas retailers and reps - however I am also looking to trial a service for customers where they can secure some live design time with our design studio and have product designs done in a session - so resolution / image quality will also be important.

Views / opinions appreciated.

Thanks

[wheelerc]

WebEx is a trademark of Cisco, but if you mean video conferencing in general Zoom works well. Microsoft Teams or Google Hangouts may also work for you.

[CzechItOut]

In my experience Skype (for Business) is the best for video/call quality. However for it to work best you need to have the desktop client installed, as the browser-based version is poor. The challenge is that many companies lock down Windows to prevent installs, therefore, unless this is part of the corporate build it can be problematic.

WebEx has the best browser functionality, so is ideal if the company you are conferencing with does not have the same application installed as you.

[Australiam]

Depending on the specific use cases, Teams is now pretty good, and likely included in your o365 licences (if you have them). Otherwise Zoom is worth a look.

[fat80b]

Australiam said:

Depending on the specific use cases, Teams is now pretty good, and likely included in your o365 licences (if you have them). Otherwise Zoom is worth a look.

Having worked in this industry for a while, I think that is a decent summary for desktop / PC use cases.

Teams will essentially be free if you have office licences in use. In which case, this will be the lowest cost way of having meetings where people can join from laptops or mobiles. You just need to train the users to use it.
For your use case (of content sharing), I would say Teams is one of the best in terms of quality (particularly for the content channel). Definitely better than the Skype for Business experience it replaces.

Zoom is also OK as a desktop experience but will be an additional cost over O365.

One thing to consider is do you want to use a meeting room as part of your use case. Personally, I would say that I do.

Both Zoom and Teams do have meeting room options, but I would say that they are just OK and not great. If you want the best (most reliable) meeting room experience, then there are other options to consider. E.g. Lifesize or StarLeaf who specialise in meeting room hardware as well as the Zoom like service.

Another consideration is phone dial in options which can add a fair bit of cost if you want folks to be able to dial in audio only from a cellphone etc.

moustachebandit said:

If you want a more detailed comparison, then PM me and I can help you out if you want.

[Australiam]

fat80b said:

Australiam said:

Depending on the specific use cases, Teams is now pretty good, and likely included in your o365 licences (if you have them). Otherwise Zoom is worth a look.

Both Zoom and Teams do have meeting room options, but I would say that they are just OK and not great. If you want the best (most reliable) meeting room experience, then there are other options to consider. E.g. Lifesize or StarLeaf who specialise in meeting room hardware as well as the Zoom like service.

Agree with comments on both Lifesize & StarLeaf

[vaud]

Teams is pretty good. As is Zoom. Webex is okay but expensive for what it is.

Skype for Business is awful and will be discontinued soon, IIRC.

Pick something popular or if not, something that does not require someone to download an application or web plugin. Some customers will have "locked down" machines that they can't install apps on to.

[xjay1337]

My company provides Microsoft Teams and Cisco/Webex Teams.

I prefer MS Teams personally. But Cisco product is pretty good also.

[williaa68]

One that hasn't been mentioned so far that I find quite good is Bluejeans. A few of my more tech-savvy clients use it. It has worked well for me in both high bandwidth and lower bandwidth scenarios - eg linking ipad to phone via hotspot etc.

[maccas99]

You mention resolution and image quality being one of your criteria, however, this will only be as good as the internet connections at both ends. I'm stating the obvious but it definitely has implications.

I've used Teams/Skype for Business and WebEx for screen sharing and they are all quite good. Skype for Business is being depreciated to be replaced by Teams so that's out. Another thing that might impact your decision is if the people on the calls are from different organisations. Teams can connect to external users/companies but it depends if your organisation has allowed for external federated access.

This is why I am going to recommend WebEx as a solution. It can work between any organisation, has great Outlook/Messaging plugins and the screen sharing is very good.

I have no affiliation, just someone that's used conference call/screen sharing facilities extensively for years.