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Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) vs. Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

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    Overview
    ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price

    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)

    Score8.6 out of 10
    N/ACall Manager is a unified call control center from Cisco that supports enterprise collaboration functions across the spectrum of IP telephony, video & web conferencing, and messaging. Features include call forwarding, call back, call transfer, ad hoc conferencing, and call park.N/A

    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)

    Score8.7 out of 10
    N/ASkype for Business was an online messaging and conferencing tool, now superseded by Microsoft Teams.N/A
    Pricing
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Editions & Modules
    No answers on this topic
    No answers on this topic
    Offerings
    Pricing Offerings
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Free Trial
    NoNo
    Free/Freemium Version
    NoNo
    Premium Consulting/Integration Services
    NoNo
    Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
    Additional DetailsMust contact sales team for pricing—
    More Pricing Information
    Community Pulse
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Considered Both Products
    Cisco
    Chose Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    The lack of support partners for Skype for Business is one of the reasons CUCM stacks up against it. The software itself from MS is not bad, but it's hard to find support. Also, Cisco offers a full-stack solution in the same box, while the Skype for Business architecture is way …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    The Cisco Call Manager application has been around for much longer than many of the competitors. As such, they have had plenty of time to resolve bugs and increase the feature set that comes natively with this solution. One of the biggest factors for us was the professional …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    CUCM can grow to any scale you want. You can have a small amount of users, to tens of thousands of phones to support any size your company grows to. Toll bypass via routing calls over the WAN as well as an extensive Unity voicemail system allows for efficient routing of your …
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    Have only used this system.
    Incentivized
    Chose Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    I've used a number of other products in the past with quite a few of the same features, and options, but usually would have to pair them with other products or software to get all the functionality requested by a client. With Call Manager I've been able to provide a single …
    Incentivized
    Discontinued Products
    Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    We did have an old Cisco UCM call manager implementation that could also do some sort of chat. But it was old and does not really compare. Choosing Skype for Business (formerly Lync) was almost a no brainer for us, as we have a lot of Microsoft products and got a good contract. …
    Incentivized
    Chose Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Personally I prefer Skype for call and video quality.
    Incentivized
    Key User Insights
    Would buy again
    89%
    Would buy again
    24 Answers
    80%
    Would buy again
    84 Answers
    Delivers good value for the price
    96%
    Delivers good value for the price
    25 Answers
    94%
    Delivers good value for the price
    79 Answers
    Happy with the feature set
    93%
    Happy with the feature set
    25 Answers
    92%
    Happy with the feature set
    97 Answers
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    95%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    19 Answers
    94%
    Lived up to sales and marketing promises
    46 Answers
    Implementation went as expected
    91%
    Implementation went as expected
    20 Answers
    93%
    Implementation went as expected
    56 Answers
    Features
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Cloud PBX
    Comparison of Cloud PBX features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    7.3
    42 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Hosted PBX9.021 Ratings00 Ratings
    Multi-level Interactive Voice Response (IVR)5.130 Ratings00 Ratings
    User templates7.040 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call reports6.939 Ratings00 Ratings
    Directory of employee names8.640 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call Management
    Comparison of Call Management features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    8.2
    45 Ratings
    2% below category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Answering rules9.043 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call recording7.027 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call park9.039 Ratings00 Ratings
    Call screening8.036 Ratings00 Ratings
    Message alerts8.139 Ratings00 Ratings
    VoIP system collaboration
    Comparison of VoIP system collaboration features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    8.3
    41 Ratings
    4% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.8
    1 Ratings
    1% below category average
    Video conferencing8.631 Ratings7.01 Ratings
    Audio conferencing8.641 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Video screen sharing7.016 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Instant messaging9.019 Ratings8.01 Ratings
    Mobile apps
    Comparison of Mobile apps features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    8.0
    25 Ratings
    1% above category average
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    -
    Ratings
    Mobile app for iOS8.025 Ratings00 Ratings
    Mobile app for Android8.023 Ratings00 Ratings
    Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software
    Comparison of Performance & Compatibility of Online Events Software features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    8.0
    195 Ratings
    1% above category average
    High quality audio00 Ratings9.1191 Ratings
    High quality video00 Ratings9.0185 Ratings
    Low bandwidth requirements00 Ratings5.0181 Ratings
    Mobile support00 Ratings9.0146 Ratings
    Screen Sharing
    Comparison of Screen Sharing features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.0
    191 Ratings
    12% below category average
    Desktop sharing00 Ratings9.0191 Ratings
    Whiteboards00 Ratings5.0120 Ratings
    Online Meetings / Events
    Comparison of Online Meetings / Events features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    9.3
    188 Ratings
    12% above category average
    Calendar integration00 Ratings10.0174 Ratings
    Meeting initiation00 Ratings9.5182 Ratings
    Integrates with social media00 Ratings8.182 Ratings
    Record meetings / events00 Ratings9.0143 Ratings
    Slideshows00 Ratings10.0115 Ratings
    Online Events Collaboration
    Comparison of Online Events Collaboration features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    7.5
    173 Ratings
    9% below category average
    Live chat00 Ratings8.5171 Ratings
    Audience polling00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Q&A00 Ratings7.094 Ratings
    Online Events Security
    Comparison of Online Events Security features of Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager) and Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Feature
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)
    -
    Ratings
    Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    6.8
    156 Ratings
    18% below category average
    User authentication00 Ratings9.0142 Ratings
    Participant roles & permissions00 Ratings8.5148 Ratings
    Confidential attendee list00 Ratings3.0109 Ratings
    Best Alternatives
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Small Businesses
    Zoom Phone
    Score9 out of 10
    ClickMeeting
    Score7.7 out of 10
    Medium-sized Companies
    Zoom Phone
    Score9 out of 10
    JioMeet
    Score10 out of 10
    Enterprises
    Google Voice
    Score7.8 out of 10
    Webex Meetings
    Score8.4 out of 10
    All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
    User Ratings
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    8.5
    (46 ratings)
    8.4
    (198 ratings)
    Likelihood to Renew
    10.0
    (2 ratings)
    9.0
    (7 ratings)
    Usability
    8.9
    (6 ratings)
    9.0
    (14 ratings)
    Support Rating
    8.0
    (14 ratings)
    8.5
    (40 ratings)
    Implementation Rating
    10.0
    (1 ratings)
    7.0
    (2 ratings)
    User Testimonials
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager (Call Manager)Skype for Business / Lync (discontinued)
    Likelihood to Recommend
    Cisco
    Cisco Unified Communications Manager is suited for medium to large customers who are in search for a solid call control platform with added security in mind. Cisco Unified Communications Manager also supports receptions, small groups and also a mini contact center type of set up with its Hunt Group, Pick up Group and call queuing facilities and also with set up of music on hold function while calls queuing.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skype for Business, now part of Microsoft Teams is a remote/virtual team collaboration tool must have...especially if you already use Microsoft tools. Of course, since it now part of an MS 365 subscription, it really doesn't make sense to use anything else. It is easy to use and just works. I'm not sure how anyone who works with digital files/documents and needs to work with other people doing similar work can be effective without such a tool. Of course, there are a number of alternatives like Zoom or Webex, but why pay or use another separate tool if you don't need to. :-)
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Pros
    Cisco
    • This solution is extremely stable and has been running in our environment for several years without (unscheduled) downtime.
    • The ability to have voicemails automatically sent as an email message is extremely helpful in helping us to keep in touch while away from the desk.
    • The Call Manager provides us very granular settings to route our calls as we want.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Instant messaging to anyone who we know only by name/email. Even if they're offline, they get the message in missed convos and a notification automatically goes to them via Outlook mail. All conversations are saved and accessible via Outlook.
    • Video and voice calls are a norm in the WFH scenario, and an average employee has around 4-5 calls a day. Skype gives notifications for upcoming meetings, allows easy scheduling via outlook calendar, and its audio/video quality [is] reasonably good compared to the amount of data it consumes.
    • Status availabilities - in the WFH scenario, you could be off for lunch, out of office, busy, sharing screens - and might not want to be disturbed. Skype allows you to do that, and in case you're off, ensures that you know that you have missed messages.
    • Screen sharing - we have to share screens at least once or twice a day with a coworker when working on some issues/features, and Skype easily lets us do that. One of the best things about Skype is that the screen can be shared without being on a video/voice call - which is of immense advantage because oftentimes, you could prefer sharing the screen, while it [is] too noisy to talk.
    Read full review
    Cons
    Cisco
    • Administration web page is little bit hard to understand at the beginning specially if you are not familiar with naming convention and GU Interfaces.
    • Call Detail Record interface is fine but would be desirable to include more options that fit organization needs in terms of reporting purposes.
    • Self Care Portal interface could be more useful to the end user if it includes options to manage some features without administrators involving.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Connection issues can be hard to diagnose when they come up(as some knowledge of server information may be needed to reestablish as the connection troubleshooting options on the sky are not as user-friendly as the rest of the platform.
    • Some issues setting up camera/sound could use more info on troubleshooting options with playback sound, video, etc.
    • Statuses sometimes are unreliable and do not display correctly .
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Likelihood to Renew
    Cisco
    We have been using this product for 20+ years and will continue too. This is a great product and new features are always coming out.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    The software is simple to install and configure. It is rather simple to explain for correct use. It is possible to profile users for the different functions offered. It is integrated quite completely with Outlook and with Active Directory security. It performs all communication functions well with one or more interlocutors and the possibility of granting control of your computer is convenient.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Usability
    Cisco
    The usability part of Cisco Unified Communications Manager is very much simple from a usability point of view. Day-to-day Move Add Change Delete (MACD) can be performed by the administrators very easily with simple training. From the initial deployment point of view, some of the thing can be improved to simplify the process.
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Very easy to use. Even though Microsoft Teams has a lot of features and integrations, as a user I feel completely comfortable on finding what I need, getting information about the app extensions and using them. It's a very comprehensive tool, intuitive design and does not make me feel tired to be using it. I am glad with the current experience.
    Read full review
    Support Rating
    Cisco
    CUCM is supported by most third-party vendors for related products, so it makes finding solutions to specific needs easy. Also Cisco TAC is very knowledgeable, and we have never run into a problem they have not been able to resolve. Usually they are resolved without the need to escalate tickers either.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    I have only had to reach out to the Support team at Skype for Business once with an issue, and I was pleasantly surprised and encouraged by the quickness and thoroughness of their response. The wait time was short and my question was dealt with politely and clearly, so I would say the support team has it together.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Implementation Rating
    Cisco
    This was the first phone system we implemented that could span multiple locations. We were very satisfied once fully implemented
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    Skpe for business is utilized company wide in regards to my company. Everyone not only uses it, but uses it often. It is an effective way of communicating. It also integrates very nicely with outlook and all conversation history is pushed to a folder within the outlook system. We also have it so that if someone misses a message, they are sent an email reminder saying that there is a message that went unread.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Alternatives Considered
    Cisco
    We have been a Cisco based shop and have looked at other cloud voice options such as MS Teams pbx, and others, but ultimately, the features, endpoints, and reliability of Cisco has been the common factor in staying with them as our voice provider. Their integrations, room systems, and hybrid design allows for us to be flexible and keep a high up time vs reliance on 100% cloud.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    For the below reason I will always choose this app over its competitors: Better audio and video quality, Little to no disconnections or freezing when on a call/video conference Integrates well with mailbox/ calendar/ one drive, and SharePoint is easy to use
    Read full review
    Return on Investment
    Cisco
    • Communication and collaboration - Our offices are able to communicate both internally and externally due to this system.
    • Down time - Struggles with CUCM has caused a lot of down time due to the instability of the system.
    • High Costs - the cost of both the license and the maintenance was much higher than other systems.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
    Discontinued Products
    • Skype for Business has enabled a migration in part away from fixed line telephony and introduced the user to mobile working with a headset which cannot be overstated as being a game changer.
    • Being able to schedule Skype for Business meetings through Outlook has meant meetings with colleagues without a meeting room has been a great enabler.
    Incentivized
    Read full review
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