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HCL Connections vs Microsoft Teams comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jan 23, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.2
Users achieved ROI from HCL Connections in nine months by encouraging daily use and eliminating redundant features like chat.
Sentiment score
7.2
Microsoft Teams enhances collaboration and efficiency, saving time, reducing costs, and proving valuable during remote work.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.5
HCL Connections' customer service varies, with mixed reviews on support responsiveness and challenges in reaching knowledgeable staff.
Sentiment score
6.6
Many prefer internal support as Microsoft's assistance varies in responsiveness and effectiveness, influenced by support tier and call volume.
Microsoft support is excellent, offering instantaneous assistance through either robo support or live personnel.
I have logged tickets for Office 365 and received responses within 24 hours, depending on the severity.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
HCL Connections offers high scalability with effective IBM WebSphere support, despite Solr search limitations and manageable storage challenges.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Teams scales efficiently for varied user sizes, with seamless integration and some potential file storage challenges.
Microsoft Teams is scalable, and I have successfully conducted sessions with close to forty people without significant issues.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.3
HCL Connections is stable on WebSphere but needs tuning for performance; IBM support addresses occasional instability effectively.
Sentiment score
7.7
Microsoft Teams is stable with minor network-related issues, receiving high ratings for reliability and robust cross-device functionality.
Microsoft Teams is stable once the setup is completed properly.
 

Room For Improvement

HCL Connections needs better document management, interface customization, third-party integration, collaboration, and cloud stability for improved usability.
Microsoft Teams requires enhanced integration, improved performance, better UI, security, and new AI features for optimal user experience.
The biggest issue with Microsoft Teams is switching identities, especially when communicating with external organizations.
AI capabilities should be integrated into Microsoft Teams to provide better transcript services and offer multiple language support.
Microsoft Teams could be improved through more synchronization with other platforms like Calendly and Gmail.
 

Setup Cost

HCL Connections pricing varies widely, offers discounts, flexible licensing, and competitive pricing compared to Jive or SharePoint.
Microsoft Teams is cost-effective, often bundled with Office 365, offering flexible, affordable pricing with some geographical and feature-based variations.
Microsoft Teams comes with Office 365 licenses like E3, but there are options for those who prefer not to pay for Teams by using alternative products like Slack.
Microsoft Teams is economical when purchased as part of an Office 365 bundle.
 

Valuable Features

HCL Connections enhances collaboration with file sharing, tool integration, expert profiles, mobile access, and efficient content management.
Microsoft Teams excels in communication and collaboration with robust features, Office 365 integration, and flexible, user-friendly access.
The platform is user-friendly and has positively impacted our communication, allowing us to communicate with people from different countries and cities in real time.
Microsoft Teams is also noted for its compliance with GDPR and SOC 2, ensuring data security and compliance.
It serves everything in one place and improves communication within organizations.
 

Categories and Ranking

HCL Connections
Ranking in Enterprise Social Software
11th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.2
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
Corporate Portals (Enterprise Information Portals) (6th)
Microsoft Teams
Ranking in Enterprise Social Software
1st
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
166
Ranking in other categories
Virtual Meetings (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Enterprise Social Software category, the mindshare of HCL Connections is 1.0%, down from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Teams is 12.6%, down from 17.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise Social Software
 

Featured Reviews

Hasnain Zahid - PeerSpot reviewer
A stable tool useful to manage marketing-related activities
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten. Sometimes, the portal hangs because I find that if I am on a web page, I have to log out, and then I have to log in to the portal again. Since I see that the portal hangs at times, I have to move from one side of the portal to the next, making me feel that some things are scattered in the product. I attended a meeting with IBM recently, and they are improving a few of the things, in my opinion. The concerns that I have related to the product are being improved since I think many other users have reported issues similar to the ones I faced.
Arun Srivastav - PeerSpot reviewer
Seamless presentation and collaboration enhance organizational productivity
There are three main areas for improvement: Firstly, AI capabilities should be integrated into Microsoft Teams to provide better transcript services and offer multiple language support. Secondly, it should allow participants to remain visible during presentations, enhancing interaction. Lastly, it needs broader integration capabilities with other products, like Salesforce ( /vendors/salesforce ), which is currently limited.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
30%
Financial Services Firm
20%
Media Company
9%
Real Estate/Law Firm
8%
Educational Organization
66%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
3%
Computer Software Company
3%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HCL Connections?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
What needs improvement with HCL Connections?
The support is an area where the product can improve. My company faces some support-related issues because whenever we create or generate a ticket, it takes two days for the product's support team ...
What is your primary use case for HCL Connections?
I use HCL Connections for marketing purposes. The IBM product in our company already provides us with direct links to the marketing and HR sides.
What do you like most about Microsoft Teams?
The most valuable feature of Microsoft Teams for us is the ability to share files from OneDrive seamlessly.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft Teams?
Microsoft Teams comes with Office 365 ( /products/office-365-reviews ) licenses like E3, but there are options for those who prefer not to pay for Teams by using alternative products like Slack ( /...
What needs improvement with Microsoft Teams?
The biggest issue with Microsoft Teams is switching identities, especially when communicating with external organizations. Users often don't know they have messages from another company unless they...
 

Also Known As

IBM Connections, Lotus Connections
MS Teams
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Yamato Financial Co. Ltd., University of Zurich, Gwinnett County Public Schools, Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V., Telus, Rabobank, Christian Brothers Services, Grupo Financiero Banorte, The Loft Group, Dow Water & Process Solutions, JGC Corporation, College of Medicine, Swansea University, solvito GmbH, Loft Group, Hamm-Reno Group GmbH, Geno SA
Honeywll, AIRFRANCE, AccuWeather, Lilly
Find out what your peers are saying about HCL Connections vs. Microsoft Teams and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.
850,028 professionals have used our research since 2012.