☎ Comparing Skype and Rocketchat Seems quite silly

Feedback
1

I saw that on Rocketchat’s website you run this campaign:
https://www.rocket.chat/alternative/skype-for-business

and you make this comparison chart too:

image
image1241×752 115 KB

But to be honest it seems to me quite silly and irrelevant when you completely miss the point of Skype which is something that RocketChat completely are missing and the main reason people and businesses use Skype:
The ability to make VOIP calls and real phone calls to real landlines and mobiles. And even on top of that to use/have real phone numbers attached to your instance/account.

Rocket.chat doesn’t offer this and as long as it isn’t there natively then
Rocketchat isn’t really a competitor to Skype at all. Skype isn’t much about chatting, but more about voice and video calling.

If RocketChat offered this built into the system natively like for example Discord does:

image
image233×579 36.1 KB

Then the offer would be way stronger. I know you offer some external apps you can install ( Like BigBlueButton for example), but if there where built in natively the option to start voice channels in the Discord fashion on the fly; it would make the whole Rockchat platform as a tool much stronger, ore accessible to everyone (Especially those without IT knowledge), and much less nerdy.

If you want voice on Rocket chat as it is now you do need to be tech savvy and be able to install for example “Jitsi Meet” or “BigBlueButton” on yet another separate server which obviously makes it complex and complicated.

Making Rocketchat more accessible and user friendly to the masses is something I think would greatly benefit you guys in terms of more people/businesses signing up (and us users too of course), as you probably would get more users on your platform as less people would reject it because it is too complex to manage with having to do external installations like the two offered voice platform integrations mentioned as an example.

So that is just my 5 cents :coin: :+1:

Kind regards

2

It might help if you read all the docs and searched a bit.

https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/team-voice-calls-voip

https://docs.rocket.chat/docs/voice-channel-technical-specification

I believe they’ll be adding more features in time.

Before you ask, no it won’t be free.

3

It would help if it was clear on your website and transparent.

That you have to deep search your documentation to find any mentioning of it and not on your frontpage (and in the feature matrix), is not very clear communication to your customers.

Of course it won’t.

I had no high hope of that anyway.
All your competitors offer VOIP though as a default standard product free of charge…

You might pay for a higher bitrate/sound quality (and pay for the ability to real call real phones/mobiles of course) - but the base VOIP is always free at your competition’s product offering, (There is ample amount of them).

Not quite clever strategy in my mind to:
1.) Hide that you offer it (You hide your pricing too btw. which is very annoying).
2.) Charge for something that is default (and free), elsewhere…

But hey sure; its your company and if you lose customers of that then that its on you with no impact for me and everybody else.

And why do you compare yourself with Skype where it is free to do VOIP calls?

That is just silly.

But hey… At least you got some feedback. Out 1000 people 1-2 persons might give you feedback, the rest don’t and just go elsewhere.

4

It’s not “my” website. I don’t work.for Rocket.Chat

I just typed voip.

It was almost instant.

Do they? Really?

It’s not mine, though I do have my own company, and I’m pretty sure it isn’t going to lose them customers.

If it’s no impact to you why are you taking all this time to comment? Makes no sense.

Because if you look at the comparison you’ll see they offer a load of stuff that Skype doesn’t. Which they are pretty sure will appeal to their target audience. Skype users probably. That’s how businesses work.

Yup I understand all about feedback and so do they.

I’m sure they’ll appreciate yours.

5

You prove my point by typing it. You should not have to search for it. It should be listed, clearly open and easy to find and understand.

That is not the case here.

Only nerds :nerd_face: will deep dive down into the documentation of a software product, the rest don’t.

Yes, you can easily find loads of these communication platforms. VOIP is a default feature.

6

Blowed if I know why they bothered sticking a search box on there if people don’t need it.

But then they have a direct link.

https://open.rocket.chat/channel/Code-walk-through-and-architecture

Just here if you bother browsing.

Screenshot_20241102_182545_Firefox Beta
Screenshot_20241102_182545_Firefox Beta1080×1427 156 KB

So according to you it should be clear and obvious, doesn’t need a search box, but then no one but nerds will read?

Ah that makes perfect sense.

IME prudent smart admins read the docs.

Prospective purchasers tend to read docs.

It’s the lazy people who don’t bother.

7

It should be clear on Rocket Chats website and not hidden in the documentation.
That speaks clearly for itself. Period.

Nerds read documentation. Normal people don’t do it. Its has nothing to do with laziness which is quite ignorant thing to say.

Its about lack of time. Limited time by 24 hours a day.

Do you really think that every company owner and CEO has the time to sit and read every silly documentation manual of each software they are looking into or are testing on a server?

If you think that, well then I can tell you that you’re on the wrong track.

8

Really? It’s not hidden is it? We already did that where you contradicted yourself.

Not sure how obvious you want it. Pop up box perhaps?

I’m not a nerd and I read docs.

It is everything to do with laziness. Windows indictronation - who needs manuals?

It’s why so many people have so many issues. I’ve been trying to teach them otherwise for over two and half decades. It is like banging your head against a very hard wall.

And you?? Still can’t be bothered to search?

Silly manuals? Serious trolling then.

As a CEO I can tell you that only muppets, lazy fools, and the short sighted do otherwise. (I’m also a director of a not for profit running a Linux distro, but forget that for now - what would I know?)

They get everything they deserve by not doing due diligence. Reading documentation, even if peripherally, is part of DD.

If you think otherwise then I know you’ll be the one who has an issue, and the first thing you’ll get told is RTFM. Because you should have.

People who can’t be bothered to read manuals leech time off the peoole who do.

You have contradicted yourself already, and are now flogging a dead horse trying to be “right”.

Save your energy for something more important.

Perhaps read this on asking for help.

People may listen to you then.

9

I’m really a fan over your know it all smart ass attitude. Tells a lot.

So do then point out where VOIP is listed on https://www.rocket.chat since you are so clever and smart…

Apparently it seems that you are a a person with way too much time on your hands.

Other people have no time for this and need quick answers, but you never understand so I’ll leave it at that. Flexing that your Director/CEO for some Linux Distro is no merit or flex I can tell you.

Arguing with a potential customer (and you’re not even the employed by Rocket Chat), makes all worse.

You seem pretty aggressive, very rude and makes personal attacks too. Not a very good representative to have as a moderator on company forums aimed to help people.

Type and argue whatever you want, I do not have time for these type of stupid internet arguments.

10

I’m sorry for pointing out your own inaccuracies.

You are the one who raised an issue which doesn’t exist because information is there if you care to do even a smidgeon of reading, and then argued yourself to a standstill.

Do you expect they turn the whole website into a documentation site that you also say no one but nerds read?

Like many, you have lots of “suggestions” on how to make Rocket “better”.

Those normally mean “make the things I want for free”

Rocket has a business model to make money to stay in business to pay wages to write more software, a lot of which is used free of charge.

You can use it for free as it is, pay and get more features, or take the source and add/remove what you want. Not a bad offering.

But they can’t do it all for free. They build stuff orientated to paying customers.

The best way to get stuff you want is to be involved and helping the community but I see zero from you. Don’t ask. Do.

Really? You aren’t buying EE/Voip so I’m not sure what you want to buy. I see no buying intention.

No, but I did.

Used Rocket since ohhh 0.20 or so. 2016 or thereabouts. Been helping in the community ever since. Worked here for a while so most of the main people are friends, and still here voluntarily helping people as time allows. I know how the company works.

They also know me very well too. I’ve pointed out my experience where you have made naive assumptions about me. It doesn’t make me a smart arse, or a nerd. Just well informed.

Since you made a point about docs that I pointed out you had contradicted yourself, you have done everything you can to try and “win” argument you had already lost.

I’m happy to help people in need. After I finished clearing my house up after the floods I’ve been helping our village clear up as well. You can guess where we live. Still try to find time to help around here, open, bugs etc.

I do my best to help everyone, but there is no pleasing some people who have to have the last word, and you are obviously one.

Do let us know what you intend on buying and we can get sales to talk to you, though my guess is that you’re probably on CE or free Starter and that isn’t ever going to happen.

Happy to be proved wrong - do let us know.

Otherwise you have your answers above.