If you run a small corporate office, you’ve probably already implementing home office workflows. However, staying engaged with colleagues and peers remotely isn’t that easy to start with. Moreover, choosing the wrong video conferencing platform will hamper your productivity and will initiate miscommunication.
Since the invasion of COVID-19, business is searching for easy ways to communicate with their team to keep things going. But it’s tough to find just the perfect one. When looking for conferencing platforms, it’s crucial to know what your requirements are.
In this blog post, I will run you through the factors you need to consider before deciding on a video conferencing software for your business’s growth.
#1 the Price
The cost of using any platform is indeed the most important issue for most companies. If your business is small and doesn’t have stringent standards, you can get by with the free features of most video conferencing apps.
You first have to do your budget. How much can you invest in a meeting platform? How much do you need it? Are email communication and occasional Skype meetings enough for your business workflow? Or you need something more?
The worst thing you might do is buy anything without thinking about it. So, address these issues first and prepared to expend a little extra if you need.
#2 Group Size
Consider how many people you expect to join your online meetings and how much room you’ll need. If you need anything that will accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of people, you need to do additional research.
Consider the scale of the meeting attendees. If you think you should get away with having smaller groups, go ahead and plan one. If not, there are other solutions for bigger groups. This is very critical because you don’t want a bad impression from your employees.
#3 Features
Do you know what features are a must-have for your business? Some businesses only need the communication part, while others can’t live without polls, scheduling, and encryption services.
Here is some common feature you may look out for:
Taking Notes: Many businesses like to log their meetings, particularly longer ones so that employees can view them again.
Chatting: Speaking up will waste precious meeting time and divert attention away from the key subject, which is why video conferences benefit from chatting.
Screen Sharing: Many organizations host internal webinars and quarterly reports to display their computer to attendees. It’s very helpful to have screen sharing features with tools to draw over the screen.
Voting Tools: This is one rare feature in most video conferencing platforms. For many organizations, it’s important to take opinion from every attendee by a poll or any other advanced voting tools.
Browser Access: Some video calling platforms require downloading an app or extra software to join into a meeting. Choose a video conferencing platform which lets you access directly from a browser. It’s more convenient and user-friendly.
Context photos: It would be amazing if you could upload personalized background images, right? This will create a fun atmosphere as well as work additionally as a security feature in case you don’t want to let anyone know where you are.
#4 Customer Support
This is especially important for offices. Most companies can’t afford to miss out on important details exchanged at conferences that hold their activities afloat.
The platform you choose must have outstanding customer service. You will get what you pay for in most situations, but if you want a free program, you won’t get this extra assistance.
Examine the ratings and recommendations for the app to see how good it treats its consumers. However, take a free trial first, then decide on purchasing a plan.
