Utilising video conferencing tools to stay connected is not a new idea. Neither is working remotely. The latter trend has been gaining more prominence over the last few years as teams and expanding and requiring more flexibility while companies require larger talent pools (among other reasons).
Benefits of video conferencing
Still, a lot of companies have teams working from dedicated corporate office spaces. But utilising video conferencing more often has numerous benefits!
Firstly, it saves a lot of time and therefore money. Instead of driving to and from meetings, employees can more billable hours since they don’t have to drive to client meetings. Your company credit card might also get some slack as you don’t have to pay for coffees, lunches and dinners.
In the search of the tools available, you might stumble upon platforms you never knew existed, or realise that you are under-utilising a platform you are already paying for.
Choosing a video conferencing tool
There are countless video conferencing tools available. At G2, we are particularly fond of
But choosing the best one (or four) to meet your company’s and clients’ needs, there are a few things to keep in mind, including but not limited to
- Price
- Maximum number of attendees
- Additional features such as audio calls, scheduling, muting, recording, personalised URL, screenshare, chat, polling and many more
- Reviews
Getting the most out of video conferencing tools
Just because meetings are now run virtually, basic meeting etiquette still counts! To maximise the effectiveness and efficiency of online meetings, we recommend
- Sending an agenda to all participants at least a day in advance. This way everyone will know what the meeting will be about, who will join in, and let you know if there’s an additional discussion point to highlight.
- Confirming which platform will be used for the virtual meeting. It might be that your company uses one platform and your clients another.
- Knowing which platform will be utilised will also buy you some time to test the platform and internet connection about 15 minutes prior to the meeting.
- Choosing a tool with a dial-in option just in case a strong internet connection is not available. Struggling with a bad connection will steal time from everyone.
- Depending on the nature of the meeting, it might also be beneficial to choose a platform which gives participants the capability to post comments. This will let the facilitator know if there’s a query to discuss or a question to answer.
- Most tools offer a share-screen option which makes it easier to discuss projects, timeless, strategies and more.
- During the meeting, it will be required of every participant to give their undivided attention as they would in a face-to-face meeting. Therefore, don’t multitask, quit your emails and switch your phone to silent for the duration of the meeting.
- Afterwards, be sure to send a meeting summary to all participants, listing actionable items, responsible team members and deadlines.
- You can also share relevant documents needed for feedback, research or comments via Google Drive or even WeTransfer.
These are just a few guidelines you can follow. At G2 we create virtual spaces to ensure our employees stay connected to each other and our clients. In the advanced technological age we are living in, there are no excuses available not to dominate the digital sphere in its entirety.
Have any other suggestions? We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your ideas.
