Your business's successful expansion and growth depend mainly upon quality collaborations necessary internally with your teams and employees and externally with leads, clients, or important business partners. Because collaboration and connection are so crucial for businesses to thrive, many companies are harnessing the connective powers of the internet for their online meeting purposes by using the best web conferencing software.
Video conferencing systems provide various services and features designed to make online meetings, presentations, and webinars more impactful, personal, and productive. Web conferencing software is available in onsite and cloud-based versions of web conferencing software. It is an affordable business communications solution for companies of every size to connect and conduct business fluently. Some web conferencing service providers even offer free web conferencing options as well.
Whether you are considering using a web conferencing service for the first time or upgrading to a new provider that will meet your growing business requirements, here are the top seven features for thriving, collaborative web conferencing.
Reliable System Up-Time
One of the most important features or offerings of a web conferencing service is system reliability and uptime. You need to be able to depend on your web conferencing system and know that it will function properly while you’re holding critical online meetings or presentations. Frequent system crashes or excessive downtime can easily result in lost business and profits if your discussions with important partners disconnect or do not function optimally.
Simple Attendee Access, Navigation, and Use
Ease of use for online meeting attendees is a crucial feature to consider when selecting a web conferencing system. You will likely have the most success with an easy-to-use and access option that does not require attendees to download any additional web conferencing software onto their computer to join the online meeting. Confusion or difficulty accessing the online meeting can cause potential clients or customers to miss valuable portions or decide not to attend if the web conferencing process becomes too complex or arduous.
Seamless Screen and Document Sharing
Most web conferencing systems offer dynamic screen-sharing and document-sharing options that are accessible for presenters and attendees to use during the course of an online meeting. The ability to share your screen or provide a document for attendees to all view during the conference can help enrich their understanding and build confidence in your company when supporting information or documents can be delivered precisely when they’re relevant in the meeting. Choose a web conferencing service offering seamless screen-sharing capabilities with fast download times and minimal bandwidth usage for the best results.
Presentation Streaming Tools
While you could share a PowerPoint presentation via the screen-sharing feature of your web conferencing service, most versions offer a more streamlined presentation tool designed to reduce viewing issues for attendees and give the presenter more control and options during the meeting. For example, as a presenter or meeting moderator, you can have the presentation going while still being able to view attendee comments and questions so you can interact in a more meaningful and engaging manner with those attending your online meeting when using web conferencing software.
High-Quality Two-Way Audio and Video
When you gather a quality group in a virtual event, you will want to make sure that everyone can hear you and that you can also clearly hear and understand them when the time comes for discussion. Many web conferencing services offer high-quality, two-way audio and video capabilities to ensure everyone is heard during your online meeting. Suppose you are conducting a presentation and want to minimize distracting background noises or feedback. In that case, you also have the option to mute the audio for all attendees until the time comes for group questions or discussions.
Dependable Options for Recording and Sharing
Often, key partners or potential customers cannot attend your online meeting while you are conducting it live. For this reason, your web conferencing service must provide dependable options for recording online meetings and an easy way to share those recordings.
Robust Analytics and Reporting
Most web conferencing providers offer reporting and analytics programs that work with their software and services. These analytics will help provide important information about how many people attended, if people lost interest and left the meeting, what questions were asked, etc. Capturing and analyzing this data will help provide you with deeper insight into your business, your messaging, and your collaborations for the future.
What Are The 3 Requirements for Using Video Conferencing?
While the article provides a good overview of the top features to consider when selecting web conferencing software, there are other important factors that businesses should also consider.
One such factor is customer support and technical assistance. It's crucial to choose a web conferencing provider that offers reliable and timely customer support, whether it's through phone, email, or chat. This ensures that any issues arising during an online meeting or webinar can be addressed promptly, reducing the risk of web conferencing disruptions or lost business.
Another important consideration is integrating web conferencing with other software or applications. Many businesses use various tools and applications to manage their operations, such as customer relationship management, project management, and marketing automation. Choosing a web conferencing platform that can integrate with these tools can help streamline workflows and improve productivity.
Finally, businesses may also want to consider the ability to customize and brand the web conferencing platform. Web conferencing can include options such as customizing the interface with company logos and branding and the ability to customize features such as registration pages, emails, and invitations. Web conferencing not only helps to reinforce brand identity but can also help make online meetings and webinars feel more professional and tailored to the audience.
Considering these additional factors can help businesses make a more informed decision when selecting web conferencing software that best meets their needs. For an extensive comparison of web conferencing providers, services, and features, check out our Video Conferencing Buyer's Guide to use as a handy tool as you decide which services and features will best benefit your business.
