When it comes to communication, humans do better with face to face conversation than they do with email. Not only is it better for our understanding of tone and inflection, we like to see the person with whom we are talking. We can better gauge facial expressions, hear the tone of voice to understand the meaning behind words. Face to face conversation has – in recent years – been diminished by the rise of email and text messaging. Yet, we created webcams and video conferencing software to make it easier to speak to each other “face to face” via a screen.
The introduction of video conferencing technology enables us to have remote meetings without having to leave the house and the office. While we prefer to meet in person and allow a conversation to flow, we also appreciate being able to utilize this technology while dealing with lockdown! Below, we have put together a mini analysis of some of the top video conferencing software options out right now. You need video conferencing software that is going to embrace the newest technology and convenient access to your next remote meeting. So, lets check out the best!
Zoom
Zoom was solidified as a leader in video conferencing technology in 2019. There have been some privacy concerns lately with Zoom, but it’s got the conferencing software that enables both one to one sessions and group video conferences. Zoom has proven to be a leader in video meetings with up to 1,000 people at a time, and it does very well with up to 50 screens at the same time! You can choose to use Zoom with the app or via a web browser, and with end to end encryption, it’s designed for safety. The calendar system integrates easily with the meeting invitations, which means that you can schedule meetings easily with others. Zoom can be used for free, but it’s only for 1:1 meetings. The group meetings are limited to 40 minutes, and you can only host up to 40 people. If you want to pay for Zoom, you can pay $15 a month and scale right up the Business and Enterprise Plans.
Pros
- Conducts live video chats easily
- Offers tiered payment plans
- Access live, in-depth support
- Has an on-screen whiteboard feature.
Cons
- Can be expensive depending on the tier you use
- Video quality isn’t always great
- Has been known to fail in security.
Zoho Meetings
Zoho has been around for almost 25 years, and in that time has grown massively, with 50 million people using it worldwide. Zoho Meetings offers users the chance to host training sessions, webinars, and online meetings. The plans are cheap, starting low at $10 per host a month. The price is excellent as it includes support that covers up to 100 people, and it also stores up to 10 recorded meetings. This gives you the chance to keep hold of valuable information as you need it. Zoho is based on the browser if you on a PC or a Mac, and there are no downloads required when you use it. There are even in-session chat and audio participants that can be added for an additional cost. Zoho is a GDPR-compliant option, and there are excellent privacy tools for moderators to use. Zoho can integrate with Google Calendar, too, but it’s better for businesses that have the Zoho CRM.
Pros
- Cheap, which is excellent if you don’t want to spend too much at first.
- You can set reminders for important meetings
- The Zoho CRM makes it exceptionally easy to connect.
Cons
- Will log out a user when there is a dip in usage
- Integrating with the CRM can be complex
- Requires support help to create reports
Google Hangouts
Google does so many different things for different people. From email and instant messaging to documents and more, Google has brought Hangouts Meet – the business side of the meeting online. Purely for G Suite subscribers, Google Hangout Meet will allow video conferences and even allow outsiders to log in. It’s designed to work in Chrome more than any other platform, and if you have a business that uses Google for most things, you need Hangout Meet to complete the set and give you the video conferencing you need.
Pros
- Excellent for casual chatting
- Promotes conversation face to face between coworkers
- Allows the sending of images and gifs
Cons
- Doesn’t enable group chatting
- Requires excellent internet connection
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft teams is part of the Office 365 suite and is one of the most widely used enterprise video conferencing tools on the market today. Backed by the one of the biggest names in the tech industry there aren’t many things teams leaves the user left desiring.
Pros
- Conducts live video chats easily
- Access to enterprise level support from Microsoft
- Supported as part of managed services from many IT providers
- Allows sharing of the screen from presenters
Cons
- Not the most user friendly
- Requires excellent internet connection
Cisco Webex
Cisco Webex is part of the Cisco family of products and is certainly of the enterprise level when it comes to quality and features. It has three price ranges that will depend on the number of participants required in meetings. It even has an offering that can support a meeting with up to 1000 participants.
Pros
- Low bandwidth requirements
- High quality video and audio
- Access to enterprise level support from Cisco and your IT provider
- Allows sharing of the screen from presenters plus many more sharing options
Cons
- Can be a bit clunky for basic users
- Pricing is not the cheapest
- Inability to create meetings on behalf of another user
Although there are many more pros and cons of each, we wanted to touch on some of the main things we have seen with several of these products. If your business is in need of an IT provider to help you navigate using and supporting these software’s, please don’t hesitate to reach out via our contact page.
