Before the coronavirus hit and changed our regular routines, online meeting apps for businesses were the best way to meet employees or clients located in different cities or countries. These days, though, virtual meetings have become the norm, and the current situation tested the capabilities and shortcomings of available platforms.
Companies are now looking for a stable app that can accommodate more people in a chat room and provide crisp and clear audio. That is a challenge where the internet connection is slow, which is sometimes the case with home services that have a smaller bandwidth. You had been dealing with slow responses and people talking at the same time. It’s funny at the start but can be frustrating as the meeting goes on.
When things go back to normal, offices will do well to have a business IP PBX system to aid their VoIP network. But as most are doing their work and meetings at home, they are using these online platforms to connect.
Zoom
Zoom is probably the most popular video conferencing app right now. It has a free version for personal conferencing and a paid version for business use. The enterprise package can host up to 200 attendees and offers unlimited cloud storage, screen sharing, custom emails, and more.
But the feature that makes it the app of choice is that it allows the participants to choose views from its gallery. That means they can customize the background and hide their messy room from the others.
Skype for Business
Other than the regular free app, Skype has an enterprise conferencing tool that can host up to 250 participants. It also provides virtual whiteboarding capabilities. This paid version charges $2 per user per month.
Google Hangouts or Google Meet
If your team uses the Gmail platform, then it comes automatically with the Google Hangouts feature. It’s typically considered for one-on-one or small group chats; however, it can also be a useful video meeting tool if your meetings don’t have too many participants.
For a more enterprise-ready app, you can use Google Meet. It’s an upgraded version of Hangouts but designed around video conferencing with more polished features. Like Zoom, it has features like calendar syncing, room booking, and a better interface.
GoTo Meeting
GoTo Meeting allows screen sharing and personalized meeting URLs. It also supports HD-quality video conferencing and interactive whiteboard. Great features that make it the most preferred online meeting app for most companies.
These features don’t come for free, though. Pricing starts at $14 per month for a group of up to 150 participants. It also comes in a Business package at $16 per month for up to 250 participants. While the Enterprise package, suitable for big meetings and webinars, can host up to 3,000 participants.
Slack
Slack is a popular, organized communication and project management tool and has recently added a video conferencing feature. If your team is on Slack, then using it for online meetings makes sense and eliminates the need for multi-app tools.
One-on-one video chat is part of a free account, but there’s a charge if you want to use it for larger meetings.
Some experts are saying working from home could become the new normal or at least become part of the regular business operation. Therefore, finding an effective online meeting platform while working from home is a must for companies. They can start experimenting with different apps now and decide which one will work best for them.
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