Video Conferencing: The New Norm

Over the last few years, video conferencing has grown from an emerging technology into one of the most popular business communications tools. The pandemic has significantly helped, with video meetings becoming a core part of the “new normal.” In fact, the web and video conferencing SaaS market is now on track to increase by 110.3 percent in 2020.

“With normal life disrupted and employees separated from their offices, video conferencing has emerged into a social and enterprise lifeline,” explains ReportLinker. “The accelerated pace of digital transformation and the massive forced migration to work from home (WFH) models represent the two major factors driving growth in the market. Home offices, remote networking, cloud computing, remote communication and collaboration, have all stormed into the spotlight as the world scrambles to find digital alternatives to being physically present.”

As we prepare to head into the busy fourth quarter, companies should take the time to optimize their video conferencing strategies.

5 Video Conferencing Tips For Effective Meetings

Here are five key ways to plan effective video meetings.

Use A Browser-based Solution

There’s nothing more frustrating for an end user than having to download a platform to join a video conference. Companies need to make it effortless for coworkers, partners, and customers to join meetings. The best way to do this is to offer a video conferencing solution that’s browser-based, providing seamless entry from any device without requiring any downloads.

Focus On Flexibility

Now more than ever, employees are using video conferencing to share content and collaborate with one another. Workers need access to platforms that make it easy to share content in any form — including documents, audio, presentations, and video clips.

One thing to keep in mind is that the platform workers are using should be able to handle bandwidth-intensive media files, so that HD files can be transmitted without delays or performance issues.

Security Is Critical For Success

Employees shouldn’t have to worry about security issues when logging into meetings. Workers expect access to secure voice, video, and screen sharing from any device, which is something that many freemium video conferencing platforms are unable to provide. Make sure you protect your platform with adequate security measures, or find a platform that offers this feature built-in.

Related: Cybersecurity and IT Security Awareness Training is no Longer Optional

Another important feature to consider is scheduling. Employees should have access to simple yet robust scheduling solutions that make it fast and easy to set up meetings and invite attendees. With video meetings being a part of daily life now, reducing friction is key.

Leverage User-friendly Controls

When it comes to video conferencing, usability is one of the most important factors. Nobody likes having to poke around endlessly to find audio or camera settings, or a screen share button. Buttons and settings should be in plain sight and easily accessible. If your team is still getting used to your video conferencing platform, providing a short user guide and having a meeting just to discuss where to locate features can be a great help. Also consider issuing some internal best practices for how your teams should be using the platform, such as muting when not speaking, or when to ask questions via chat rather than over the microphone.