When employees are remote or working from home, video conferencing meetings might affect how they operate. Even if you can’t meet these people, face-to-face contact is essential. With a video conferencing platform, your staff may efficiently collaborate or communicate with customers and clients no matter where they are.

Virtual meeting software is no longer a niche product; it is the primary location where meetings occur. It is true in remote and hybrid firms, and it is becoming increasingly used in industries primarily operating in physical offices.

In this blog post, we will analyze different platforms and discuss their pros and cons to determine the best way to have an online group video meeting.

What is the best way to have an online meeting?

The best way to have an online meeting is to use a reliable and secure video conferencing platform. Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams are all great options for hosting online meetings. Zoom offers an easy-to-use interface with features such as screen sharing and breakout rooms, allowing you to collaborate with others without being in the same room. Google Meet has a sleek design that makes it perfect for larger groups, plus it’s integrated into the rest of the Google Suite of tools. Microsoft Teams also integrates well with other Office applications and offers great security features. All three platforms offer the ability to record meetings for later playback if needed. Whichever platform you choose, make sure it meets your needs and is secure before holding any important meetings online.

Google Meet

Google Hangouts was the previous name for Google Meet. They form part of the Standard G Suite, which is Google’s office suite, and Google Chat. The program is ideal for business calls and seminars but can also be used for casual conversations with friends. Google Meet is commonly compared to Zoom, while Skype is widely seen as a Zoom substitute.

Meetings of up to 60 minutes are free; if you wish to extend the time restriction, you must purchase a plan. You may also review the plans and pricing for extra services such as live streaming, international dial-in phones, conference recordings, and administrative controls.

Google Meet has advantages if you are seeking to accommodate many participants (the limit for one meeting is 100 participants). It is also perfect for integrating if you work with Google-provided products, as Google Meet supports Gmail Web, IOS and Android apps, and Google Calendar. In addition, it is a perfect solution for distance learning – luckily, this video conferencing app is accessible for teachers to create a Google classroom for students. Students can attend their classes from a mile distance if they have a Google account.

The Problem with Google Meet

However, if you are seeking a platform to be used widely for businesses, Google Meet might not be the ideal option. Many users have reported problems with screen sharing, as the screen for all or for a part of the participants might turn blank with no way to fix it. Also, Google Meet has restrictions on inviting people outside your organization to join your call.

Zoom

Zoom provides numerous significant benefits for qualitative researchers doing online video conference interviews. To begin, Zoom does not need participants to create an account or download any software. The electronic meeting invitation issued by Zoom features a live link that takes a click to attend the video call and may be altered and supplemented to add specificity to the interview the researcher is conducting. Second, Zoom allows the interviewer and participants to share their screens and display papers such as the research information letter or consent form for discussion. The interviewer can also provide photographs, video, and audio clips, and other resources to start a dialogue.  During the conference call, different numbers of participants can be expanded into different meeting rooms to make a group call.

The Problem with Zoom

Zoom video conferencing software has unquestionably achieved its pinnacle by expanding services to the corporate, healthcare, and education sectors. Because of its extensible and adaptable service, the application has become the first option for every small and well-known firm to have group meetings. Although it appears to be an excellent answer to your company’s demands, a few limits appeared to have arisen as the zoom app’s worrisome downsides.

In a recently published review, a consumer complained about poor treatment from the customer support department. A service person may contact you in 2 to 3 days with a possible solution. Also, the platform’s safety has become a concern as numerous incidents of ‘Zoom bombing’ have occurred. Furthermore, for proficient use as a business, Zoom could not be the ideal option as it does not offer flexible plans or requires sending separate links for each meeting.

Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams, Microsoft’s “hub for cooperation,” unifies chat, calls, meetings, Microsoft 365 apps, and third-party tools in a single spot. Microsoft Teams’ collaboration features allow you to focus on the flow of work rather than transactional communications and meetings.

There will be no more sending out multiple versions through email and the ensuing version confusion. You may add comments and to-dos, as well as interact with your coworkers, right there in the document.

It is more important than ever for firms to keep employees informed and on the same page—regardless of where they work. Integrated Teams apps allow you to communicate with colleagues more efficiently.

You don’t need to switch applications to collaborate on a document because of the strong interaction with Office 365. In Teams, you can create a Word, Excel, or PowerPoint document, instantaneously share it with your colleagues, and then co-author it in the blink of an eye.

There will be no more sending out multiple versions through email and the ensuing version confusion. You may add comments and to-dos, as well as interact with your coworkers, right there in the document.

In addition, Microsoft Teams have many integrations, such as AI meeting management software. An example of that would be isLucid. IsLucid is cutting-edge meeting management software that is available on Microsoft Teams. Callers can use IsLucid to produce actionable items while remaining engaged in the discussion.

Learn more about Microsoft Teams

To conclude, it is relatively easy to determine that Microsoft Teams is an ideal platform for your business. With numerous integrations, availability to connect with the software you use and compatibility with AI meeting assistants are the critical components for a meeting platform to have to conduct effective video meetings.

If you would like to try it out yourself, check out these links for a free version of conferencing software:

https://teams.microsoft.com/edustart

https://islucid.com/add-to-ms-teams/ 

Get isLucid for MS Teams and try it out for free : isLucid Download Page

Or book a demo to get a walkthrough : Book a demo