As organizations continue to embrace remote working, the need to keep teams collaborating becomes necessary. Unlike a traditional office where people can socialize, allocating assignments is done in-person, and brainstorming sessions happen in the conference room, these can only be done virtually in remote working. That is why video conferencing tools are important for any remote team. For your team to benefit from video conferencing, however, the video conferencing app of choice should have features such as screen sharing, whiteboarding, file sharing, and chat options among others. Here are the top 5 video conferencing apps that will help your team feel like they are working next to each other.
1. Google Meet
Google Meet is one of the most secure video conferencing apps, which makes it a favorite among millions of people. It is secure in that the users, their data, and information are kept safe by encrypting data in transit. The meeting owner can also regulate who can join the meeting by approving and removing participants if necessary. Google Meet integrates with Google’s other apps such as Google Calendar, Gmail, and Google Drive. That makes sharing information easy as you can move from one app to the other without leaving the call. For instance, you can share files from Google Drive through chat while still on the call. Meet allows screen sharing which makes it perfect for presentations as you can share spreadsheets, slides and documents. The best feature is video captioning as it ensures inclusivity for everyone including hearing impaired participants and people working from noisy places.
2. Zoom
Zoom is one of the most popular video conferencing apps based on its customer base. It has been the most preferred for its ability to enable most interactive video meetings from anywhere in the world. With the ability to host 1000 participants with 49 visible screens, Zoom is perfect for large teams. Even if the meeting gets you off guard, you can still look the part by enabling the Touch Up My Appearance or Virtue Backgrounds features. Zoom allows secure meetings with password protection and data encryption. Whether you are in Chicago working from public space such as a coworking space in Chicago, you do not have to worry about your data security with Zoom. Other features include team chats, screen and file sharing, call recording, and meeting scheduling among others.
3. Join.me
Join.me presents an excellent video conferencing app for small businesses. It is good for a meeting with fewer people. Three participants can screen share for free, but scaling up is available for a large number of people. It is easily accessible even for first-timers from any device, browser, or operating system. Other features include personalizing your background and URL, document sharing, meeting scheduling, and SMS notifications for meetings.
4. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is best for broadcasting a webinar to a large number of viewers. The best thing is that you can create a customized link to invite people if you want to address people outside your company. It allows meeting scheduling through the online platform and anyone can join the meeting through the mobile phone. The coolest feature is the ability to monitor your audio and see if you are being loud or not. Other features include call recording, HD video, dial-in numbers, screen sharing, drawing tools among others.
5. Slack
Slack is a popular remote team collaborative team for its instant messaging and file sharing features. It is also known for organized team collaboration by creating channels and regulating who can post on each channel. It has recently integrated video conferencing features, which is a great addition for any team. Now your team can have all the communication in one place, which enhances collaboration and saves time. If your team has been using slack, adopting the new feature is much easier. You can instantly start a meeting while still continuing with your conversations, share your screen to show your work or present complex ideas and share files with your team.
Conclusion
Videoconferencing is a critical exercise for any organization that wants to optimize productivity among remote workers. Most people working off-premise can feel lonely or sometimes derail a project if they run into a problem. With the best video conferencing tools, it is easy to collaborate with them, offer solutions, and host happy hours.