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by Irina Kirnos | Marketing Manager | RingCentral
A dramatic shift in the way we work is rendering one’s physical presence at meetings very tricky to manage. More than ever, small businesses are operating across multiple locations while simultaneously seeking to drive down the cost of travel.
Yet meeting virtually raises the possibility that some vital aspect of human interaction is left wanting.
After all, no matter how good the technology, audio conference calls cannot provide the same level of personal engagement as a face-to-face meeting. And without visual interaction, managing group conversations on a telephone can be cumbersome.
Traditional video conferencing partly alleviates these concerns, but it introduces its own complications: installing hardware, complicated set-up, booking designated rooms in advance. Its little wonder many people find arranging and conducting video conferences a hassle.
There are plenty of virtual conferencing vendors from which to choose. SMB owners should consider these five best-in-class features when choosing business communications solutions that can help level the playing field:
And by partnering with a scalable, easy-to-use virtual conferencing vendor, SMBs can get all the big business benefits of business communications and team messaging without high cost and complexity.
HD Video and Audio Conferencing
As SMBs grow into new markets, most don’t have the resources to meet every new customer in person. That’s why having HD video conferencing capabilities is the foundation of any virtual conferencing solution. Providing reliable quality, facilitating the face-to-face conversations that will make connections and build relationships.
Video and audio conferencing are designed to enable more streamlined, personal connections. When connection issues arise the quality of the experience can leave a lot to be desired, at best you’ll experience annoying distractions; at worst, communication becomes impossible. High-quality video not only facilitates your interactions, but it also reflects well on your organisation.
Video mobility
For small business owners trying to grow their business, mobility is one of the most important features of virtual conferencing and goes a long way toward supporting modern work styles. The ability to connect anytime, anywhere, and through any mobile device – including smartphones, tablets, and laptops – will ensure that your vendors and customers can always get in touch no matter where you are. And, of course, being able to see the people with whom you’re communicating adds an important personal touch.
Screen sharing
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then screen sharing offers an entire encyclopaedia of benefits. Want to give potential clients the pitch of a lifetime? Need to provide remote training to off-site staff and contract workers? Interested in offering product demos to geographically dispersed prospects? Add a deep level of interactivity to your business communications by selecting a virtual conferencing provider that enables sharing desktops, applications, presentations, and whiteboards. Advanced tools such as presentation recording give valuable information a life beyond the scheduled online meeting and break down any remaining barriers to online collaboration.
File sharing
No virtual conferencing provider would be complete without offering robust file-sharing and task-management solutions. File-sharing integrations create a seamless process of adding comments and providing quick feedback during online meetings – keeping your projects organised and accessible. Leading providers make it easy to integrate with your content storage service of choice, including Google Drive, Box, and Dropbox.
The right task-management software goes a long way toward getting every team member on the same page and schedule. You can create teams based on projects and departments, with endless ways to coordinate tasks based on criteria like status, priority, time or human resources needed.
Integrated team messaging
Working faster, smarter, and better is the war-cry of SMB owners and the hallmark of the best virtual conferencing solutions. As a small business begins to grow and owners and employees are scrambling to take advantage of opportunities, reliable team messaging becomes even more important. Leading virtual conferencing providers do more than power video and audio meetings – they will also offer a single digital work space that integrates team messaging into the virtual conferencing experience.
Ready to use the best virtual conferencing solution?
All-in-one virtual conferencing service with powerful integrated team messaging allows business conversations to evolve from brief chats to in-depth video and file-sharing meetings anytime the need arises, all at the push of a button. Couple that with video mobility, and your office just moved to anywhere you or your employees are.
About the Author
Irina Kirnos is a Product Marketing Manager at RingCentral in EMEA. With experience in the cloud software and communication industry spanning Silicon Valley, Research Triangle Park and now London, she enjoys working collaboratively with global teams to develop product messaging and positioning, sales enablement and competitive differentiation. Irina grew up in San Francisco, California and is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
