The Internet totally changed the way companies communicate. Modern businesses don’t need to pay an absurd amount of money to setup phone systems to connect its employees. Startups and small businesses are no longer limited to a single phone line that can only answer one call at a time. The same can be said with conferencing; nowadays, businesses can enjoy web meetings for their office and remote workers without worrying too much about budget or hardware.
For your online meeting needs, here are six of the best web conferencing products available today:
1) Skype
Skype is one the most recognizable web conferencing software available today. It was first released in 2003 but has continued to evolve and adapt to the changing needs of its users. The first versions of Skype provide voice, video, and instant messaging to its customers. It can be downloaded and used for free, but to fully enjoy the features, a premium subscription is recommended. For start-ups and small businesses, Skype can be a viable web conferencing tool, even if it’s the limited Free version. In a way, Skype paved the way for free/affordable web conferencing solutions of today.
Recommended reading: 10 Best Practices for Conducting Engaging Webinars.
2) Zoho Meeting
Zoho is a widely-known authority in customer relationship management, and their CRM software is one of the best in the market. It’s no surprise that they came up with Zoho Meeting, a no-frills web conferencing program that can be used alongside their CRM software. With Meeting, existing Zoho users can reach customers from all over the globe quickly. It can be used to present product demos and sales presentation seamlessly, without the need to travel and waste more time and money.
3) Livestorm
Branding itself as a “webinar software that helps you scale,” Livestorm is aimed at startups and SMBs who are looking for an affordable, flexible conferencing solution. Their focus is on “live events,” web conferencing, webcasts, demos, and the like because they see it as a way to help scale sales, market content, and train customers. One of the most notable points of Livestorm is its Q&A feature, which lets participants post questions, and lets hosts keep track of all these queries, all within the program. This way, brands can start live Q&As and AMAs (ask me anything) to educate customers and potential clients about new products or services.
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4) UberConference
UberConference aims to provide a truly stress-free conference calling experience. Customers can participate without a PIN, see all the participants in just one glance, and keep track of the conversation easily. It comes with the standard HD voice and video calling capability, as well as an improved interface that enables you to be mute or dial-in others mid-call. Users can also share screens to facilitate collaboration among team members, no matter where they are. But perhaps the most notable feature of UberConference is that you can schedule a meeting and be called in when the meeting starts. You don’t even have to remember a PIN or meeting ID.
5) GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is an easy-to-use, full-featured web meeting solution that aims to provide all your conferencing needs in just one software. It comes equipped with high-quality voice and video calling capabilities that only a few can match. You can choose between VoIP and toll-based voice calling at no extra charge. GoToMeeting can also call participants so that they can join a meeting simply by answering a call. But the best GoToMeeting feature so far is its HDFaces Video Conferencing, wherein you can share up to 6 HD video feeds per session.
Within a meeting, you can share your screen or desktop, or even a specific application. You can also use drawing tools to direct the participant’s attention whenever you share your screen. Need to be away from your keyboard for a bit? Hand over the control to someone else, and they can use your mouse and keyboard anytime.
Recommended reading: Future of Video Surveillance: Video Analytics As-a-Service (VAaaS).
6) RingCentral Meetings
For a total video and audio conferencing package, RingCentral Meetings is definitely one of the top choices. It is capable of providing enterprise-level conferencing capabilities, so no matter how big your business gets, you’ll never have to worry about switching services. RingCentral Meetings aims to help you increase your team collaboration and overall business efficiency. By using Meetings, you and your participants won’t have to travel to hear about new products or upgraded services that you offer.
As long as you have a reliable internet connection, you can join HD video meetings wherever you are in the world. You don’t have to be tethered to your desk just to join because you can also video conference on your smartphone or tablet. Now if you are more into audio conferencing, RingCentral Meetings will let you hold conferences with up to 1,000 participants, depending on your subscription.
This article is written by Francis Mansueto. He has been writing for more than a decade now, focusing on Digital Marketing in the last couple of years. He is currently in charge of writing web-optimized content for RingCentral, an industry-leading cloud phone systems provider. Francis is also a voracious reader, spending most of his free time immersed in fictional worlds. You can reach him through Twitter.
