How Zoom Has Revolutionised Virtual Meetings Systems & Online Conferences

How Zoom has Revolutionised Virtual Meetings

Since the creation of the internet, businesses have become increasingly reliant on email and conference calls to conduct day to day business instead of face to face interactions. Since then more technology has been released making the ability to have a remote workforce more common than ever before. Because of this, many businesses have decided to utilise virtual teams to work together instead of requiring their team to work from one centralised location.

One of the biggest downfalls of this business trend is many of these team members have found it difficult to get to know the other members of their team in the same way if they would have had been working face to face with one another. While they interact with one another almost daily, the interactions are often times not personable. For this reason, many companies have begun to look for ways for their teams to work more efficiently, while also being able to regain some of the interactions lost when they transitioned to using virtual teams.

Zoom meetings has been the solution for many of these companies. These companies understand the key to their success has been using the right technology to meet their needs, and being able to maximise the technology to the greatest degree possible so the team is able to gain an edge over their competition. However, they also recognise the need to balance efficiency with employee satisfaction with their job for teams to be able to sustain this level of productivity. Zoom offers companies the very technology businesses need to do just this, and has a proven track record for revolutionising the way businesses hold meetings. Below are some of the ways Zoom meetings have revolutionised the way companies hold virtual meetings.

Personalising Virtual Meetings

As already mentioned, one of the greatest ways Zoom meetings has reshaped virtual meetings experiences is by allowing companies to conduct productive meetings. It has also addressed a large number of the complaints made by team members about the lack of personalisation experienced when using other methods of hosting online business meetings. The Zoom experience allows team members, as well as interactions between your team and vendors or clients, to be as close to the same interaction as being in the same room as possible. Zoom allows business to be conducted quickly but still maintains the personalised experience many have missed with the technological advancements of the global economy. But this is not the only way Zoom has modernised virtual meetings.

Improving the Flow of Communication

Zoom has also transformed virtual meetings by drastically improving the flow of communication. There are a number of features available in Zoom meetings which are not available on other video conferencing software platforms. For instance, Zoom offers meeting participants the opportunity to use screen sharing to allow everyone attending the meeting to see the same thing on their screen as a visual reference when listening to the speaker. This helps to ensure everyone is able to interact with the same information and is on the same page about what is being addressed in the meeting. The use of the whiteboard feature also allows meeting participants the ability to see and make annotations while brainstorming ideas, which makes it ideal for working on projects like your next product design, or working as a team to find ways to address customer concerns. The best part is, unlike a normal whiteboard, the notes can easily be saved as part of the meeting instead of being erased when moving onto the next idea.

Zoom also offers participants to use instant messaging during a meeting to communicate with one another without interrupting the speaker. It also allows participants to file share documents quickly within the meeting instead of waiting till the meeting ends and send by email. This feature helps to reduce the amount of verbal side conversations going on when a speaker is presenting, keeping them and other listeners from being distracted. Or the option to use the “raised hand” feature allows participants to signal the speaker they have a question or comment to contribute without talking over the person presenting. As a result, your team is able to conduct meetings more efficiently and get more done in less amount of time than through the use of traditional conference calls.

Zoom also improves the flow of communication, by reducing the need for team members to travel regularly between meetings. Teams are able to use valuable time previously spent travelling to work together more productively by collaborating in a Zoom Room and are able to focus on what really matters to your company. Saving valuable time means your team is able to come away with your company’s next big idea instead of sitting in the airport waiting for a connecting flight. When your teammates come up with an idea or come across a problem that needs to be addressed immediately, Zoom can also allow meetings to occur on the spur of the moment. It does not require virtual business meetings to be scheduled in advance, and instead they can be started right away with the touch of a button. Additional attendees can be invited right away to join the meeting from wherever they are located and do not have to travel or schedule a meeting to continue working on the concern.

Another way Zoom meetings help to improve the flow of communications within your team is by reducing the need for repeated phone calls and a chain of emails between teammates. Every team has had to scroll back through numerous emails to locate information on a project they have been trying to complete. Instead, with Zoom team members are able to host an impromptu meeting with one team member or the entire group, and collaborate with one another in real time instead of having to spend valuable time sending and replying to emails or phone calls. There is no longer a need to schedule meetings in advance, wait for responses from teammates, travel between office locations, or reserve a work space to hold meetings. With the use of Zoom meetings, work is able to be conducted more efficiently, allowing for a competitive edge over other companies, instead of wasting valuable time.

Improving Your Workforce

With the ability for teams to collaborate using online meetings, they are able to work from a number of locations. There is no longer a need for all employees to work at the same centralised location. Instead they can work from a remote location and work together using Zoom meetings to conduct daily business. Because of the ease of joining an online meeting teams can work all over the world, making it possible for you to expand your search when hiring employees. You are no longer bound by geographical location when looking to expand your workforce. Instead the pool of applicants can be expanded, allowing you to find a higher calibre of applicant without having to worry about their willingness to relocate or travel regularly to and from work.

Zoom also makes it possible for your training department to work more effectively and hold trainings through the use of a webinar with employees without requiring additional expenses to be spent on travel for both your training department as well as your employees. A webinar allows your company to host training for a couple of employees or for a large group at one time. You can conduct annual safety training or open enrolment meetings with all of your employees at one time without having to spend additional time planning or travelling between jobsites. If you are not able to get all employees to attend a meeting at one time because of time zone differences or employees taking leave, Zoom also allows your webinar to be recorded and then shared with an unlimited audience later. This option allows your training team to focus on being able to train your employees more efficiently instead of having to hold the same training sessions repeatedly for these employees.

Improving Customer Interactions

Zoom meetings makes it possible to meet with more customers in different locations in less time. But unlike traditional conference calls, online meetings makes it possible for your customers to feel like they are getting the same personal attention they get when you meet with them face to face without the need to actually travel to their location or for the customer to come to you. You can easily demonstrate how to use products or services you offer to customers. Your customers can easily ask questions and you can address concerns they have before making a decision. Zoom also allows you to host meetings with customers from all over the world without having to leave the comfort of your remote work location. The company is able to reduce travel costs, while still expanding the customer base.

There are also a number of situations when customers need help with troubleshooting a product. Often times it is a simple solution which can be easily addressed and allow them to be able to continue using the product right away. Sometimes a short phone call answers their concern, but other times a phone conversation leaves the customer feeling frustrated and more confused than they were when they first called for help. When using an online meeting to talk with these customers, you are able to see the customer and respond to their nonverbal cues within the conversation. This is not possible over the phone, and helps you to better assist customers and know they walk away from the conversation satisfied instead of being frustrated.

Ease of Use

There are a large number of different unified communications platforms your company can choose from to hold online meetings, like Skype for business or gotomeeting. Not all of the options on the market today are easy to use, or can only be run on selected devices. Even more frustrating is when a platform only works with certain types of hardware, requiring your company to purchase additional equipment in order to use the software effectively.  Zoom meetings are able to be easily installed on Windows or Mac computers, as well as on most Android or Apple mobile devices. The software is extremely versatile to be used by your company and employees no matter where their remote office is located. Many of these devices already come equipped with good quality cameras and microphones, making it unnecessary for your company to spend additional funds on hardware for general use by your teams to hold video conference meetings.

The software is easy to install and in most cases, businesses are able to set the software up completely unassisted. Once the software is installed, you just have to make sure there is a webcam and microphone setup, and you can begin to host your first meeting. The exception to this is if you are hosting a larger meeting in a Zoom Room. This requires some additional monitors, microphones, and cameras to be set up to allow maximum participation by your team, but the software remains the same, and is just as easy to run for larger scale meetings as it is for smaller groups.

Most individuals are able to install and use Zoom without any help, but because Zoom realises not everyone is tech savvy, a team is available to assist in the event there are any issues getting started. Zoom is able to offer assistance troubleshooting over the phone or remotely to help ensure you are able to collaborate with your team right away. For companies looking to assess their current setup for meetings and needing help to integrate their current technology with Zoom for large scale use, Zoom can also work with your IT department to assess your needs to ensure you are able to host your online meetings without any obstacles from the very start.

Conclusion

There is no doubt about it, Zoom meetings have revolutionised the way businesses across multiple industries have conducted their video meetings. It allows companies to improve the flow of their communication between colleagues, vendors, and clients. The platform is extremely easy to use on a variety of devices, making it ideal for a diverse workforce. It returns to the feeling of personalised service which has since passed with the introduction of the online economy. To see how Zoom can revolutionise your online meetings feel free to ask our team about which plans we offer to best suit your company’s needs.