Video conferencing has become mainstream practice for businesses of all shapes and sizes.
Whether you’re communicating with customers, clients, colleagues or other stakeholders, having a reliable videoconferencing system can make your business communications easier and more straightforward.
Videoconferencing helps you keep in touch no matter where you are in the world. Unfortunately poor quality video conferencing platforms can be an endless source of frustration. If you’re using videoconferencing to communicate with clients or customers this can potentially affect your organisation’s public image and reputation.
When it comes to videoconferencing most people immediately think of Skype but there are actually a number of different videoconferencing platforms which can have benefits depending on you budget and what your business needs are. Here is a run-down of some of the most popular videoconferencing options for businesses.
Skype
Skype has been around for a long time and most people are familiar with it. Skype is free to use and because of its wide availability can be ideal for B2C businesses who deal with the public over videoconferencing on a regular basis. If you have an online support facility which uses videoconferencing, Skype may be a good platform as there is a good chance your customers will also be familiar with it.
Although Skype can be useful for basic video and audio calls, its options are fairly limited compared to others on the market and the quality can be variable depending on the standard of the internet connection.
Webex
Webex is an online meeting and conferencing tool created by Cisco and it comes with a monthly subscription fee. Webex is straightforward to use and doesn’t involve a lot of fiddly downloading and you can videoconference with up to six people at once. Webex is generally considered one of the more affordable videoconferencing options and is available for use on smartphones and tablets as well as desktop computers for mobile access. The interface is crisp and clean, providing a high quality result.
TeamViewer
TeamViewer requires a subscription for commercial users and it provides a great collaborative platform which is straightforward and easy to use. TeamViewer allows users to take control of each other’s computers, transfer files and hold virtual meetings from anywhere in the world. This is a great platform for organisations which are spread out or have a large pool of remote workers who need to be able to collaborate effectively and there is no need to reconfigure firewalls, it just works.
Vidyo
Vidyo is a relatively recent addition to the available videoconferencing services on the market but it is becoming increasingly popular with organisations. State-of-the-art and midrange cost wise, Vidyo provides a high quality picture even in less than optimum conditions. With Vidyo, if one or two connections have issues, the problems remain localised with them rather than affecting the entire call.
If your business uses videoconferencing on a regular basis, it is well worth taking the time to look at the different platforms available. Newly developed platforms make use of the latest technology to offer rapid high quality video conferencing which can help your employees collaborate and communicate even more effectively than before.
