There’s no doubt that video conferencing solutions within businesses have exploded over the years. According to a report by 99Firms, 58% of companies use video conferencing services in their day-to-day operations. Despite this popularity, some businesses are taking their meetings online. This is understandable.
Many beliefs about conferencing applications have floated around over the years that have led business leaders to see these services as doing more harm than good when implemented into their enterprise. The good news is that many of these beliefs are actually myths. That’s why in this blog post, we will explore the top six myths about free conference calls.
Myth #1: Audio Conferencing Is Enough
We all know the old saying that if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. While this statement can still apply in some cases, this is further from the truth when it comes to picking the right type of conference call platform. When choosing a service, some businesses may opt into using a platform that only allows audio communication. By leaving out visual aspects of meetings through video displays, your team may be missing out on further opportunities to create meaningful discussions and ensure true consensus between team members.
Body language matters When connecting with your team and ensuring everyone is on the same page when working on projects and daily operations! According to a study by UCLA, only about 7% of communication is based on verbal language.
Much of our communication is actually formed through eye contact, facial gestures, body posture, and more. Suppose business leaders can sense through their team’s body language that they aren’t excited about the project they plan on pursuing. In that case, this can be a sign that the business leader can use to re-evaluate if the team’s project is worth pursuing and how the project may or may not relate to the core values and purpose of the business. Implementing video conferencing calls for remote team meetings aligns the team with pursuing productive endeavors.
Other Features That Video Conferencing Platforms Offer That Isn’t Included With Audio Conferencing Alone Include:
Screen Sharing: Video conferencing applications enable screen sharing, allowing participants to share their screens with others. This feature is particularly useful for presentations, collaborations, demonstrations, and remote troubleshooting.
Virtual Backgrounds: Many video conferencing platforms offer the option to use virtual backgrounds. This detail allows users to replace their actual background with a virtual one, which can be useful for maintaining privacy, creating a professional setting, or adding a touch of fun during casual conversations.
Chat and File Sharing: Video conferencing platforms typically include chat functionality, enabling participants to exchange text messages during conversations. Additionally, they often file sharing, allowing participants to share documents, images, and other files directly within the application.
Collaboration Tools: Some video conferencing applications integrate collaborative features such as virtual whiteboards.
Most people know what it’s like to be on a free conference call and have their audio or video suddenly freeze or become super choppy. There’s no denying that conference calls have had trouble slowing down the network when multiple videos are shared in classrooms and large company meetings. Fortunately, there are many tips and tools that can be used to get to the root of your conference call’s latency issues. Some of the most recommended steps to take when experiencing lag on conference applications like Zoom can be seen below:
- Turn off video sharing for all attendees
- Conduct video calls over a quicker 4G/LTE network such as a cell phone
- Close any unnecessary apps running in your background.
- Try different screen display resolutions
- Update or reinstall the platform you’re using
- Check for service issues by the creators of the application by visiting their website or social media pages
- Restart your computer
Many of the extra features included in conference calls can use up an excessive amount of your network’s bandwidth. Disabling these features such as screen sharing when they aren’t needed can help ensure your application runs smoothly.
Myth #3: Video Conferencing Is Difficult To Set Up and Too Complicated
According to digital in the round, up to 94% of businesses say conference calls have increased their team’s productivity.
Most free conference call platforms like Zoom and Google Meet are known as Saas (Software as a Service). By using Sass, businesses can reduce the cost of obtaining expensive hardware and infrastructure to run their conference calls. Configuring a conference call platform can be as easy as signing up for a free account on the platform’s website or downloading the app on your mobile phone. After downloading the platform, those who wish to create a virtual meeting can enter the meeting details, including the date and time, the participants, and the meeting ID before sending out a meeting request to employees through email. Some additional factors of Saas platforms include:
Scalability: Meeting facilitators can quickly add and remove users from the platform and the meetings themselves. Additionally, this scalability allows conference solutions to integrate third-party solutions into their platform. For example, applications such as Google Calendar, Google Drive, Asana, Trello, and Slack can be combined and used by those who configure Google Meet as their choice conference platform.
Maintenance: It’s essential for any application to comply with the latest patches and updates. These patches ensure that the application is fully secure and allows users to access the latest and coolest features that the application has to offer.
Flexibility and Customizable: Conference platforms like Zoom allow users to customize their platforms to create a fun experience. For example, Zoom allows users to add personal backgrounds during meetings and enable digital whiteboards and touch screens.
Most video conferencing platforms offer customer support and tutorials for users who are having trouble learning how the application works. Some more information can be seen below:
1. Zoom offers a variety of resources to help users learn how to use the platform, including video tutorials, webinars, and live training sessions. They also have a help center with articles on a wide range of topics.
2. Google Meet provides users with a help center that includes articles on how to use the platform, as well as a community forum where users can ask questions and get help from other users.
3. Skype’s support center allows users to search for issues they may be having while using the application. Users can filter their search query by the specific platform on which they are using Skype’s services such as iPhone, iPad, Linux Os, Mac Os, and more.
Myth #4: People Like In-Person Meetings Rather Than Video
According to Owl Labs: “Roughly 96% of those surveyed confirmed that video conferencing effectively increases connectivity between remote teams.”
Many businesses find that hosting remote conference calls instead of in person is much more efficient at saving time and money. Instead of scheduling a time when everyone can physically meet in an exact location, meetings can occur right in a cubicle, desk, or really anywhere in the world an employee may find themselves working within.
Additionally, employees generally find conference call meetings less stressful than in-person meetings. When employees are less stressed, they can better bring their authentic selves to the table and contribute their insightful input to their team.
Other Reasons Why People Perfect Conference Meetings Rather Than In Person
Cost Savings
Conference calls give employees the flexibility to tune into meetings from remote locations without taking a long commute to the office. Not only can employees save money on gas from a reduced commute into work but employers can save on costs as well. According to Global Workplace Analytics, employers can save an average of $11,000 per year for each employee who works remotely half of the time.
Keep Records Of Your Team’s Communication
One advantage that conference call platforms have over in-person meetings is the ability to record important project discussions for future review and analysis. Video recordings of meetings can also be posted to the business’s internal platform where employees who were unable to attend a certain meeting can watch at a time that is most convenient for them. Those in charge of each meeting usually have the task of typing out notes of what occurred during a conversation, and further actionable steps that should be taken over discussions are held.
Considering how employees are attending on average about 62 meetings each month, it’s easy to see how constantly writing down the details of each meeting can become tedious. That’s why recording your team meetings can be super helpful for saving precious time for project managers and general business leaders.
“Nine out of 10 people claim their experience with a free service is “about the same” or “better” than paid services.” – Wainhouse Research.
Good news! With today’s conference call platforms, you never have to sacrifice quality for the price. Though it’s nice to have the added features that come with purchasing the paid enterprise or business version of application platforms, sometimes, these extra features aren’t necessary.
For instance, the free plan for conferencing platforms like Zoom allows up to 100 participants and 40-minute long meetings. Though users who opt in for Zoom Enterprise and Business can get other features not offered in Zoom’s free plan, such as cloud storage and email support tickets, some businesses (especially small businesses) may only need the simplicity of the free plan.
Myth #6: Video Conference Calls Aren’t Secure
The last thing you want during your teams’ Zoom meeting is for your video call sessions to be hacked and or for your precious data to be leaked.
Fortunately, in today’s modern times where the impact of digital security is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, conference call platforms have multiple features that help ensure the digital safety of those users. Some of these functionalities include:
End-To-End-Encryption: End-to-end encryption means that data is kept confidential when transported between a sender and receivers’ devices. This prevents anyone, including the video conferencing provider, from intercepting and accessing the data.
Password-Protection: Many video conference platforms ensure users enter a password before being granted access to meetings. This measure helps make sure that only authorized people can access a meeting.
Meeting Rooms: After entering their passwords into the conferencing platforms, users are likely to be directed into a “waiting room” where the admin for the meeting can verify usernames and decide whether to let someone into the meeting.
Open-Source: If a video conference platform is open-source, it means that the software’s source code can be viewed for public use, modification, and redistribution. It also means that third parties review the platform’s code for security and that users can see the encrypted data that these platforms are collecting from users. Some free, open-source conferencing platforms include Jitsi, NextCloud Talk, and OpenMeetings.
Like what you are reading?
Sign up for our newsletter
Surprisingly enough, it’s common for companies to find themselves switching between different video conferencing applications as different solutions may offer additional features from each other that are needed for specific tasks. Owl Labs states how “89% of organizations use multiple video conferencing platforms”. These platforms include Zoom, GoToMeeting, Slack, Skype, and Hangouts.
Conclusion
As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation and remote work, it is crucial to separate fact from fiction regarding free conference call solutions. By debunking these myths, organizations can harness the power of video conferencing to improve collaboration, productivity, and communication within their teams. So, don’t let misconceptions hold you back—leverage the benefits of free conference call solutions and unlock new possibilities for your business.
Shivani is a talented CS manager with the skillsets to elicit, scope and manage end-to-end B2B SaaS project delivery. She has a keen interest in depicting her learnings in customer success by writing resourceful blogs and articles.
Published May 03, 2023, Updated May 22, 2023
