These days, business meetings can be done virtually without going to the office or another venue. Not only can this strategy save everyone a great deal of time, but it can also make your employees happy by contributing to their aspiration for work-life balance.
Virtual meetings also keep you and your team safe at home during this time, which is marked by community lockdowns and social distancing measures to manage the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last but not least, virtual meetings are a cost-effective way to grow your business. They enable you to get things done as you connect you with your employees, colleagues, customers, and business partners using video conferencing tools for free or a minimal fee, instead of incurring costly overhead costs.
The Best Video Conferencing Tools for Your Small Business
There’s no shortage of video conferencing tools that make it easy and simple to keep your small business up and running, but here are top choices to consider in terms of functionality, security, affordability, and user-friendliness.
1. Zoom Meetings
Zoom Meetings is an affordable video conferencing and messaging software that you can install in your mobile device or your desktop computer fast and easy. Once you’ve set it up, you can start organizing or joining business meetings with high-definition video and audio capabilities.
You can chat and share files, notes, or your screen for a fully collaborative meeting with your team. The free tier lets you accommodate up to 100 participants for a maximum time of 40 minutes for group meetings, but if it’s 1:1 meetings, there’s no limit to the time you can use the app.
If you want a wide range of features, you can go for enterprise plans with a price range of $150 to $200 per year per license.
2. Google Meet
Google Meet used to be known as Google Hangouts Meet and is part of the G Suite platform that specializes in office productivity solutions.
This video conferencing service allows group meetings to proceed without lagging problems. If you’re organizing a meeting with clients, they can simply use the web version without downloading the app or software.
In terms of security, Google Meet generates a unique code or dedicated dial-in number, which gives attendees exclusive access to the meeting. Pricing-wise, Google Meet offers reasonable monthly costs for businesses of any size.
Its basic messaging service, Google Hangouts, is free but with limited features such as a 10-person capacity for video calls. In addition, the mobile version has been integrated into Gmail.
3. GoToMeeting
GoToMeeting is a mobile-friendly video conferencing app, allowing you to set up or start a video conference call straight from your smartphone. With GoToMeeting, you only need to do a single tap on invites to join meetings or chats.
Some of GoToMeeting’s nifty features include screen sharing, high-quality audio and video, and a generous number of participants from 150 to as many as 3,000 participants, depending on the plan you choose. The GoToMeeting app is available for Android and iOS users, with pricing tiers at $12 to $16 a month.
4. ClickMeeting
ClickMeeting is a powerful platform with a wide range of features and tools that can make your business meetings and presentations a resounding success. You can share your screen, play clips or slideshows, and share your mouse for an interactive meeting experience. Q&A sessions and live polls types of meetings are supported by ClickMeeting, too.
You may choose between a Live and an Automated plan, with the latter allowing you to pre-record webinars, auto-publish them, and send scheduled follow-up or thank-you emails. Monthly pricing ranges from $30 to $45 for up to 25 attendees and $79 to $90 for up to 100 attendees.
5. RingCentral Video
RingCentral Video is another video conferencing software packed with features like screen sharing, text chat, recording of meetings, and file sharing and storage. The app is easy to use, and you can even switch to a different device midway through a session.
RingCentral Video lets you host conferences for up to 200 people, and it also integrates with 200 apps, from your calendar to customer relationship management (CRM) and cloud storage. Pricing for small businesses is $19.99, $24.99, $34.99, and $49.99 per month.
6. Zoho Meeting
Zoho Meeting is a web conferencing software that lets you host online meetings and webinars through a browser or an app. Its online meeting platform offers features, such as meeting recording and download, in-chat capabilities, screen sharing, and more.
You can also use Zoho Meeting to organize and promote your webinars on your website or blog. You can add co-organizers, filter your audience, and make your webinar more interactive and engaging through Q&A and audience polls.
Zoho Meeting offers a 14-day free trial, while paid pricing plans for meetings and webinars range from $10 to $79.
Choosing the Best Video Conferencing Tool
Each of the video conferencing tools in the market has its own pros and cons, so your decision will ultimately depend on your needs and other factors—whether it’s about usability, ease of use, cost-effectively, and so on. Do your research, take advantage of free trials, or request a demo to help you make the best choice.
