In the pre-pandemic times, just 30% of employees worked remotely and companies were busy equipping meeting spaces with new technologies and huddle rooms. Huddle rooms were small spaces that were designed to fit two to six employees with a small monitor, whiteboard, phone, camera, and speaker. This was when companies encouraged face-to-face interaction and discouraged remote work.
According to some reports, as of 2019, globally, there were 33.3 million huddle room spaces, and market revenues from huddle room video conferencing devices were forecast to reach $1.50 billion by 2023.
But when the pandemic hit, these huddle rooms remained empty for almost a year and online meetings from anywhere became the biggest savior of our workplace. But online meetings are not without problems. They come with their own cup of woes. Though online meetings are believed to be more productive than face-to-face meetings, many users worldwide experience difficulties in joining the call, call drops, audio/video issues, trouble connecting to the internet etc.
Given that companies are planning to move at least 20% of their on-site employees to permanent remote positions, with 48% of employees expected to work remotely by 2030, the big question is: Can online meetings become the mainstay of internal communication? Companies must meet the following prerequisites for online meetings to shake off the ‘non-reliable’ tag and become the central component of workplace communication.
We have listed below some of the key virtual meeting requirements and tips for better online meetings
1. Should be seamless
When you share a link with your colleagues or your other team members, they should be able to join the meeting just by clicking a button. A long and cumbersome process like registration and login will delay the start of the meeting and waste everybody’s time. According to some reports, only 46% of online meetings start on time. When the participants can join the meeting easily, teams can stay focused on the task at hand. The remote participants should be given the option of joining the meeting from any device.
2. Voice calls are still important
Whilst video calling has been in the limelight lately, many studies point out that even voice calling plays an important role in internal communication. About 85% of employees use mobile phones to collaborate with their teammates. Voice calls help the mobile workforce join the meeting from anywhere and even the call quality is better compared to counterparts who use apps that rely on the internet.
3. Provide context
When you expect your meeting participants to attend the meeting from anywhere using multiple devices, you must circulate links to shared files and documents before the start of the meetings. This helps meeting participants be better prepared to contribute more or play an active role during the meeting. When the participants are forced to search for the related files or documents, meetings lack context and direction.
4. Use single tool
Online meeting is not all about audio/video calling. There will be many occasions where the participants need to circulate files and share applications, documents, and desktops. With remote team members spread worldwide, companies often end up subscribing to multiple apps creating disparate systems and communication silos. More the number of systems and tools harder it is to manage them.
If you really want to make it easy for your participants to join from anywhere, choose a tool with all the functionalities needed to attend the meeting. Asking the participants to use multiple applications to join the meeting will only create confusion and resentment.
5. Call recording
Nowadays, many invitees are called for virtual meetings. It is not possible for all the employees, who are present in various time zones, to join the meeting simultaneously due to their busy schedules. But if one of the team members wants to catch up with the meeting or has any clarification or doubt, they can still listen to the recorded version. Once the session is recorded, it is available for all the stakeholders.
How Clariti supports online meeting
Using Clariti, online meeting tool, your remote team members can join an online meeting from anywhere by simply clicking a button without downloading any software. Clariti supports both one-to-one and group meetings. Clariti doesn’t have any elaborate joining formalities for the meeting invitees. It has a simple interface without any meetings ids and passcodes, and it helps all your team members and external stakeholders to join the meeting on time without delays.
When using this online meeting tool, there is no need to integrate with other apps for chat, calendar, screen share or voice calls. All of them are already a part of Clariti. Simplicity is the hallmark of Clariti though it has dozens of features. This online meeting tool doesn’t involve a steep learning curve and it makes it easy for anyone to just log in and start using it without any hassles. Clariti users can make and receive unlimited calls to each other without requiring a phone. Clariti provides ‘Missed Call’ indicator for direct calls and automatic call reminders for group calls.
a. One-on-one calls
Online meetings are not meant for group calls only. There may be situations where you may want to get into a call with your colleague to sort out some issues. When you use Clariti for one-to-one direct calls, you don’t have to create meeting ids, passwords etc. Your colleague from the remote situation will be able to call anybody by just clicking a button in Clariti. Employees from remote locations can seamlessly connect with their colleagues without technical issues. Clariti’s audio is of high quality so that participants can hear everything.
b. Screen sharing
For all the team members working from multiple locations across the globe, Clariti provides the ability to share their desktops to enable them to collaborate much more effectively. Also, Clariti supports multiple presenters. If one speaker wants to take over from another speaker, Clariti allows its users to change presenters and give control of the screen. Other participants can maximize or minimize their screen.
c. Direct and group messaging
Meetings are not all about conversations. There may be a time when you may want to text your team members during the call through direct or group messaging. Clariti allows its users to interact on the sidelines without interrupting the meeting proceedings. Clariti’s messaging is an additional feature that complements online meetings.
d. Notes taking
Since notes taking is an essential factor in online or in-person meetings, Clariti has a built-in option to take notes while attending a meeting without switching over to another application. It is not easy for remote workers to access multiple tools and Clariti allows all the teammates to focus more on the conversation and take quick notes during meeting anywhere. And once the session is over, the notes can be shared with all the stakeholders.
e. Better security
Clariti has stringent data privacy, encryption and tight policy control options, ensuring your employees can collaborate easily, safely and securely from anywhere in the world 24/7.
Conclusion
Since remote working comes with fewer distractions and more convenience, most Americans have developed a strong liking for the same. Many studies have repeatedly shown that remote workers are more productive than their in-office counterparts. All these facts point to the trend that remote work will remain the new normal.
A Gallup study shows that 91% of Americans want to continue working from home even after the pandemic. Remote work can only be as effective as the online meeting tools you use. With remote work set to dominate our future, online meetings from anywhere will remain in the limelight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make online meetings more effective?
First, it is important to set a clear agenda and stick to it. This will help to ensure that everyone understands what needs to be accomplished and that time is not wasted. Second, it is helpful to use video conferencing whenever possible. This allows everyone to see each other’s faces and body language, which can make it easier to stay engaged in the conversation. Finally, it is important to encourage participation from all members of the team.
What are four best practices for virtual meetings?
First, it is important to establish clear objectives for the meeting. Second, it is important to create an agenda in advance and circulate it to all participants. Third, it is important to choose a suitable platform for the meeting. Finally, it is important to send out a summary of the meeting afterwards. By following these best practices, you can ensure that your next virtual meeting is a success.
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