Video Conferencing: Everything You Need to Know About Video Conferencing

Video conferencing has been around for over three decades but is becoming immensely popular in various fields these days. With a wide variety of cases, companies big and small have begun to embrace video conferencing to better connect with their colleagues and clients.

Irrespective of the location, business executives, individuals, and groups can interact in real-time using video conferencing. 

In this article, we will take a deep dive into the subject of video conferencing and how you can run your business more effectively with it.

Recommended Read: How to Choose A Video Conferencing Equipment for Your Business

Article Guide: 

1. What is video conferencing?
2. Types of video conferencing
3. How does video conferencing work
4. Key features of a video conference software
5. Advantages of video conferencing
6. Video conferencing tools
7. Video conferencing and remote work
8. Video conferencing trend
9. Video conferencing use
10. Equipment for video conferencing

What is Video Conferencing?

Video conferencing is an online technology used for conducting face-to-face meetings between two or more participants at different locations by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data.

This means that the person and the people they're talking to are simultaneously seen on a screen by each other, connected in real-time, face-to-face. It improves engagement and makes it easier to connect with colleagues, clients, and prospective employees.

Types of Video Conferencing

1. One-on-one conversations:

One-on-one video calls are perhaps the most common and intimate way people use video conferencing. Unlike phone calls, a one-on-one video conference call gives you the advantage of seeing the person you’re interviewing and picking up on nonverbal communication. 

2. Internal video calls:

Internal video meetings are essential for keeping all team members in the loop, especially for companies with remote employees and more than one office location.

3. External video calls:

External video calls which work well for call center customers are a face-to-face connection that allows you to be present and engaged in meetings, and also helps to build deeper relationships, regardless of your physical location. 

4. All-hands meetings:

All-hands video conferencing meetings generally take place in large meeting spaces and auditoriums with a number of remote employees calling in. 

How Does Video Conferencing Work?

Video conferencing can be conducted in several ways. Traditionally, conferencing has been limited to conference rooms, but now you can use a video conference app to get access to your meetings, regardless of where you are.

While some individuals may use web cameras connected to or built into laptops, tablets, or desktop computers, some businesses use dedicated video conferencing rooms that have been equipped with high-grade cameras and screens to ensure the conversation is clear and with limited technical faults.

Smartphones and other connected mobile devices equipped with cameras may also be used to connect for video conferences. In such instances, a software-based platform typically is used to transmit the communication over internet protocols.

Key Features of a Video Conference Software:

Let us take a look at the key features that can help you have the best video conferencing experience. 

1. Screen Sharing:

Screen sharing is vital for interactive meetings and webinars. This feature allows you to share your entire screen as well as individual apps on your desktop during a meeting, to make it easier for your video conference participants to follow up on your presentation. 

2. Chat Features:

The chat feature is very useful to help users get hold of the video conference experience by interacting during meetings. 

3. Unlimited Recording:

With the unlimited recording feature, you should be able to record a meeting or webinar and share it with multiple participants, with just one click, during meetings and presentations. 

4. HD Video:

HD video provides an even better meeting experience during remote meetings. With high-quality video, everyone can clearly see the speaker or host.

5. Multiple Webcam Capabilities:

If your business has a lot of remote workers or if you regularly hold meetings with employees on the go, you should be looking for this dynamic webcam feature.

6. Performance Reports:

Performance metrics are important for evaluating how well received your presentations are, which parts are the most engaging, and how many people are attending your event.

Advantages of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing presents countless opportunities to businesses. Whether it’s engaging remote workers, collaborating across departments and locations, interviewing job candidates, or managing suppliers, the technology is efficient, cost-effective, and scalable.

1. It is efficient

In-person meetings with suppliers, clients, and satellite offices can take up valuable hours of your day. However, with conference calls, there is the advantage of reduced commuting time, which is one of the most obvious but significant benefits of video conferencing.

2. Improves productivity

Video conference conversation with the screen-sharing feature will help you to move on with your project faster than sending emails and waiting for a response at a later time.

3. Improves attendance

Bringing staff together for in-person meetings comes with its challenges. However, video conferencing allows the kind of flexibility that can boost meeting attendance rates, and record the discussion for non-attendees.

4. Improves Communication

Video conference meeting participants will retain more information and comprehend it more effectively than meetings via audio.

5. Reduces the cost of traveling.

Not only is travel time-consuming, but it’s also expensive. People often travel great distances for training, conferences, and business meetings, when all of these can be done via video conferencing. 

Video Conferencing Tools

There are several video conferencing tools that you can use to have a video interview, and host meetings with your staff. Here are 5 video conferencing tools. 

1. Zoom

Zoom which is ideal for remote team members is a cloud-based video conferencing platform that can be used for video conference meetings, audio conferencing, webinars, meeting recordings, and live chat.

2. Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts is a simple way to connect with Google contacts or people outside of your network and can be used for personal or business reasons. You can connect your Google Voice account for phone calling, SMS texting, and voicemail integration.

3. Skype

Skype, which allows for a simple way to video chat from your phone or computer, is the perfect video conferencing tool for small teams or businesses with less than 10 total members.

4. Lifesize Go

Lifesize Go is the perfect video conference tool that is designed to meet the changing face of work, making it easy for employees and agents to consistently operate at home. It is perfect for remote employees, remote freelancers, or business individuals working with clients who rarely host larger group meetings.

5. Dialpad Meetings

With this video conferencing tool, you can make your one-on-ones more personal, collaborate seamlessly with coworkers around the world, and create stronger relationships with clients no matter where you are.

Video Conferencing and Remote Work

There are lots of jobs that do not require physical presence at the company, and this has made remote work to become a popular trend in the labor market today.

However, if you intend to make your organization remote-based, here are 5 techniques you can put into practice to make remote meetings more engaging through video conferencing. 

1. Plan and share the meeting agenda in advance:

Have a strategic plan on how the meeting should be carried out, and try to stick to that plan. It is also advisable to share the agenda of the meeting ahead of time so participants can prepare.

2. Set the rules:

Develop and set the rules of every meeting, and share them with everyone participating before the meeting starts. 

3. Remind participants of the meeting goal:

Remind everyone of the aim of the meeting once the meeting starts. An online collaboration whiteboard can be helpful in this instance, where you can easily put a sticker with a meeting goal and what needs to be achieved at the end so that all the participants are clear with it at all times during the meeting.

4. Be engaging:

Set up meeting traditions to make remote meetings interesting with lively interaction and good visuals. You can also encourage using the live chat feature, as your audience will feel connected and be more likely to engage in the meeting.

5. Be time conscious and direct:

Ensure that you keep to the time stipulated for the meeting by being concise and direct as possible. Any other important information that may be time-consuming should be saved for another video conference meeting.

Video Conferencing Trend

Looking at the transformation of the marketplace over the past years, it is easy to see a few trends making their way to the forefront of the market. Here are some of the top trends influencing video conferencing tech in 2022.

1. Hybrid Working

Most experts agree that the future workplace will be defined by a combination of in-office and external employees. In this environment, video conferencing will become a critical component of keeping teams aligned and connected.

2. Gamification

In this age of hybrid work, a lot of people now add gamification elements to video meetings, to help improve company culture and human connections.

3. Staff Wellbeing

As we move into the future of video conferencing, companies will be looking for ways to empower and enable their employees with the right video conference tools. Without needing the support of IT Consultants, employees should easily access all the tools they might want for video conferencingIndia in their homes and offices.

4. Augmented Meetings

Augmented meetings involve bringing artificial intelligence into the video platform to enhance the quality of the conversation. This can help by providing access to valuable presentation information at a voice command, or automatically recording meetings so they can be shared with non-attendees later.

5. Personalization

With so many flexible modes of work now appearing in the digital landscape, at least some personalization will be necessary to ensure everyone gets the experience they need for fantastic productivity.

Different Uses of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing is now being widely applied in many areas. Listed below are the top 5 uses of video conferencing in the different fields.

1. Remote jobs

Since working remotely is now becoming a popular feature to apply for jobs in today's global business industry, video conferencing will be important to ensure that workers or Freelancers stay connected to clients or co-workers in a realistic way without the need to meet in person.

2. Online classes 

Video conferencing can also be used as a medium for conducting classes online, with the instructor teaching a remote class from almost anywhere in the world, interacting with a huge number of people simultaneously.

3. Hosting routine meetings

Video conferencing can be used to conduct regular company interactive meetings with staff from all departments, allowing all participants to engage in discussion about what they see on screen, with the help of video conference features like screen sharing and real-time document editing.

4. Interviewing job candidates 

Hiring managers can make use of video conferencing tools to conduct interviews online, in an effort to reach a number of experts at once, recognize the potential candidates for the organization, get in touch with correspondents, and much more. 

5. Legal Environment

Video conferencing can also be introduced in legal environments. It is utilized by a lot of courtrooms as well as prestigious authorized offices for connecting with unwilling prisoners or witnesses that are struggling to appear personally to be questioned.

Top Equipment for Video Conferencing 

As long as you have the right video conference equipment and the knowledge on how to host a video conference meeting, your business will stand a high chance to operate more efficiently and will also save you money. 

Here are four essential pieces of equipment you need to host a video conference:

1. Camera/webcam

Although most laptops and desktops now come with built-in cameras, however, if your computer doesn’t have this tool, you will have to purchase a stand-alone webcam or camera to facilitate your experience using video conferencing. 

2. Microphone

A microphone can be needed to ensure everyone in the video conference meeting can hear you. While laptops and mobile devices usually come equipped with built-in microphones, you may have to invest in one if you have an older desktop.

3. Internet connection

To make sure your conference runs smoothly, you need to have a quality internet connection that can withstand all of the data that’ll be used during the call.

4. Video conferencing software/app

Video conferencing software is the key to the entire process of hosting a meeting. With this software or application, all that is needed to be done to host a conference is to send a link, and the software will use your microphone and camera to create a virtual meeting room.

Summary

Top-quality video conferencing solutions are creating incredibly helpful business equipment which can be used in lots of innovative as well as interesting ways. Create a soothing working environment by keeping up with the trend and choose any of the video conferencing equipment that best suit your business.