With the arrival of home working, video conferencing software has become a part of our day-to-day life. From socialising to schoolwork, nearly everyone makes use of this software in some capacity, but business is perhaps where it is most essential. In nearly every industry, whilst working from home businesses need a reliable way to contact both their customers and their colleagues. Video conferencing services provide this.
But it isn’t always easy to make the most out of this technology. Some users might struggle with the technology or have limitations in place that stops them from communicating at their best. It is crucial that teams can make the most of these services as they can be the difference between your business operating effectively or not in a remote environment.
To help make sure that your team can always work with this technology at their best, we’ve put together a quick guide of our top video conferencing tips. We think they can make a real difference to the way you communicate. From the devices you use to the practices you carry out, there’s a lot that can make your life easier.
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Stay Secure
You might not associate video conferencing with your business’ security, but as it has become more of an essential part of business life, there are safety concerns that you should address. Firstly, you need to be sure that you are all working with the right software for the job. Some providers that are focussed on the social side of video calls experienced issues last year, so you need a dedicated business service.
Unified Communications apps are the way to go here. With a UC service you can stay connected through a variety of devices. Laptops, smartphones and tablets can all be turned into business communication powerhouses. Crucially, UC is secure too. You can invite people from outside your business to collaborate but there is no risk of random people ending up in your meeting. Of course it is important to remind your staff to be careful with passwords, but you’re in a much better position.
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Host meetings regularly
Once you have the right video conferencing software, it is important that you use it properly. Constant meetings can become a little overwhelming, especially if your staff aren’t aware they’re happening. This also applies to a lack of meetings, it is easy to end up feeling distanced from your team without regular content. This is why we suggest hosting meetings on a regular basis.
These meetings can be entire team gatherings, or smaller meetings between individual groups in your company. It really depends on the size of your team. The important thing is that you host these meeting on a regular basis. This allows your team time to collaborate with their colleagues in person and plan effectively for the day or week ahead.
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Check the Connection
Your broadband connection is one of the big limiting factors when it comes to video conferencing. A home network that is supporting many different people often isn’t enough to keep up with all of the online devices that you have going on around the house. No valuable information comes from a video conference that can’t get started and this is doubly so when you are relying on this tech for your customer interactions.
The way around this is with a dedicated broadband connection, the right service will keep your team running consistently for as long as they need to. So you can say goodbye to pixelated displays and buffering.
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Learn the best practices
There’s plenty of little things that you can do to make your remote working experience easier. One of these is learning to video conference like a pro. You have to recognise both the benefits and the limitations of the technology you are working with. For example a great benefit is the mute button. This allows you not to interrupt colleagues even if there’s a lot going on around you. Nobody wants to hear the building work outside your house, so remember that button.
One of the limitations is that video calls often don’t appreciate multiple people speaking at once. It can struggle to prioritise speakers, and nobody gets heard. So remember that mute button and try not to interrupt your colleagues.
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Take some Hollywood advice
At Chrome, we’ve been working with video conferencing solutions for a while now and have realised that it’s a lot like working in the movies. There are techniques that really carry over into both situations.
One of these is set design. You could create an elaborate cardboard green screen to hide the chaos of your home office, or you could just use one of your UC solution’s built-in backgrounds. Similarly, if you don’t have your game face on, you could employ your own Hollywood makeup department, or you could just quickly switch your video call to a voice one. All these features combine to make a versatile and flexible way to communicate.
For more on video conferencing tips, follow Chrome Telecom on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. We’ve got plenty more great tips that you could use. Or check out our website where you can find a solution to suit you.
