In these challenging times, I felt it necessary to write about all the different web meetings available in the market today. Does it seem like everyone that sends you a web meeting invite is using a different service?
I recently engaged a company from India and they were all about using Skype. Perhaps you remember back in 2004 when Skype was launched. It quickly became a popular software application that allows users to make voice calls over the internet as well as instant messaging and video conferencing. Then Microsoft came along and bought Skype for $8.5 billion. Soon after, Microsoft stated Skype would be their primary messaging service integrated with a Microsoft account. Then they changed it to Skype for Business. Microsoft recently announced that Skype is being retired and replaced by Teams. Who can keep up?
With all the Web Meeting companies around today, how to you know what firm has the best service and platform for your needs? Many of us have been on meeting invites where you end up spending 20 minutes trouble shooting a user who cannot figure out how to connect. For me, I like a simplistic design and interface that is easy to navigate, especially when it comes to testing my wireless microphone and headset quickly. So I say keep it simple.
Let’s take a quick look at some of the companies that offer remote conferencing services.
- Microsoft Teams – Up and coming with VoIP Voice providers who can integrate directly into the platform. More details on this later..
- Skype – Being retired and soon to be Microsoft Teams.
- PGI – A strong leader in their day, sill around and delivers a good easy to use platform.
- Go to Meeting – Another good platform that has been around for a long time. GoToMeeting by LogMeIn bought a UCaaS provider called Jive. LogMeIn meetings come standard with the Jive service.
- Zoom – Very popular meeting software with many companies resell or white label Zoom. Good example is Ring Central a VoIP provider uses Zoom.
- Amazon Chime – Amazon’s meeting Platform. If you have Vonage Hosted VoIP, their service comes with Amazon Chime.
- WebX-Cisco – Been around for a long time with many large companies finding it hard to consider changing. Can be more expensive than others.
- Hangouts – Googles version of Web meetings.
If your considering a new VoIP business telephone system, many VoIP providers service come with meeting software as part of the subscription. Ring Central, which uses Zoom as their underlining web meeting service is developing their own platform. Vonage, who uses Amazon Chime, is also developing their own proprietary platform. Jive, a Hosted VoIP provider, uses GoToMeeting software for their service.
Beyond company reputation and quality of customer service, it is impossible to say which is best. The idea is to find the one that is best for you. If you have time, I suggest setting up and testing a few to see which service best fits your eye for ease of use. Or give us a call and we can provide you some detailed info that may help your decision.
Teledata Select offers a whole range of services that will help you meet your business goals. Starting with a complimentary review of your current telecommunication bills to identify errors and find opportunities for savings, better service and more functionality. We also offer project management for new service implementation and infrastructure installs, including fiber and low voltage cabling. Call us at 404-257-1502 to discuss your current Telecom Service Solution and what you would like to get out of it. Or send us a note via This Link to start a no obligation discussion of your specific business technology needs.
John Hagan is CEO of TeleData Select, a Telecommunications Consultant located in Atlanta, Ga serving customers throughout the US. TeleData Select provides business solutions for voice, data, mobile and cloud solutions for both large and small businesses. Contact John or his team for a complimentary telecom audit to make sure you’re getting the best value for communication services. The savings you receive could offset the cost of purchasing a new VoIP Hosted or Premise phone system or other hardware.
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