We small business owners have to be careful. We need to invest in growing our business, but not waste a cent. Web conference software can help, if you understand what to look for.
Small business owners often hesitate when thinking about internet conferencing services. There’s a fear it’ll cost too much or that they’ll get stuck paying too much for a bunch of useless features. This article will guide you through the types of plans available and the features you should consider.
Web conferencing software is much less expensive than you think. Webex’s MeetMeNow prices out to as low as $35 a month for an unlimited number of meetings. The other companies (Cisco, Microsoft) have similar plans.
Of course, you still have to decide whether that price makes sense for your company. Pencil out how much you would save on travel, long distance phone calls, and cellular phone minutes. It’s not at all unusual for this to work out to much larger savings than the cost of an entry-level internet conferencing plan.
Now, of course, you have to figure out what features make sense for you. If you’ve used internet conferencing before you probably already know what you need. If this is new technology to you, I suggest you use one of the free trials to see which of these features make the most sense for you.
Audio Conferencing: Every internet conference vendor gives a toll free number for the meetings. If you’re interested in VoIP calling (calling over the Internet) you’ll want to check whether the vendor provides this as well.
Video Conferencing: Video streaming is going mainstream. You can hook up a webcam to your pc and let the attendees see you as you speak. Most web conference vendors integrate video streaming into their software.
White Board: I love whiteboards, real or virtual. A shared, online white board is a must for me. The group can work together on an idea, just as if they were in the same room.
Annotating Documents: Tired of reading through documents over the phone, or trying to integrate a slew of “track changes” documents? Instead, the group can review and edit documents together.
Meeting Quantity and Size: Many plans allow unlimited meetings for a set fee. Some charge per-meeting. Be aware that the entry-level programs often cap the number of participants per meeting at around 10 participants, though that’s typically enough participants for small business meetings.
Now you have an idea of the features and plans available for internet web conferencing. The best way to decide what features will benefit your business is to sign up for a free trial. Give the software a spin and see your productivity grow.