18 Best Virtual Meeting Platforms of 2025
Businesses in the digital age use multiple applications to communicate with their remote employees and clients. Virtual meeting platforms are one of the most used digital applications in 2023.
In the time of an ongoing pandemic and social distancing norms, people are using virtual meeting platforms to stay connected with each other. This softwares usually includes video conferencing, chat, reactions, and screen sharing options.
The best online meeting platforms help bring virtual teams together in real-time. We have broken down the top platforms for virtual meetings for 2023 to help you figure out which one will fit the best for your company.
Best Virtual Meeting Platforms
1. Skype
Best Virtual Meeting Platform for Smart Messaging
Hundreds of millions of people use Skype to call and chat every day.
Main Features
HD Video Calling
Skype allows you to connect with your team with HD video calls and crystal clear audio calls. You can make one-to-one or group calls to your employees. The platform now offers call reactions as well.
Call Recording
You can easily record skype calls to capture key decisions during a team brainstorming session. It’s also one of the best virtual meeting platforms offering live subtitles. This feature helps you read the spoken words in case of a poor internet connection.
Smart Messaging
Easily mention your team members in messages and grab their attention. You can also instantly react to messages on the group or personal chat with fun emoji reaction options.
Benefits
- Skype works across devices, including tablets, laptops, PCs, and smartphones.
- A low-cost solution for small and medium business owners.
- Enjoy real-time translation of messages, voice calls, and video calls.
Pricing
Skype has three international calling plans to the United States, India, and North America.
- The United States Subscription Plan offers calls for unlimited minutes to the region.
- The India Subscription Plan offers 800 minutes of call time to mobile and landline.
- The North America Subscription Plan provides calls for unlimited minutes to the region.
Skype offers a free Basic plan to its customers, giving you access to free skype-to-skype calls and a feature-rich communication tool.
2. Slack
Affordable Virtual Meeting Application with Central Channels for Communication
Slack helps you transform how you work with your remote teams by offering one place for everyone and everything you need. It is one of the best online collaboration softwares.
Main Features
Slack Connect
Slack Connect allows you to connect faster with your partners with a four times faster deal cycle for sales teams. Create automated workflows, connect tools, and create streamlined processes across organizations.
Centralized Channels
This online meeting platform allows you to bring people and information together with channels. Create a commonplace to organize your work, share ideas, and build a searchable archive of your files.
Accessibility
Use Slack the way that fits best for your team. You can customize how GIFs and emojis react on the platform, along with choosing the theme for your application.
Benefits
- Your channels can be public, private, shared, or multi-workspace.
- The data is always protected and kept secure with enterprise-level encryption methods.
- Slack is available as a web and mobile application.
Pricing
Slack has four plans – Free, Pro, Business+, and Enterprise Grid.
- The Free Plan offers 5GB file storage and 1 on 1 call with your remote employees.
- The Pro Plan gives you access to unlimited message history and limitless app integrations.
- The Business+ Plan offers customizable sections and external collaboration options.
- The Enterprise Grid Plan provides unlimited workspaces, 1TB of file storage, and screen sharing options.
Slack also offers a fully-loaded free plan with data encryptions, an integrated workspace, and ten external integrations.
3. Zoom
Top Virtual Meeting Software for Video Collaboration
Zoom is a leading virtual meeting platform with simplified video conferencing and messaging options.
Main Features
Streamlined Calendars
Integrate your personal or business calendars with the application to easily schedule meetings. You can schedule an appointment through iCal, Gmail, or Outlook.
Efficient Collaboration
Zoom is built for connecting with your remote employees in real-time. You can add filters, start polls, raise your hand, and share music or video during team meetings.
Video Webinars
Host webinars and training sessions for your team members and connect with them in a personal way. In your live webinar, you can share your live HD video and connect up to 50,000 people.
Benefits
- Seamlessly transition your calls between audio and video.
- Zoom offers an intuitive user experience with an easy-to-use platform.
- Connect with large audiences with Zoom rooms or webinars.
Pricing
Zoom has four plans – Basic, Pro, Business, and Enterprise.
- The Basic Plan allows you to add up to 100 people in a room and host one-to-one or group meetings.
- The Pro Plan offers social media streaming and 1GB of cloud storage options.
- The Business Plan provides recorded transcripts and company branding options.
- The Enterprise Plan allows you to host up to 500 people and get access to unlimited cloud storage.
Zoom offers a 30-day free trial to its customers, where you can host webinars, group conferences, record meetings, and get access to transcripts.
4. Google Hangouts
Free Virtual Meeting Platform with an Easy-to-Use Interface
Google Hangouts is a communication platform used for personal one-on-one calls or corporate meetings.
Main Features
Group Chats
Google Hangouts lets you create a group to communicate with your team and brainstorm ideas. You can add up to 250 members to your group chat.
HD Video Calls
This leading virtual meeting platform offers crystal clear audio calls and HD video calls. You can even adjust outgoing or incoming video bandwidth if you have a poor net connection.
Mark Important Conversations
Handling a large team can be tough for managers. You might miss out on important conversations. With Google Hangouts, you can mark conversations important or favorite and make sure they are always listed on the top of your list.
Benefits
- Easily switch between audio and video calls.
- Minimize the call on your desktop or mobile and continue doing your daily tasks without interruptions.
- Hold a training session for your employees with a live video broadcasting option.
Pricing
Google Hangouts offers just one free plan to its users. You can access audio and video call options, create group chats, send your current location, and efficiently connect with your team members.
5. GoToMeeting
Leading Virtual Meeting Tool for Secure Video Conferencing
GoToMeeting is a fast, reliable, and secure online meeting platform that empowers your workforce while keeping your business safe.
Main Features
Business Messaging
GoToMeeting allows you to start or join any conversation with a single click. The integrated chat option will enable you to keep in touch with your team, allowing your employees to stay on the same page.
Drawing Tools
This leading virtual meeting platform allows you to draw on your screen to collaborate and brainstorm with your team members. You can share your desktop, tablet, or mobile screen with anyone.
Meeting Transcriptions
Easily get access and share automatic transcriptions of your recorded meetings. This feature helps you look back for important notes and actionable tasks. You can save the recording locally or on the cloud. It is also one of the best free conference call services.
Benefits
- Share your documents with your team in real-time.
- Maximize the productivity of your team by integrating with Zapier or Google Calendar.
- Host large meetings by adding up to 250 members on a call.
Pricing
GoToMeeting has three plans – Professional, Business, and Enterprise.
- The Professional Plan allows you to add 150 members to your team. You can access screen sharing, personal meeting rooms, and business messaging features.
- The Business Plan offers unlimited meetings without any time limit. You get access to smart assistants, drawing tools, and meeting lock features.
- The Enterprise Plan is a flagship membership to add up to 3,000 members. You also get access to meeting diagnostic reports and cloud recording options.
With GoToMeeting, you can access a free 14-day trial. You can connect up to 250 members to your calls, record your meetings, and share your screen easily.
6. Microsoft Teams
Most Suitable Virtual Meeting Application for Hosting Webinars
Microsoft Teams allows you to meet, chat, call, and collaborate with your team members all in one place. It is one of the best work from home tools and is suitable for online meetings.
Main Features
Set Customized Backgrounds
The platform allows you to set customized virtual backgrounds for your meetings. These professional backgrounds will help you express yourself and avoid any interruptions.
Audio and Video Conferencing
Enable your team to achieve more with the help of online conferences. You can host face-to-face online meetings or set up audio conferencing for your team. The employees can join via the app or a dial-in number.
Webinars
Connect with your clients, employees, or customers with engaging webinars and events. They can remotely attend these dynamic presentations via a phone, desktop, or tablet. You can add up to 1,000 members to your webinar.
Benefits
- Easily sync your calendars and collaborate with your team.
- Improve the productivity of your team with highly-focused collaborations.
- Customize the platform by integrating it with Twitter or setting personalized alerts.
Pricing
Microsoft Teams has four plans – Free, Essential, Business Basic, and Business Standard.
- The Free Plan offers unlimited group meetings and 5GB of cloud storage per user.
- The Essential Plan allows you to add up to 300 members to a meeting and offers 10GB of cloud storage.
- The Business Basic Plan offers business-class email and standard security options.
- The Business Standard Plan allows you to host webinars and manage customer appointments.
Microsoft Teams offers a free plan where you can add up to 100 members to your team, access unlimited chat options, and share files and tasks with team members.
7. Facetime
Free Virtual Meeting Tool for iOS Users
While Facetime is usually viewed as a personal video call application, it does make an efficient virtual meeting platform for small teams.
Main Features
Limitless Calling
This virtual meeting platform offers unlimited calling options to your team members. You can interact with them in high-definition video and crystal clear audio quality.
Group Calls
You can add up to 32 people at a time in your group audio or video calls. Users can access these calls directly over the internet. The tile size of the person speaking at the moment gets larger to provide attention to that member.
Screen Sharing
With the shareplay option recently introduced to the applications, you can listen to music or view a presentation with your team members. Anyone on the group call can share their screen easily for tutorials and presentations.
Benefits
- Get access to high-quality video calls.
- Easily organize all your business contacts with Facetime.
- Easy to use dashboard with an intuitive interface.
Pricing
Facetime offers just one free plan to its users. You can connect up to 32 members to your group call, share your screen, and add effects to your video during the conference.
8. Google Meet
Best Virtual Meeting Software Integrated With Google AI
Google Meet is a relatively new platform that uses Google AI to improve the quality of meetings and the overall user experience.
Main Features
Digital Whiteboard
Google Meet is one of the best virtual meeting platforms in the market. It offers a digital whiteboard that you can access during a video call. This helps you brainstorm ideas with your team more efficiently.
Question and Answers
Google has recently launched the Q&A feature on their platform to make meetings more inclusive. Your team members can now submit their questions before the meeting and upvote their favorites. You can then discuss these questions during the call.
Background Blur
Customize or blur your background during a meeting to minimize distractions. The platform intelligently separates you from the background and blurs the surroundings.
Benefits
- Google Meet includes comprehensive tools to improve the productivity and interactivity of your team members.
- Straightforward user interface and satisfying user experience.
- Keep your data and files secure with this application.
Pricing
Google Meet has three plans – Google Meet, Google Workspace Individual, and Google Workspace Enterprise.
- The basic Google Meet Plan offers unlimited one-on-one meetings and free mobile applications.
- The Google Workspace Individual Plan allows you to generate closed captions during a meeting and offers intelligent noise cancellation options.
- The Google Workspace Enterprise Plan offers polls, Q&A, and attendance reports.
Google Meet offers a free 14-day trial to its customers, where you can host a meeting with up to 250 members, collect questions from your team members, and create polls during video sessions.
9. Adobe Connect
Top Virtual Meeting Platform for Multiple Templates
Adobe Connect lets you use the platform to design personal and stellar virtual experiences for your diversified employees.
Main Features
Layouts
With Adobe Connect, you can create storyboards and guide your team’s attention. The platform lets you create a virtual stage to add images, polls, quizzes, chats, or important notes.
Topic Chats
Create multiple chat instances on the platform and name them with different topics of interest. It allows your team members a dedicated space to discuss their ideas and share their work.
Sidebar
Give a stellar presentation or tutorial to your employees with the help of a sidebar. This online meeting platform offers a space for presenter notes, speaker notes and creates a searchable outline.
Benefits
- Easily record your sessions and meetings to take down notes later.
- Schedule video or audio calls for your team members.
- Share your screen and integrate with tools to communicate or collaborate with your team.
Pricing
Adobe Connect has three plans – Small Meetings, Meetings, and Websites & Learning.
- The Small Meetings Plan offers layouts, templates, and multiple accessibility features.
- The Meetings Plan offers interactive recordings and customized backgrounds.
- The Websites & Learning Plan allows you to add 1500 participants to the team and create customized logos and banners for your team.
Adobe Connect offers a free Small Meetings Plan that allows you to create a personal content library breakout room and gives you access to a whiteboard during a meeting.
10. Amazon Chime
Cheapest Virtual Meeting Application with Personalized Meeting Links
Amazon Chime is an easy-to-use virtual meeting platform that offers virtual teams a unified experience.
Main Features
Optimized Meeting Experience
The platform can automatically select where to host each meeting based on the proximity of your team members. This feature ensures an optimized meeting experience for all your team members.
Personalized Meeting Links
Amazon Chime is one of the best virtual meeting applications. It allows you to create customized links for your online meetings and share them with your team.
Visual Roster
The platform offers advanced metrics for the host, allowing you to view who has joined or declined the meeting link. You can also analyze who is running late or who is currently speaking. You can also figure out where the background noise is coming from and then mute that line.
Benefits
- You can record all the meetings held on the platform, automatically downloading once the meeting ends.
- Send external invites to your clients.
- Easy to use yet advanced interface.
Pricing
Amazon Chime has a pay-per-use model. It offers three services – Basic service, Schedule, Host, and Record services, and Dial-in services.
- The Basic Service offers chat rooms, one-to-one calls, and user management.
- The Schedule, Hose, and Record Services allows you to host up to 250 people in a room. You can also record the meeting. The service costs $3/day/user or $15/month.
- The Dial-in Services are available for most countries. It ranges between $0.002 and $0.25/user/minute. This depends upon the country you would like to place your call to.
Amazon Chime offers a free basic plan to its customers, where you can create group chat rooms, share your screen while video conferencing, and host unlimited person-to-person meetings.
11. Join.me
Leading Virtual Meeting Tool for Toll-Free Audio Conferencing
Join.me offers more features to its customers, thus providing them with better value.
Main Features
Infinite Whiteboard
Join.me is a leading virtual meeting platform, offering an infinite whiteboard to its customers. You can easily brainstorm and demonstrate ideas on the whiteboard and close sales with your clients.
Hassle-Free Webinar
Quickly create prerecorded or live events with the webinar feature. With interactive features, insightful analytics, and powerful integrations, you only need to focus on engaging your audience.
Toll-Free Audio
Get a toll-free number for your business with join.me. This will enable you to provide nationwide services, adding value and convenience for your customers.
Benefits
- As a host, get full control of the meeting room.
- Easy and simple UI design.
- Efficiently communicate during an ongoing meeting with in-app chat tools.
Pricing
Join.me has three plans – Basic, Standard, and Premium.
- The Basic Plan offers unlimited extensions and multisite compatibility.
- The Standard Plan provides smart call routing, auto-attendant recording greetings, and call queues.
- The Premium Plan offers unlimited meeting duration, 250 participants, and team messaging options.
Join.me offers a free 14-day trial to its customers, where you can experience seamless call management, smart call routing, and paging features.
12. RingCentral Meetings
Most Suitable Virtual Meeting Platform with 24-Hour Support
RingCentral Meetings is a global cloud platform specifically designed to run and grow your business.
Main Features
Call Screening
This virtual meeting platform allows you to fully control your cloud phone services. You can control who can reach your company, block specific numbers, or direct calls to your voicemail.
Video Conferencing
Add up to 500 people in a video meeting from all around the world. Boost your team's efficiency with one-click screen-sharing from your desktop or mobile.
Efficient Collaboration
RingCentral Meetings allows you to organize your chats, share files, and get more things done. You can invite anyone to join the conversation and streamline work with clients or customers.
Benefits
- Communicate effectively with your team with HD video calls and crystal clear audio conferences.
- Share files or presentations during a meeting with the screen sharing option.
- Password-protect your video conferences to keep your data secure.
Pricing
RingCentral Meetings has four plans – Essential, Standard, Premium, and Ultimate.
- The Essential Plan allows you to add up to 20 users to your team. You also get access to unlimited calls within Canada and the United States.
- The Standard Plan offers unlimited audio conferencing, powerful reports, and allows you to add up to 100 participants in a video meeting.
- The Premium Plan provides automatic call recording, hot desking, and real-time analytics.
- The Ultimate Plan offers unlimited cloud storage and industry-specific integrations.
Take advantage of RingCentral Meeting's 15-day free trial and get access to team messaging, call log reports, call recording, and 24/7 customer support.
13. Cisco Webex
Best Virtual Meeting Platform for Background Noise Removal
Cisco Webex helps you stay connected with your employees with video conferencing that's inclusive and engaging.
Main Features
Noise Removal
The platform offers advanced noise removal and speech enhancement options. It helps reduce any distractions or interruptions while conducting a video or an audio call.
Automatic Transcription
Cisco Webex offers automatic transcription services for your video conference. The speaker's notes are automatically taken down in a separate document, downloaded once the call ends.
Instant Messaging
Connect with your team in real-time with advanced features like whiteboarding, file-sharing, and group messaging. The tool helps you connect with anyone either inside or outside the organization. The shared documents can be easily co-edited with your team.
Benefits
- Improve your team's productivity by communicating better and faster.
- Easily record meetings and make them available for offline use.
- Minimum utilization of internet data during audio or video calls.
Pricing
Cisco Webex has four plans – Free, Starter, Business, and Enterprise.
- With the Free Plan, you can add up to 100 participants and offer screen-sharing options.
- The Starter Plan offers mobile screen sharing and an interactive whiteboard.
- The Business Plan allows you to stream meetings from Facebook Live and add virtual backgrounds.
- The Enterprise Plan provides unlimited cloud storage options, live polling, chats, and notes.
Cisco Webex offers a free plan to its customers, giving you access to saved recordings, interactive whiteboard, and online customer support.
14. Lifesize
Top Virtual Meeting Application With a Cloud Contact Center
Lifesize allows you to redefine how you work together with video meetings and meeting rooms. It offers unparalleled experience and seamless interoperability.
Main Features
HD Meeting Experience
The platform offers a seamless, cloud-based meeting experience with a stunning 4K quality video. These innovative meeting rooms provide a seamless user experience.
Global Customer Support
In case you find yourself stuck in a technical issue, Lifesize offers professional deployment services. The 24/7 support is available anywhere globally, helping people connect and collaborate efficiently.
Lifesize Connect
Lifesize connect is a simple and flexible tool, helping you accommodate the way you work. It works with every video conferencing software and offers a centralized remote management system.
Benefits
- Invite unlimited guests from inside or outside your organization.
- Record meetings with flexible recording and streaming solutions.
- Lifesize offers highly secure data centers, keeping your company’s and customer’s data secure.
Pricing
Lifesize has three plans – Plus, Enterprise, and Organization.
- The Plus Plan allows you to add up to 300 participants on a call. It also offers Microsoft integrations.
- The Enterprise Plan offers unlimited recordings and live streaming options.
- The Organization Plan allows you to brand your software according to your company offers unlimited audio conferencing and advanced support options.
Take advantage of Lifesize 30-day free trial, and host video meetings for up to 500 participants. You also get access to live streaming and premium support options.
15. Highfive
Leading Virtual Meeting Application with Seamless Integrations
Highfive is a leading collaboration software with video and audio conferencing options.
Main Features
Audio Conferencing
Highfive offers unlimited audio conferencing options, allowing you to connect with your team members without any restriction. They provide a dial-in number, so you do not have to tackle meeting ids.
Screen Sharing
This leading online meeting platform allows you to share your screen during a call either from your laptop or mobile phone. You can also share your screen with guests who don’t have exclusive access to the application.
Seamless Integrations
Schedule your meetings with ease by integrating your platform to Outlook and Google Calendar. You can also integrate with Slack and Microsoft Teams to keep all your communication in one place.
Benefits
- Easy to use video and web conferencing features.
- Offers excellent audio and video quality.
- Seamlessly integrate over multiple devices and operating systems.
Pricing
Highfive has three plans – Starter, Advanced, and Premier.
- The Starter Plan offers an unlimited number of meetings and can host up to 40 participants.
- The Advanced Plan provides unlimited dial-in options and in-meeting group chat.
- The Premier Plan allows you to host up to 150 members for an audio or video call. You also get access to cloud meeting recording and custom logo branding.
By requesting a free demo on Highfive, you have access to in-meeting group chat options, call recording, and virtual waiting rooms.
16. Zoho Meeting
Best Suited Virtual Meeting Platform with Interactive Tools
Zoho Meeting is one of the best online meeting platforms for your online meetings and webinar needs.
Main Features
Secure Sessions
Zoho Meeting allows you to keep your meeting sessions secure. You can use features such as passwords and lock meetings to control who can enter an audio or video team session.
Recording
Record your meetings or webinars easily with this application. This helps you revisit important points that you discussed during the session. Additionally, you can store and play recordings online, download them, or share them with a link.
Sync Meetings
This virtual meeting platform easily integrates with your personal or business calendar. The events get automatically added when you receive a meeting link or a webinar invite in your email.
Benefits
- Zoho Meeting offers a simple and consistent interface across multiple devices.
- Access the interactive video conferencing feed to build rapport with your team members.
- Give context to your team and ensure optimal collaboration by sharing your screen during your meeting.
Pricing
Zoho Meeting has three plans – Free, Meeting, and Webinar.
- The Free Plan allows you to add up to 2 team members. You can also set up a virtual background during video conferences and access instant chat.
- The Meeting Plan offers schedule and instant meeting options, locking your meeting, and allows you to record it for future reference.
- The Webinar Plan allows you to create a customized registration form, set email reminders, and offer Youtube live streaming options.
Zoho Meeting offers a 14-day free trial without entering your credit card details. You get access to meeting locks, embedded widgets, and branding and integration options.
17. ClickMeeting
Best Suited Virtual Meeting Tool with Polls and Surveys
ClickMeeting offers video conferencing, webinars, and online meeting software to bring remote teams together.
Main Features
Automated Webinars
Automated webinars help you host events on a big scale and save your time. You can easily automate onboarding or training sessions for your employees. Viewers can view these sessions at a chosen time, and you don't need to supervise them.
Polls and Surveys
Engage your team members or customers and gather feedback with surveys and polls. This ensures that your meeting or webinar is interactive. They help you get insight into the needs and opinions of your audience or employees.
Interactive Whiteboards
This virtual meeting tool offers the perfect tool for communication and representing your ideas in real-time. Whiteboards allow you to present and engage your audience during an online event. They can be used to guide your team through documents or to emphasize key points.
Benefits
- ClickMeeting enhances your user's experience with multiple interactive tools.
- Get access to a customizable interface that you can brand according to your company.
- Improve your team's productivity by integrating the software with Slack, Dropbox, or Office.
Pricing
ClickMeeting has three plans – Live, Automated, and Enterprise.
- The Live Plan offers unlimited meetings or webinars, HD quality video conferences, and 6 hours of recording storage.
- The Automated Plan provides HD-quality video recording, screen sharing, and call-to-action features.
- With the Enterprise Plan, you can access polls and surveys, private chat, and real-time translation options.
ClickMeeting offers a free 30-day trial to its customers, which gives you access to HD quality video calls, interactive whiteboard, screen sharing, and real-time chat translation features.
18. Airmeet
Best Virtual Meeting Platform with Interactive Booths
Airmeet allows you to stay connected and engaged with your team members throughout the year. You can easily host training workshops, interactive webinars, or community meetups.
Main Features
Robust Security
Airmeet is one of the best virtual meeting platforms in the market in terms of security. It offers end-to-end encryption and secure cloud storage options to keep your customer and employee data safe.
Interactive Video Conferencing
The platform makes the conference interactive by allowing you to raise your hand virtually when you have a question to ask. You can then switch the screen so everyone can see and hear them.
Scalable
Airmeet is a scalable software built for all types of events. You can conduct a personal business meet or host a large-scale conference or multi-session seminars for your team members.
Benefits
- Communicate efficiently with your team with hassle-free screen-sharing options.
- Add an event to your calendar with a single click and get notified accordingly.
- Record your meetings automatically and then save them on the cloud.
Pricing
Airmeet has three plans – Free Social Webinar, Social Webinar, and Social Webinar Pro.
- The Free Social Webinar Plan gives you access to single-track events and ticketing features.
- The Social Webinar Plan lets you conduct sessions without a time limit, record meetings, and get access to advanced analytics.
- The Social Webinar Pro Plan gives you access to advanced integrations and priority support.
Airmeet offers a Free Social Webinar Plan where you can add up to 100 members to your video session, get access to Q&A and polls, and speed networking features.
Benefits of Virtual Meeting Platforms
In recent years, virtual meetings have become the new norm worldwide. Most people haven’t had as many video conferences in their entire life as they had in the last two years. The pandemic has raised the popularity of virtual meeting platforms drastically.
We have listed a few benefits of online meeting platforms and how they improve the remote work culture.
1. Reduces Time Wasting
Virtual meeting rooms significantly reduce the amount of scheduling and logistics that are surrounded by planning in-person meetings. You do not have to worry about booking a meeting room or analyzing whether the room would be big enough if everyone showed up.
2. More Cost-Effective
Organizing meetings on an online meeting platform is more cost-effective than setting up an in-person meeting. You have to book a meeting hall for an in-person meeting, buy snacks and beverages for your clients, and travel to that location.
On the other hand, while launching a virtual meeting through the platform, you have to schedule the meeting and share the link with everyone.
3. Broader Information Sharing
Good virtual meeting platforms allow you to add unlimited people to your conferences. It allows for a diverse range of opinions and sharing of information. When you open up your meetings to a wider audience base, you can reach out and invite opinions from across the business.
4. Directness of Communication
Unlike traditional meetings, you need to mention a person’s name while talking in a virtual meeting. No two people can speak at once or undermine someone’s ideas. Online meeting platforms provide the opportunity for more democratic participation.
Hosts can easily become aware of people dominating the meeting and mute them, allowing others to share their opinions.
5. Increased Productivity
Virtual meeting platforms ease the flow of information and communication between participants. It allows interaction through different channels. Therefore, participants can collaborate properly to make business decisions faster, leading to the timely completion of projects. This, in turn, improves the productivity of the entire organization.
Key Features to Look For in Online Meeting Platforms
Online meeting platforms should include features that help make virtual meetings more productive, engaging, and efficient. Here are a few features you should look for while choosing an online meeting platform for your organization.
1. Mobile Accessibility
Online meeting platforms allow employees to attend meetings on the go. Hence your software needs to be mobile-friendly. Your participants should be able to dial in anytime and anywhere using the device of their choice. They should also be able to customize their video display settings and unmute their line.
2. Easy Screen Sharing
Screen sharing makes it easier for your attendees to follow along with presentations or walkthroughs. A virtual meeting platform should offer easy screen-sharing options to iterate the points you make. The platform should allow anyone in the room to share their screens without any hassle.
3. Built-In Recording
The built-in recording feature allows you to record the meeting session. You or your employees can later view it and note down the important points discussed. A good online meeting platform will enable you to record the session and upload it to your online training library. This way, anyone in the organization can access the file.
Capturing the comment section along with the meeting is an added feature you should look for while subscribing to a virtual meeting platform.
4. Advanced Scheduling
Scheduling your meeting in advance is a good practice that gives your clients or employees enough time to plan their work schedules accordingly. Your online meeting platform should offer calendar support and advanced scheduling features.
Platforms that automatically add virtual meetings to your employee’s calendars once they RSVP are a good bet. This ensures that they never miss a session.
5. Polls and Surveys
Keeping your audience engaged is the biggest challenge for online meeting platforms. That is why it’s important to look for tools that allow your audience to interact and participate. Advanced virtual meeting platforms offer polls and surveys that give your participants a chance to interact.
Polls and surveys also allow you to collect important feedback and information from your audience.
6. Audio Conferencing
When choosing an online meeting platform for your organization, you should look for an audio conferencing feature. It offers more privacy to your employees or clients. This feature allows your participants to dial in from their mobile devices or computers easily.
7. Synchronized Layouts
Learning a new interface can be a little tough and distracting for your employees. A virtual meeting platform should offer synchronized layouts, allowing you to limit unnecessary customizations. It gives you full control over your event’s appearance.
Your online meeting platform should allow you to make the chat window bigger, allowing participants to react swiftly to questions. It should also allow you to hide the chat window when you focus on the presentation.
8. Secure Access
Your data might be insecure while hosting a virtual meeting with your employees. It isn’t easy to ensure privacy when accessing the internet. Hence you should choose an online meeting platform that offers secure access to your meetings. The platforms should allow you to password protect your sessions or lock them while discussing crucial points.
Good virtual meeting platforms also allow you to create private meetings with your clients or top-level employees. The token-protected access assigns each individual with a token to join a meeting with a unique code. It expires after use.
FAQ
Online meetings are held via the internet, using a browser or application. It allows users to connect without being present in the same physical location. They seek to connect geographically dispersed teams, increase productivity, and reduce travel costs.
People use online meetings to stay connected with audio, video, or chat options. They offer an interactive way for people to interact and engage with each other. These meetings eliminate the boundaries between teams and encourage seamless participation.
Virtual meeting software is an application that brings people together over the internet. These can be accessed globally and aim to improve productivity and engagement among remote teams.
Online meeting software lets you connect with your employees via chats, audio conferencing, or video conferencing. They ensure democratic participation in an organization. Nowadays, advanced software has been introduced to offer interesting features to improve engagement and productivity. These include screen sharing, polls, surveys, and easy scheduling options.
You can run a successful online meeting with your employees or clients with prior preparation and a strategic game plan. A successful meeting host ensures that the communication is crystal clear and important information does not fall through the cracks.
Create an agenda before hosting the meeting. This agenda will help everyone stay on the same page and focus on priorities.
Prepare your space before the meeting. A quiet environment would limit your distractions.
Do a test run before hosting an online meeting. It would help ensure you have a good idea about your online meeting software.
While participating in a meeting, try to be extra descriptive with your words.
Share your screen while explaining a complicated theory. This would help you reiterate important points for your clients or employees.
Use online mind maps or digital whiteboards to enter notes as new ideas emerge. This would keep everyone engaged and create more clarity for your participants.
Before ending the meeting, recap the action items for extra clarity.
Record your meeting and upload it to the public cloud so no one misses an important point discussed during the meeting.
Choosing the Right Virtual Meeting Platform for My Business
The right virtual meeting platform depends on your team’s requirements and features to collaborate with your team more efficiently.
- If you are looking for software for efficient video collaboration, you can choose GoToMeeting, Skype, Google Hangouts, or RingCentral Meetings.
- If you are looking for a platform with interactive tools, you should choose Google Meet, Adobe Connect, Join.me, or Cisco Webex.
- If you are looking for a tool to host Webinars, you can choose Microsoft Teams, Zoom, ClickMeeting, Airmeet, or Zoho Meeting.
- If you are looking for a platform with an easy-to-use interface, you can choose Facetime, Slack, Amazon Chime, Lifesize, or Highfive.
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Anastasia Belyh
Anastasia has been a professional blogger and researcher since 2014. She loves to perform in-depth software reviews to help software buyers make informed decisions when choosing project management software, CRM tools, website builders, and everything around growing a startup business.
Anastasia worked in management consulting and tech startups, so she has lots of experience in helping professionals choosing the right business software.