{"id":5403,"date":"2017-12-05T15:15:39","date_gmt":"2017-12-05T22:15:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.meetingone.eu\/eu-en\/?p=5403"},"modified":"2017-12-05T15:15:39","modified_gmt":"2017-12-05T22:15:39","slug":"small-business-owners-get-more-out-of-your-conferencing-platforms-in-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.meetingone.com\/eu-en\/blog\/small-business-owners-get-more-out-of-your-conferencing-platforms-in-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Business Owners: Get More out of Your Conferencing Platforms in 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

Small business owners face numerous obstacles.\u00a0 There are no two ways about it.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Whether it’s scarcity of funds and resources, expanding your workforce, staving off competition, or growing your customer base, small business owners have significant challenges to overcome.\u00a0 And if 2018 is like any other year, things won’t necessarily get easier.<\/p>\n

The best way to overcome these challenges is to get more out of your existing systems.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>If you’ve already invested in business tools and solutions, why not figure out ways to repurpose them?\u00a0 A great example of where small business owners can do this:\u00a0With Conferencing Tools and Platforms.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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So, going into 2018, we\u2019d like to make some recommendations for how small business owners can get more out of their conferencing platforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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3 Ways to\u00a0Optimize Your Conferencing Tools<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you\u2019re already using audio and web conferencing tools, you\u2019re in a great position to work around many challenges.\u00a0\u00a0We just have to overcome our narrow views of\u00a0how to use these platforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maybe you purchased a web conferencing platform to hold online meetings with business partners.\u00a0 Is there any reason you couldn’t use it to host online training?\u00a0 What about small webinars?\u00a0 Perhaps it could be used as an open space to share documents and files – assuming the platform offers room persistency like\u00a0Adobe Connect<\/a><\/strong><\/span>.<\/p>\n

Even conference\u00a0calling\u00a0can go beyond calls.\u00a0 Providers like MeetingOne have turned conference call technology into a desirable\u00a0telephony integration<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0for online events.<\/p>\n

There’s a lot of untapped potential with most conferencing tools.\u00a0\u00a0Here are three prime examples of things you could be doing to get more out of your platforms.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Work from Home Fridays<\/span><\/h3>\n

Remote work continues to be a\u00a0growing trend<\/a><\/span>\u00a0and an invaluable incentive for employees.<\/strong>\u00a0At MeetingOne, we have seven remote workers in the US, and the capability to work from anywhere has allowed us to employ great team members without requiring them all to be in Denver.<\/p>\n

We also offer our teams the opportunity to work from home on Fridays.\u00a0Personally, I love it<\/strong>.\u00a0 I avoid a long commute.\u00a0 I can flex my hours to accommodate important errands (like going to the DMV \ud83d\ude41 ). And it gives me an opportunity to work in a quiet environment where I can be more productive.<\/p>\n

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WFH days can be a great way to help employees get more out of their days. And it\u2019s a great incentive to potential employees.\u00a0 If you offer work from home days, you\u2019re in a good situation to bring on new members who might be lured away by a large company.\u00a0\u00a0Working from home is that valuable.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Working from home only really works if you have the right conferencing software.\u00a0 Emails,\u00a0chats\u00a0and IMs only take you so far.\u00a0 We’ve all been on those email chains where a dozen people are adding their two cents.\u00a0 By the end, it may feel nearly impossible to know what steps should be taken next.<\/p>\n

A team call or video conference allows you to work through more complicated issues more efficiently and in a shorter period.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0You can jump on call and share ideas, files and info with teams out of the office in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n

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Let’s take a look at how this can be\u00a0done in\u00a0a platform like Adobe Connect.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0 Adobe Connect uses interactive modules – “pods” – to perform specific functions.\u00a0\u00a0Need to take notes?\u00a0 Share your screen? Distribute files? There are pods for all of that.\u00a0 Here are a few examples important for WFH days.<\/p>\n

Active Annotation<\/span><\/h4>\n

One of the easiest ways to collaborate is to share and annotate documents or videos.\u00a0 Everyone can see\u00a0what is being discussed and can note their thoughts directly on the document.<\/p>\n

Adobe Connect is loaded with tools people can use for annotation purposes.\u00a0 There are multiple colors for drawing.\u00a0 Shape tools for adding focus.\u00a0 A text feature for placing input.\u00a0 Each contributor could pick their color, then make their mark-ups when required.<\/p>\n

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The extensive toolset of Adobe Connect’s annotation feature makes it easy to collaborate quickly and hold productive discussions.<\/p>\n

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File Sharing<\/span><\/h4>\n

It feels like there’s always a document or file at the center of conversations.\u00a0 With Adobe Connect,\u00a0participants with the right privileges can easily upload files to share with the team.\u00a0 These documents can be downloaded by everyone else just as quickly.<\/p>\n

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Unlimited Webcams<\/span><\/h4>\n

Unlike most web conferencing platforms, Adobe Connect allows you to use as many webcams as your bandwidth will support.\u00a0 It’s pretty awesome.<\/p>\n

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Webcams add a much more human element to your online events.\u00a0 Being able to see each other helps to replicate the feel of in-person meetings.<\/p>\n

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(Friendly Reminder: For these types of impromptu meetings, you always want to integrate telephony if it’s available to you.\u00a0 Teams working from home may have spotty internet connections.\u00a0 So, their voice and audio may be worse with VoIP.\u00a0 When you integrate with telephony, you assure them the reliability of telephone lines.\u00a0 Doing so allows everyone to participate on equal footing.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/h6>\n
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Work from home days\u00a0benefit your current employees, and they work as an incentive for potential hires.\u00a0 Overall, they make you a more desirable employer, decreasing attrition and growing your employee pool.<\/p>\n

WFH days are typically more successful when you have collaborative and communication tools in place.<\/strong>\u00a0 Conferencing platforms serve to meet that exact need.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

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Video Interviews<\/span><\/h3>\n

Speaking of bringing on new employees,\u00a0web conferencing software gives you an effective way to hold preliminary, video interviews.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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We’ve held these types of interviews over the phone in the past.\u00a0\u00a0While the phone is an effective tool for communicating with applicants, it’s hard to beat the opportunity to see them “face-to-face” like you do on\u00a0webcam.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Body language is a key ingredient to communication.\u00a0 With webcams, you get better reads on their reactions to questions.\u00a0 You get a stronger sense of their personality.\u00a0 And these interactions work both ways.\u00a0 They get\u00a0the opportunity to jive with you.\u00a0\u00a0It’s harder replicating these interactions over the phone.<\/p>\n

Atop webcams, you can use web conferencing tools to screen share.\u00a0 You can show off products, your company website and other aspects of the business.\u00a0 Doing so helps you present\u00a0the\u00a0vision<\/em>\u00a0you have for your company in a\u00a0visual<\/em>\u00a0way.<\/p>\n

And, in many ways, it\u2019s easier to bring team leads into the interview.<\/strong>\u00a0 Let’s say you’re presently holding prelim interviews in-office.\u00a0 Including your managers requires they step away from their office for the interview.\u00a0 Video interviews allow everyone to stay at their desk and be available to deal with departmental issues if they arise.<\/p>\n

If nothing else, video interviews give\u00a0you a chance to interview people who may be abroad.\u00a0 For example, we recently interviewed a fellow on vacationing in France for a job in Denver.\u00a0 Conferencing offers such tremendous connectivity!\u00a0 You can reach anyone in the world.<\/p>\n

At MeetingOne, we’ve been using video interviews more and more.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>\u00a0It helps on many levels.\u00a0 First of all, it provides us a more intimate discussion with candidates.\u00a0 Secondly, it gives us an opportunity to demonstrate many aspects of our business\u00a0visually.\u00a0 And for us, it presents a chance to introduce a candidate to Adobe Connect – the product they may end up helping us resell!<\/p>\n

As a small business owner, this is an effective way to get another use out of your conferencing platforms.\u00a0\u00a0You’ll get a better sense of your candidates and save time by eliminating in-office preliminary interviews.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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One Space for Meetings,\u00a0Training\u00a0and Webinars<\/span><\/h3>\n

If you’re using web conferencing for online meetings, why not\u00a0triple<\/em>-down and use these virtual spaces for training and marketing events like webinars?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Training<\/span><\/h4>\n

Let\u2019s say you\u2019re in a small office without a conference room. How do you plan to get everyone trained at once?\u00a0 You could rent out space and spend beaucoup bucks. Or, you could simply have everyone join an online meeting room you\u2019ve converted for training purposes.\u00a0\u00a0You save money while still facilitating productive conversations.<\/strong><\/p>\n

These online\u00a0trainings\u00a0can be recorded, too.\u00a0 Citing MeetingOne again, we often hold product and service update\u00a0trainings\u00a0in virtual spaces.\u00a0 We always record these gatherings so we can share the information with team members who\u00a0weren’t available to attend.<\/p>\n

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Recordings can also be used like video podcasts. Teams watch a recording on a topic, then come into work the next day to further discuss.\u00a0 They\u2019re more likely to prepare more thoughtful questions with this extra time.\u00a0 And the recording provides an easy reference point they can use to resolve questions that may arise.<\/p>\n

Product overview recordings can also be used by customer service teams as reference videos for your customers.\u00a0\u00a0Using video tutorials can help reduce the call load on customer service teams – one more way to save your small business money.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another way to save money is to have outside instructors lead training in a virtual room.<\/strong>\u00a0This avoids their needing to travel, potentially eliminating related costs, like lodging, which might otherwise be expensed to your company.<\/p>\n

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Webinars<\/span><\/h4>\n

An online meeting room can also be converted into\u00a0a space\u00a0for webinars.\u00a0 Webinars, in turn, can help small businesses help\u00a0attract and convert leads, as discussed in\u00a0this blog<\/a><\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are some limitations.\u00a0 If you’re using a free platform, you’re going to be limited to how many people can attend.\u00a0 And some licenses tiers for various platforms won’t give you registration or engagement tools.\u00a0 GoToMeeting,\u00a0for example<\/a><\/span><\/strong>, doesn’t offer polls – you have to scale up to GoToWebinar, a much more expensive option.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Adobe Connect offers all of its interactive features across tiers.<\/strong>\u00a0 Polls, chats, notes, web links, file shares – they are all immediately available across licenses.<\/p>\n

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The\u00a0Adobe Connect platform also allows you to have up to 100 people join your room.\u00a0 That’s certainly enough space to hold a marketing webinar.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most importantly, the rooms are entirely customizable.\u00a0 Where you might only feature a screen share in an online meeting, you modify the Adobe Connect\u00a0layout<\/em>\u00a0to include other pods, like the ones mentioned above, for a webinar.\u00a0 Each pod is sizable and can be moved anywhere within a layout.\u00a0 Backgrounds can be changed by simply adding a new picture.<\/p>\n

All of these changes can be made in mere minutes.<\/strong>\u00a0 But you don’t have to change your online meeting space.\u00a0 You can simply add a new layout.\u00a0 In fact, you could have different layouts for all of your purposes: meetings,\u00a0trainings, webinars, etc.<\/p>\n

The below example displays different layouts for the three above needs.\u00a0 They all come from the same virtual room, though!<\/p>\n

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If you already have audio and web conferencing systems in place, it\u2019s easy to make these changes.\u00a0MeetingOne, for example, offers\u00a0coaching services<\/a><\/span>\u00a0that can help teams make better use of a virtual space.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0Our team can help you\u00a0convert an online meeting room into a\u00a0place for virtual training or webinars in a very short period of time.<\/p>\n

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Planning for\u00a0the Future<\/span><\/h2>\n

As a small business owner, it\u2019s important you can use the systems you already have in place to meet multiple needs. Doing so can help you save money and simplify workflows.<\/p>\n

Critical to this approach is having providers who\u00a0offer unified communication platforms. At MeetingOne, we offer both audio and web conferencing platforms under one umbrella.\u00a0 Plus, we have developed powerful integrations to help streamline business workflows:<\/p>\n