Choosing Web Conference Software: A How-to Guide

Filed Under Business |

by Tyler Vaughn

If you’re a small business owner (like me) you need to get the most out of every dollar. Chance are you’ve thought about trying out some web conference softwarebut haven’t gotten around to it.

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.

The good news is that web conferencing software has pricing plans geared for small business owners. For example, Webex’s MeetMeNow prices out to as low as $35 a month for an unlimited number of meetings (10 participants per meeting). The other companies (Cisco, Microsoft) have similar plans.

How do you know if the price makes sense? Sit down for a minute and calculate how much you’re spending on travel. Add to it your long-distance phone call budget and what you spend on cellular minutes. Now, if you had web conferencing software available to you, how much of that budget would you save? When you calculate it out you’ll probably agree that web conferencing software can be a solid investment.

The next step is to decide which internet conferencing features you need. If you’re an hold hand at web conferencing you already know what you want. If not, the best advice is to read this list of features and then sign up for a free trial — take the software for a spin.

Audio Conferencing: Your web conference vendor should provide a toll free number for participants. If possible, they should also allow for VoIP calling (calling over the Internet).

Video Conferencing: I don’t use webcams myself, but a few of my business friends do. If you have a webcam on your PC and are comfortable using it, you’ll want a vendor that allows for video streaming.

White Board: Virtual whiteboards are a great tool. A shared, online white board is a must for me. The group works together to draw out a new concept, just as if they were in the same room.

Annotating Documents: Reading and edit documents together. Mark up that Proposal as you go, with everyone seeing the same results.

Number and Size of Meetings: I prefer a plan that allows unlimited meetings. Some of the entry-level programs will limit the number of participants per meeting, but how often do we need more than 10 people on a call anyway?

Has this helped? Look over this list of features and think about how you see web conferencing fitting into your business. The best way to decide is to sign up for a free trial. Give the software a spin and see if it meets your needs.

About the Author:

Tyler Vaughn worked often with web conference software while employed at a virtual office. Learn more about getting web conference free trials at his virtual meeting site.