Video conferencing has become a standard part of people’s everyday lives. Whether it’s for business or personal use, people eventually became accustomed to using video conferencing software to communicate with others online. And while Skype had been the top video chat application utilized by businesses for nearly two decades, its spot was overtaken by Zoom, which dominated the video communications industry when the pandemic struck.
While alternatives such as Google Meet and Microsoft Teams are available, businesses opt for Zoom because of its relevant business features. Did you know you can hold meetings with up to a thousand people? Knowing how to blur background in Zoom by adjusting the settings and managing teams through Zoom rooms are only a few of the excellent business features of the software. In this article, let’s learn more about Zoom and its pros and cons to help you decide if it’s best for your business.
What You Need to Know About Zoom
Developed by Zoom Video Communications in 2011, Zoom meetings is recognized as one of the best tools for online communication today. With businesses and its employees working remotely, Zoom caters to the needs of its users through its wide range of services. From group messaging and content sharing to impeccable user experience and more, these are a few things that made it stand out from its competitors.
Although a traditional face-to-face meeting is still the best, you can still use Zoom for many things such as sales and board meetings, training and client presentations, and many more. And even non-tech savvy individuals found it easy to use, leading to the app having over 500 million downloads in 2020 alone.
What are the Pros of Using Zoom for Meetings?
Here are some of the benefits of using the software for meetings.
1. High participant capacity
Zoom offers the highest participant capacity compared to other video chat apps. There are four plans to choose from: the free plan where 100 attendees can meet for 40 minutes, the pro plan with the same number of attendees but no time limit, the business plan with up to 300 attendees, and the enterprise that can host meetings from 500 to 1000 people. It makes it ideal for businesses holding webinars and collaboration events because everyone who signed up can attend and won’t be afraid of being kicked out of the event if the maximum capacity is reached.
2. It has a user-friendly interface
Let’s face it, not all are used to using video conferencing apps. But when the transition to remote working occurred, people (both young and old) had to learn fast to adapt to the new changes. With Zoom, people do not necessarily need to create an account to join the meeting, and they can participate in the meeting if they have the app downloaded to their mobile devices and receive a link. Even non-tech savvy people will find account creation to be a straightforward process.
3. Offers affordable plans
People will find Zoom plans reasonably priced compared to others, whether for personal or business use. Its free plan may only host up to 100 attendees with a 40 minutes limit, but you can hold as many meetings as you want daily. It is ideal for small businesses that may not have the funds for higher-priced alternatives. On the other hand, its enterprise plan offers plenty of relevant features that make it worthy of the price.
What are the Cons of Zoom Meetings?
Alongside the benefits are some disadvantages of using the software, which are listed below.
1. The occurrence of Zoombombing
While Zoom makes it easy for participants to join meetings through clicking links, it has also led to a rise of unwanted individuals entering conference calls. Their interruptions can disrupt these meetings, so hosts need to implement some fixes to protect the meeting from these “participants .”Enabling the password, turning off the “allow removed participants to rejoin” setting, and disabling the “remote control” access are some things you can do.
2. It requires a strong internet connection to work
One problem that users may encounter is their connection cutting off and screen sharing being delayed due to poor connectivity issues. It may not be such a big problem for some, but if you’re the host or speaker, you don’t want to get cut off in the middle of a talk. To fix this, ensure that you have good download and upload speed.
3. You’re unable to control comments
Thanks to the live chat feature, hosts and participants can leave comments and message one another during the ongoing meeting. However, it also poses the risk of inappropriate comments being shared and read by everyone. While it’s unlikely to occur in virtual office meetings, it’s a severe problem that can happen in public webinars and collaboration events, leading to a ruined atmosphere for everyone.
Key Takeaways
Indeed, Zoom is one of the best tools that businesses of any size can find helpful in their communication needs. It, packed with relevant business features, was able to cement its reputation due to its reliability, ease of use, quality, and many more. If you or your business are looking for video conferencing software, why not give Zoom a try?