How to Choose the Best Online Meeting Platform for Remote and Hybrid Teams

How to Choose the Best Online Meeting Platform for Remote and Hybrid Teams

Visualize you need to set up a virtual meeting with your team. You start organizing the documents, but then you face a flood of features to compare user reviews and potential prices. Time is running out, and you need to make a smart choice. If you choose a poor option, communication will break down, leading to frustration and a drop in productivity.

As the leader, you are responsible for selecting the right Online meeting platform for your remote or hybrid team. With so many options available, choosing the right one can feel overwhelming.

This blog will help you navigate this decision and find the best virtual meeting software for your team. Whether you lead a fully remote team or a hybrid one, we will guide you in understanding which features matter most and help you avoid common mistakes.

Remote vs Hybrid: what is the difference?

Remote teams function through the internet, comprising people located in various regions and time zones. Communication is through virtual mediums such as messaging apps and video-conferencing, the quality of which needs to be seamless. Members of the team operate independently over a range of devices, which makes cross-platform functionality necessary.

Hybrid teams consist of a combination of in-office and remote workers, whereby integration and collaboration must be efficient. Real-time channels enable all parties to be audible, regardless of their location. There is a high level of flexibility in promoting solutions that are adaptable while ensuring the participants are in synergy during and between meetings and other engagements.

Main Factors of both:

  1. Geographically Dispersed: Each team works across global time zones, and scheduling becomes a complex challenge.
  2. Heavy reliance on Virtual Communication: Every member adopts a virtual character, making communication reliant on messaging, video calls, and other means of collaboration.

Common Challenges Experienced by Remote and Hybrid Teams

Virtual meetings with poor video or audio quality can seriously threaten understanding, create communication gaps, and address issues. The added stress of latency alone can make a meeting unbearable. Regular participants, and in some cases even premeditated participants, can get extremely frustrated. This can create issues such as managing little to no screen visibility, or difficulty in handling meetings.

  1. Security Challenges: Some platforms lack security and encryption for sensitive information. This can lead to safety breaches and presents a serious threat to remote working teams on sensitive projects.
  2. Challenges with Hybrid Meetings: Hybrid meetings often leave remote participants feeling uninvolved, which can limit participation and reduce inter-group collaboration.

Important Attributes of Virtual Meeting Applications

Choosing a platform is a big decision, and there are many criteria to consider. Below are the most important of these:

For Remote Teams

  • Low Latency HD Video and Audio: Avoid meeting interruptions by choosing platforms that offer clear communication and high-definition video and audio that do not lag.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Use WebRTC-based systems like inMeet to allow all team members to join free of charge from any device, such as a phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop.

For Hybrid Teams

  • Integration Between In-office and Remote Users: Verify if there are in-office and remote worker integration platforms that enable all participants to collaborate, see, and hear without restrictions.
  • Breakout Rooms for discussions: Facilitate smaller discussions within your team by selecting the right platforms that offer breakout room features. inMeet enables you to maintain smooth productivity no matter where your team members are located, allowing everyone to stay productive on the go.
  • Interactive Whiteboards and Other Collaboration Tools: Use tools such as interactive whiteboards and document sharing to increase engagement among all participants.

A Comprehensive Guide To Choosing The Appropriate Virtual Meeting Platform For Your Setting

Step 1: Conduct an Analysis of Your Team’s Needs: Determine whether the team works in hybrid or fully remote mode and the number of participants in each meeting.
Step 2: Examine Platforms: Evaluate platforms based on categories such as video and screen sharing quality, security, and other critical features.
Step 3: Validate and Test: Always attend demos or sign up for free trials. Let your team use the platform for everyday tasks and get their feedback.
Step 4: Analyze Budget and Feasibility: It is often easy to fall into the trap of lowest price options, but do not overlook important elements such as quality and privacy.

Get a Perfect Video Call Application – inMeet

This is precisely what inMeet, created by InstaVC, provides: a state-of-the-art solution that covers all of the issues specifically focusing on the members of a remote or hybrid team structure. It is an all-in-one solution and satisfies every inMeet customer’s need and requirement. It also enhances collaboration, communication, and the engagement of an audience, irrespective of whether it is remote, hybrid, or has a multitude of locations.

Why is inMeet beneficial for remote teams?

Teams leverage inMeet to boost productivity, regardless of their location With high-definition video communication of up to 4k and crystal-clear audio, you can remain certain of uninterrupted, reliable contact no matter your distance.

All remote members of a team working on tablets, mobile phones, laptops, and even desktop devices could stay connected. With the WebRTC-based architecture, there is no need to have any plugins or downloads. Join the meeting instantly by clicking on the link. This is incredibly beneficial for teams that are completely distributed and use various operating systems.

inMeet enables the equal participation of both remote and in-office workers with the physical work setting. We provide participants with a more seamless experience, allowing them to feel as though the gap between office and remote workspaces does not exist. This connects all participants and provides a singular experience, which is common in most meetings and does not split the setting.

The feature of inMeet’s breakout rooms helps in effective team collaboration. We can now segregate participants into smaller groups while still using parallel alliances, ensuring that remote employees feel involved digitally. Simultaneously, using inMeet’s interactive whiteboard, participants can annotate, brainstorm, and visualize new ideas in real-time.

Get Started with inMeet Today

Take this next step to transform your virtual meetings. Register for a free demo or trial on inMeet. Check out its capabilities for yourself to learn more. Feel free to reach out to the sales team for any assistance regarding your unique inquiries.