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How to Make Your Conference Calls More Efficient and Effective

May 19, 2020 at 9:30 AM / by Laina Davidson, Digital Marketing Specialist

Online meetings and conference calls now fill our calendars where in-person meetings were before. Even as some businesses reopen offices and workers return to work, remote meetings and video conferencing will remain. 

Along with emails and chats, conferencing and video calls have transformed the way teams, both in-house and remote, communicate for the better.

Here are a few things managers should know about today’s top conferencing solutions and how to take full advantage of efficiency, collaboration, and remote work for future meetings and team collaboration.

The Importance of Conference Meetings

If your eyes automatically roll when you picture conference calls and meetings, it’s probably time to rethink how you’re utilizing this important collaboration tool.

Collaborative communication is key not only to completing team projects – it’s also essential for keeping your teams on the same page and with the same goal in mind - even when they're miles apart. Most projects are derailed by a lack of communication and forgetting to keep everyone on the team updated.

Decisions made in conference meetings can send ripples through entire companies. As such, many of these decisions also end up affecting the customer as well. Therefore, anything that can make conferencing more productive & effective is an excellent opportunity for companies to improve.

Basics for Better, More Effective Meetings (Remote or In-Person)

When it comes to conference meetings, several factors can make or break these meetings.

1. Keeping your meeting goals clear, messaging concise, and involving all necessary parties is a great first step.

2. Dress for the meeting.

3. Get on camera. It's tempting to simply call in and turn your video off during video conference calls, but showing yourself on camera and seeing your teammates or customers makes video calls feel more personal and collaborative. 

4. Be aware of your lighting and background for video calls and test out your video before your meeting.

5. Stick to your allotted meeting time.

6. Prepare for internal meetings and client-facing meetings with purpose: know your audience, have your meeting materials ready, keep a meeting outline or agenda handy, and remember - if your audience doesn’t seem engaged in the meeting, they’re not.

7. Don't just read your slides to your audience. Reading out loud word-for-word from a slide deck is sure to send your audience running (at least mentally.)

8. For presentations, use engaging presentation materials that you’ve gone over beforehand not only for accuracy and grammatical errors but timing and delivery. It makes all the difference.

9. Hit record. Whether you need to send an online training session to a larger group of employees who weren't on the call, or you'd like to offer a webinar as an on-demand option, recording meetings allows you to review, edit, and use the video as a training tool, testimonial, or online offer!

10. Follow meeting etiquette. Distractions like cell phones, showing up late, or forgetting to mute your mic and talking over the presentation detract from the experience for the rest of the audience.

Avoidable Conference Technology Breakdowns

Outside of ignoring general presentation principles and poor meeting etiquette, using outdated or unintuitive technology in your conference room is the most common offense we find in bad conference calls.

If you’re struggling to schedule a conference call, or if the system itself is difficult to use, your employees and customers are suffering too. Imagine this scenario: you’ve got an important conference call scheduled. Your presentation is perfectly tailored to your audience and is well-timed and engaging. You get set up for the call early to test all your systems and ensure audio and video are working correctly. Unfortunately, because your system is unreliable, overly complicated, or simply outdated, you have trouble getting the call to go through, the presentation audio cuts out and then the conferencing system won’t allow you to share your presentation visuals with remote audience members. If this sounds at all familiar, your system needs an upgrade.

Hallmarks of Effective Conferencing

Modern conference rooms should ensure flexibility and include essential elements like Ethernet backups for wireless connections, video, and thoroughly tested audio solutions, along with mobility and compatibility.

By making conference equipment mobile, teams can move from room to room with little difficulty. Additionally, employees who work remotely can fully participate in the meeting. Compatibility is a significant factor today, as companies will use many different variations of the software. Therefore, verifying that different software works together is one of the keys to smooth conferencing.

Streamline Collaboration with ImageNet’s Simplified Conferencing Solution

Collaboration is the heart of conference meetings and is one of the most effective ways to boost conference productivity.

ImageNet’s Simplified Conferencing Solution (SCS) comes with Windows 10 OS, multiple 1080p wide-angle cameras, an interactive 4K flat panel, and everything companies need to maximize conferencing efficiency—especially when managing remote work.

The platform provides unparalleled consistency, whether conferencing in the same room or across the globe. ImageNet installs the entire system for its customers, including the interactive displays and PC configuration. With system installation and implementation taken out of the equation, firms can focus on collaborating instead of being bogged down in technical details.

What else is included in this remarkable, all-in-one conferencing system?

Yearly equipment checks: ImageNet will stop problems before they start with annual checkups.

Excellent support services: There’s always qualified help standing by to answer any questions and address troubleshooting issues.

Features Microsoft Whiteboard: One of the most highly coveted whiteboard software applications on the market. The system allows participants to save whiteboard notes for later and collaborate with multiple users.

48-hour replacement guarantee: As a show of confidence, ImageNet offers a generous replacement policy unmatched by competitors.

SCS drives conferencing efficiency, helping companies gain an advantage over their rivals through service and advanced technology. By embracing the competitive power of effective teamwork and collaboration, SCS is the smart choice for the modern office looking to improve conferencing.

Take Conference Meetings to the Next Level with ImageNet

ImageNet helps businesses get the most out of conference meetings with tools like Simplified Conferencing Solutions. By embracing technology, companies can enjoy effective collaboration and ultimately better decision making, improving business conversations for the future!

Chat with one of our conference room experts and find the perfect pairing of hardware and software to upgrade your conference room today!

Topics: Digital Signage Solutions

Written by Laina Davidson, Digital Marketing Specialist

Laina Davidson is ImageNet Consulting's Digital Marketing Specialist.

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