Whether for working from home, setting up a video conference room or having more meetings from your office – you need a good video conference partner in order to get the most out of the technology. Different providers do not provide the same quality of services. Getting to know what sets one apart from the others will help you to get the most out of the provider you will choose. Here are a few things you should pay attention to when you are seeking to get the best provider for your video conferencing needs.
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Can You Collaborate?
One of the most beautiful thing about using video conferencing is that, as an user you do not have to go back and forth between email, text messaging and fax. Instead, you can share everything in a way that everyone on a video call can access the files all at the same time and work together towards a common goal. Think it as a real conference room with notebooks lying in front of each and every chair. The materials are there for everyone to utilize without having to share anything or wait until it is your turn to take a look at it. According to PC World, if you choose a good video conference provider, like for example Blue Jeans Network, you have the ability to share information in the same way through your computer. All you have to do is make sure everything is in the right format when you are looking to start the meeting and reference it while the meeting is going on. You will have the ability to make changes and see the changes others have made while you are talking about it. It is the best way to get more done without having to bring everyone together in the same room.
Do You Need Hardware?
Depending on what your needs are, you might not want a video conference partner that requires you to purchase any hardware to use their software. According to The Next Web, even if you have a good provider like Blue Jeans Network, you might still need to choose or purchase a separate web cam and microphone. These choices are up to you, but you should make sure that you are choosing a partner that will work with the hardware you have and not require you to purchase anything from them. After all, you want to have options when it comes to getting on a video conference call. If you are on a budget, buying all the expensive hardware is not an option.
At the same time, you may want to set up a video conference room. You should have a partner with the ability to support both. Noise filtering software and the ability to interact with your camera and ceiling based microphones are all necessary in a big video conference room and any partner you choose to provide service in these large rooms should support that hardware. Make sure that you have the option to switch between the two if you want to have meetings in the conference room as well as in your office or even in the park.
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Using Mobile Devices
If you have a really good video conference partner, you will be able to access the system directly through your mobile device and still have great quality. In fact, the only thing you should need in order to get connected with the system is a Wi-Fi or mobile provider connection, a forward facing camera and a screen so that you can see the people you are talking with. The provider should either offer a connection to the software through the server, or they should provide an app with which you can access from your mobile device. This will allow you to access the system literally anywhere you want from. The modern tablets are just as powerful as most desktop computers and have great cameras on them, so using them should provide you roughly the same quality of connection you get from your laptop, according to Life Hacker.
Should You Pay for Service?
The money you have to pay to have a good video conference partner has many wondering facts behind, if they need to pay at all. Computer World looked at all the different free and paid services and they summarized that it is better if you can pay for the service you want.
The difference is in the software that has been well developed as well has the ability to maintain a better connection for you with a service level agreement. This does not mean you have to go out and spend thousands of dollars every month to have a good service, but you should be willing to pay a little bit to have a service you can trust. Best of all, when you utilize a good service that you are paying for, you end up with management services and other programs to help you if you are trying to make your video conferencing even better.
