With the outbreak of COVID-19 SMEs had to move their staff either into furlough or working from home, so fosteringongoing staff communication and connections is crucial for team morale. However, unless you’re set up for effective and productive home working, most SMEs will not be able to maximise the benefit of the staff they currently have remaining at work, stuck at home.
In just a few easy steps most staff can set up video conferencing using the popular public versions of Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is the video conferencing and collaboration tool of choice for businesses, especially as it now comes with Microsoft 365 business licenses. Empower staffto stay connected and keep business running smoothly using Teams (free public and paid-for business versions). Multiple benefits include:
- Simple online link so everyone can join your meetings
- Ability to involve all of your team members on audio and video
- Blur your background to avoid distractions going on at home
- Screen share so so people can see presentations & documents
- Record meetings in audio, video and screenshare for later view
- Share ideas on a virtual whiteboard – draw, sketch and write
- Download Teams to your desktop, PC or mobile or use it online
- Project rooms to share and collaborate on ideas (business version)
Download Teams free version: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/microsoft-teams/group-chat-software
Teams for business: £11.30 per month – click here
- Instant messaging internally and externally
- Voice and video calls between team members
- File sharing for improved, real time, collaboration
- SharePoint, OneDrive and Exchange integration options
- Departmental group messaging to share information
- Device compatibility across PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles
- Improved security compared to other videocommunication software
- Compatible with Multi-Factor Authentication to increase data security
Zoom
Zoom has taken over in most homes around the globe as the evening chat room of choice for social groups and friends. But it’s not just a home tool and has a host of similar useful business features too:
- Online link and optional password for people to join meetings
- Ability to involve all of your team members on audio and video
- Change backgrounds to ‘brand up’ or avoid home distractions
- Screen share so so people can see presentations & documents
- Record meetings in audio, video and screenshare for later view
- Communicate and chat in a shared or private question area
- Download Zoom to your desktop, PC or mobile or use it online
Download Zoom free version: https://zoom.us/download
Zoom for business: £12 per month – click here for details
- Run meetings of over 40 minutes (free version limit)
- Up to 9 hosts, assign hosts and record your meetings
- User management, assign roles, control chat and access