Not all webinar providers are created equal. Some have just a simple basic package, while others have all the bells and whistles you could imagine. Some webinar providers have employees that walk you through each step, while others tell you the website and login and let you have at it on your own.

What are Webinar Providers Offering You?

Cost is always an issue, and with some webinar providers you might be paying for marketing, and not actual performance. It can be hard to choose the right vendor for your company, and there is no one webinar provider that is perfect for everyone. The following will help you get started.

The first thing you need to do is take a look at the personnel resources your company has. Assuming you are new to hosting webinars, you may or may not have staff experienced with the different webinar providers. If you know of providers that you’re comfortable with and knowledgeable about, your search can end there and you can just look for the best deal among those providers. If however this is not the case, further research is needed.

What Options Do You Have in Webinar Providers?

There are many technological options for webinar providers, and in turn for you.  Easily overlooked is whether or not a webinar provider’s technology is compatible with not only your system, but the systems of folks watching your webinar. If this is a company only webinar, this can a pretty easy thing for your IT department to ensure, and you can be more specific about which webinar software you choose. However, if a broad base of customers is going to see this, you will want to make sure the provider has widely supported technology.

Customer Service is Key

Another thing to think about is the customer service of the webinar providers you are researching. Some of the best webinar providers have event coordinators that will walk you step-by-step through the process for your first few webinars. Some charge for this service, while others have it included in their standard package price. Regardless, if this is something you plan on doing very often, you may want to take advantage of this service. You will have a special need to make sure everything runs smoothly if customers will be attending.

Other things to consider between webinar providers are what options are on the screen during the actual meeting. Some providers allow for chats during the webinar, some allow for company or personal biographical information to be visible, some allow for white papers to be downloaded from the page, and some providers simply just put the hosted image on the screen and that is it. Sometimes, you don’t want many other things to look at, but other times, having extra features makes your life much easier.

Final Thoughts on Webinar Providers

Finally, the obvious thing to check out is the price. There are several webinar providers and generally the axiom is true; you get what you pay for. However, there are some webinar providers that have fantastic deals. Many providers also offer a range of the services mentioned above, so make sure you are aware when you are asking for more services whether they’re included in the base rate. Also, once you think you have found the best web conferencing software, take the  provider’s service for a test drive before conducting a live meeting. This final test ensures that you chose the right solution out of all of the providers.