There are dozens of different web meeting software options out there.  Some Web meeting software providers offer just a simple basic package, while others have all the “bells and whistles” you could want.  There are several free web meeting software options available, plus a number of paid services as well.  It can be difficult selecting web meeting software that makes the most sense for your company.  There’s no standard, one size fits all web meeting software solution that everyone will be pleased with. Since choosing the right web meeting software is an important decision for your company, what exactly do you need to look for in web meeting software?

Evaluate Your Needs to Find the Right Web Meeting Software

The first step to finding the perfect web meeting software is to evaluate your needs. You may or may not be experienced with web meeting software, but if you have heard strong recommendations in favor of a particular web meeting software, then at least you have a starting point for your search.

Who Will Use the Web Meeting Software?

As you think about the web meeting software you want to purchase, make sure you think about your employees that will have to regularly use the software. If it is mostly your marketing team for customer webinar software, that product will look much different than something your IT department is going to need to handle remote repairs. If you need software to handle customer webinars and remote support, well there’s web meeting software packages that can handle that. Once these key things are decided, you can then concentrate on finding the right web meeting software.

Choosing the Right Web Meeting Software

First and foremost, what company is providing the web meeting software?  There are so many web meeting software providers, it’s important you pick one that you are comfortable with.  The greatest web meeting software in the world will not help you if you can’t use it properly.  Many companies offer great tech support and event management, which may be important to you if you are unfamiliar with web meeting software. Some web meeting software providers may even charge you more for software that contains the same features as another “low-end” product.

Once you’ve narrowed down your options to a few providers you’re comfortable with, you can start evaluating the web meeting software through free trials and demos. It’s important that the web meeting software is compatible with your existing systems, and that it presents a low enough learning curve, so your employees can use it with minimal training.

Finally, web meeting software can come with a number of different features to create dynamic and interactive web meetings. These are just a few of the benefits of web conferencing. But do you really need all those features? While some businesses may find surveys, polls, and whiteboards essential for collaboration. Not all businesses are the same, and unless you plan on leading some highly interactive webinars, you can probably do without the survey option. Think about it. Just because Baskin Robbins has 31 flavors of ice cream, doesn’t mean you want all 31 flavors.