Does video conferencing appear differently from platform to platform?

In a memorable scene from Silicon Valley, two characters try communicating through a futuristic video conferencing platform that displays one of them as a hologram. Initially confused by the technology, the other character asks, “Am I hologram to you too?” This prompts a brief silence before the first character replies “No, of course not.”

It was a good question, though. Exactly what any given person will see and hear during a video call depends on multiple factors, including:

– The strength of the current internet connection.

– The UI and UX of the application in question.

– Whether that app is being accessed from a mobile device or desktop.

For example, due to differing conditions, a stream that looks crystal-clear to one person might seem choppy to another. To ensure the best possible experience with video conferencing platforms, decision-makers should ask a few key questions when evaluating potential solutions:

1. Do I need to dial in and/or install any extra software?

While relatively new, video conferencing has roots in older technologies, including landline telephone and desktop software. Some early digital phones even had keyboards attached.

Such design, which lingers on in features like the meeting dial-in number, doesn’t translate very well for users on the go. Remote workers may be pressed for time and also lack the network speeds and on-device storage to download additional software, resulting in a poor overall experience.

Video conferencing through Cisco Webex Meetings makes joining a video call much simpler. It’s easy to join a meeting from your toolbar or browser (with no extra installs required) or with a single click from a mobile device. The Call Me option also lets you conveniently answer to join.

2. Can I make video conferencing calls on both desktop and mobile devices?

Many software providers struggle to reimagine complex interfaces, originally designed for desktop devices, for the more limited screen sizes and processing capabilities of mobile collaboration technology. As a result, users might have trouble finding functionality that’s hidden behind unintuitive gestures and menus.

The solution is to find a video conferencing platform with a consistent and optimized experience across different devices. That way, it’s possible to have face-to-face meetings anytime and anywhere, without needing to worry so much about the peculiarities of any specific platform.

Teams that rely on Webex Meetings can enjoy unmatched video quality in a streamlined interface whether they’re joining from their phones, tablets, laptops, or dedicated video devices. This flexibility extends to other standards-based video conferencing systems, too.

3. How can I schedule and negotiate video meetings with others?

There’s a seemingly endless sea of mobile collaboration tools out there for today’s remote teams, from old standbys like SMS to newer additions such as cloud collaboration workspaces. At the same time, a few apps always rise to the top—namely messaging, email, and calendaring, which took three of the top four slots in an October 2017 survey on collaboration software by 451 Research.

These utilities are essential for setting up video conferences, but they’re not perfect. Juggling multiple calendars or struggling to deal with missing integrations on video conferencing platforms is a recipe for productivity-sapping confusion, especially when everyone is in different physical locations.

With web conferencing in Webex Meetings, scheduling is straightforward. Existing calendars—including Google, Office 365, and Outlook—are supported and will automatically add new meetings. You can even launch a meeting from platforms such as Moodle and Salesforce. Webex Teams offers group messaging feature and integrates with Webex Meetings to allow collaboration before, during and after the conference call.

Video conferencing is a unique solution for collaboration. Make sure you have a video conferencing platform that works across all of your devices and teams.

Try Webex for free today!