The 'I' in Teams: 5 Effective Video Conferencing Software Alternatives

Businesses around the world are now working with teams based in different locations more than ever. While this geographical flexibility has many benefits, it also requires efficient systems to enable successful collaboration.

This is generally done through software like Microsoft Teams and Zoom, which facilitate communal working when face-to-face meetings aren’t an option. Like all software, however, it works better for some companies than others. Luckily, there are plenty of alternative options for those looking for something that will better suit their teams.

1. Google Meet

Like most areas of the online world, there’s a Google alternative to turn to when looking for video conferencing software. Google Meet is an enterprise-grade tool that can be accessed by anyone with a Gmail account. It offers both voice and video calling, with the upwards limit being 100,000 participants, making its capacity large enough for most organizations.

Among the benefits of using Google Meet are its compatibility with other apps, helping to make working processes seamless. The software’s functions includes the ability for participants to share their screen with colleagues at the click of a button and send messages, files and links to each other during a meeting.

2. Zoho Connect

The Zoho Connect platform offers a wide selection of collaboration tools, including an information feed, discussion forums and event management. Each group of employees can be classified as open, closed, public or private, offering flexibility depending on the nature of the project being discussed.

Zoho Connect’s functionality makes it easy to start video conferencing directly from a chat, bypassing the need to invite each participant individually. Users can pin chats they want to focus on to the top of their feeds or mute those that don’t need to take precedence.

3. Workplace from Facebook

Workplace is another example of a tech giant getting into the video conferencing sphere. The headline advantages of using the Facebook tool are the HD video calls and the ease with which you can include people outside of your organization in meetings and events.

There’s a whole host of ways that Workplace facilitates collaboration. For example, a quick survey or poll can clear up an issue without excessive discussion, while brainstorming, mining information and amplifying voices can all be achieved within the platform.

4. Slack

Slack is a popular alternative to Teams due to the ability to arrange projects into separate channels and its easy to use interface. Benefits of the platform include being able to bring all documents associated with a project into one place, invite users outside of your organization into a channel and having a searchable record of conversations.

You can dial up to a maximum of 15 people directly from a channel set up for a specific programme. This can be done as a voice or video call and comes with the ability to share your screen with other participants.

5. GoToMeeting

GoToMeeting has a reputation for being particularly mobile-friendly, making it a good option for teams where members are constantly on the move. It also allows easy recording of meetings, so they can be shared with others to get them up to speed quickly if they couldn’t attend at the time.

A feature that stands out against other video conferencing software is the ability to take control over another participant’s equipment to point them to the exact answer to their question. Meetings can have up to 250 attendees using this software.