You’ve probably attended at least one online meeting where nothing seemed to go right. Connection problems, dropped calls, delays during reconnection—all of them can reduce an hour-long meeting to fifteen minutes spent on a project.
Videoconferencing presents a number of technical problems, including:
- Bandwidth. A spotty Internet connection can not only make your meeting look unprofessional, it can prevent the meeting from even happening—especially if you are using online videoconferencing software. High-tech systems use a virtual private network, which allow enough dedicated bandwidth to connect to a videoconferencing room and can broadcast in high-definition without interruption.
- Video quality. Anyone who is used to a high-definition television or monitor will be disappointed by the low-quality video of cheap videoconferencing software. A video that skips, lags, or is too fuzzy to see negates the entire point of a face-to-face meeting, and will likely be the standard by which your whole meeting is judged.
- Sound quality. Organizers often focus so much on video transmission that they neglect proper audio setups. Each participant should have a dedicated microphone in order to clearly identify who is talking—and the microphone built into a computer or laptop is often not sufficient. One way to isolate different speakers is having participants call in with their phones, but a recording system with several microphones will offer much better quality.
Even if you have invested in the proper technology, a successful first-time connection will typically require the services of an IT professional to bring everyone to the table. At Casamo & Associates, our onsite technical support team can help you schedule, organize, and troubleshoot your long-distance videoconference, and can help you find videoconferencing sites near your other participants. Call us today at (877) 837-0077 to find out how we can be of service to you and your clients.
