We all know the importance of client meetings, especially when there are multiple stakeholders involved in a project. It feels much easier to discuss unique ideas, delegate tasks and brainstorm new initiatives when all parties are present in one room. However, its time to go digital now that #COVID19 has placed new social distancing restrictions.
The Profiler PR team have put together our four favourite ways to safely host meetings during the pandemic – and you can trust our word on them, we have used each one of these to meet with our clients. They are as follows:
Hold video meetings using Zoom
Zoom is an awesome easy to use web-based video conferencing tool that allows multiple people to sign in to one video meeting session. The meeting host creates the event and sends invitations via email to people they wish to include in the session. You can opt in using the camera on your desktop or laptop, or the audio alone. Zoom also allows users to record sessions to reflect on at a later date (or send to people who couldn’t make it), collaborate on projects, and share screens or annotate on one another’s screen – all within one platform. Zoom is available for use on a range of desktop and laptops, including Apple Macs and the basic account is FREE for up to 40 minute calls.
Meet up on FaceTime or Messenger
If you don’t have access to a computer or laptop, or simply want the freedom to move around while meeting with your team or clients, then FaceTime (or the Android equivalent) is a great tool. Apple iPhone users can both access the video call technology on their smartphones and patch in others to meet in one place. You can include up to 32 people in a FaceTime video call. We would recommend plugging in your headphones or connecting some Air Pods to your phone if you are in a crowded place to mitigate unnecessary (and frankly annoying) noise from your surroundings, and also to reduce the chances of bothering those around you. Find out more about this great application using this online tutorial.
Alternatives to FaceTime for Android are Google Duo for 1-to-1 video calls or WhatsApp and Messenger for multiple parties at once.
Use a classic conference call
For those who want to go old school, there is the classic conference call on the phone. Whether you are using a smartphone or telephone with conferencing options, you can dial multiple phone numbers and merge them into one seamless call. Different devices will require different techniques to merge the phone calls, so it is best to consult an expert or do a quick Google search for a tutorial on how to operate your chosen tech before heading into the meeting. If you are using a smartphone or another mobile device, we recommend using headphones or Air Pods, again to mitigate outside noise and disruption to others in your workplace or home office.
Jump on Microsoft Teams
Whether you are looking to set up a video session or a group chat platform, Microsoft Teams has a broad range of meeting options available to its users. It is a continual chat-based collaboration app within Office that allows users to share documents, host online meetings using video and audio, and group conversations using text. Each channel is built around a certain topic – for example, a specific event or project, a department name or just for fun. These channels are where you hold client and staff meetings, have conversations with other users or work on files together. The application can be used on a desktop computer or laptop, and on smartphones. It is very flexible and user-friendly ad comes as part of Office 365.
Profiler PR is currently using a broad range of technologies to meet with our clients during the pandemic. If you would like to discuss PR opportunities with us, you can set-up a Zoom, Facetime or Messenger meeting with us with just a CLICK HERE