Gone are those days when executives, board members, or project teams had to travel hundreds of miles for a business meeting. Things have changed quickly and dramatically because digitalization has connected cross-border businesses in the form of joint ventures, strategic partnerships, mergers, etc.
As things have moved to digital platforms, online meeting management solutions have become increasingly popular in the global business sector. Although the market is saturated with thousands of meeting management applications, choosing the right one for your business can be tricky because all that glitters is not gold.
So how to choose the right meeting management software for your company? What should you look for in a meeting management app? Here are all the answers.
What to consider when choosing meeting management software
First things first, every business has different needs when it comes to the “ideal” meeting software. However, these factors must be considered before making the final decision.
1. Operating systems support
It is a basic but one of the most crucial factors to consider. When you have remote teams, it is highly possible that your team members may be using different operating systems. Therefore, the meeting management software you choose must support commonly used operating systems such as Linux, Mac OS, Windows, etc.
2. Third-party integration support
It is very hard to find meeting management software that has everything you need. Only a few solutions like Zoom, WebEx, board portal software, etc., come with almost all necessary features for online meeting management.
Still, you might need third-party apps for different functions. Therefore, it is better to look for a meeting software that is integrable with external apps.
3. Security
Project management teams, executives, or board of directors meet to discuss important affairs. Going for online options also elevates the risk of cyber threats. It is obvious that you will share confidential data over your meeting management software, and therefore its security cannot be compromised at any cost.
Software security is necessary, and this is where most of the meeting solutions fail to impress organizations. That is why virtual board software is such a good option because of its impeccable security, and organizations from all over the world use board portal software for online board meeting management. Check the source below to find out more about the security of board portal software:
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Other reliable options include Fuze, Microsoft Teams, Lucid Meetings, etc.
4. Built-in meeting agenda builder
Meeting agenda building and sharing is a very important pre-meeting activity. A well-prepared meeting agenda can set a tone for a successful business meeting. However, the problems start when changes are made to the agendas and participants are not informed timely.
An ideal meeting management software must have an agenda builder, and agenda sharing should be easier. Meeting management solutions like board management software come with numerous meeting agenda templates that not only save your time but help you build meeting agendas with maximum ease. Most importantly, it is easy to share the agenda with the participants, and any changes can be immediately notified to meeting members.
5. Screen sharing
If you have remote working teams, then screen sharing is a feature you definitely need in your meeting management software. Screen sharing allows the meeting participants to easily view the presentations and presenter’s notes simultaneously. You can easily find the screen-sharing feature in Skype, Microsoft Teams, and virtual boardroom software.
6. File sharing
File sharing is an important part of any business meeting. Meeting participants share notes before and during meetings. Apart from that, if it is a board meeting, it is highly likely that important business documents such as financial statements, reports on ongoing projects, etc., will be discussed.
Hence, file sharing and archiving should be a feature you should consider for your meeting software. Also, when you archive important business documents in your online meeting solution, make sure it has a strong security system.
7. Electronic signature and voting tools
Voting tools are a must-have feature if you need software for your company board. Board meetings often conduct online polls to decide important business affairs and approve or reject motions proposed in the meetings. Voting tools allow the meeting participants to record their vote in response to the motion initiated.
Similarly, the electronic signatures feature has become a vital component of any meeting management software. That is because major business decisions are made during the meetings, which may require meeting participants’ approval. With the electronic signatures feature, meeting participants can sign documents online.
8. Ease of use
Last but not least, make sure you choose an easy-to-use meeting management solution. The objective is to make things easier for your workforce; they should be able to navigate through the meeting software easily.
Summing it up
The best meeting management software is the one that can solve your problems. However, a compromise on software security is a mistake you don’t want to commit. Apart from that, always go for a solution that is easy to use. Lastly, the features mentioned above can be very handy for successful online business meetings.
