Guide to Electronic Meeting Systems

Developments in technology such as electronic meeting systems have changed the way organizations facilitate meetings. Nowadays, meetings go beyond face-to-face interactions within the same room; instead, they transcend distances and time zones, allowing more people to connect with each other — whether for a sales presentation or a board meeting — in a virtual environment created by electronic meeting systems.

What are Electronic Meeting Systems?

Coined in 1988, the term ‘electronic meeting systems’ refers to software that facilitates collaborative decision-making and creative problem-solving. Its features address the usual problems of face-to-face meetings, such as lack of participation from participants, domination by a handful of members, and low level of interaction in discussions.

Because of the advantages presented by electronic meeting systems, an increasing number of organizations have shown interest in adopting one for business use, especially in light of the fast growth of tablet and smartphone usage. Though new technology makes things easier in the long run, it has its fair share of challenges. For most organizations, the challenges begin with choosing the right electronic solution, a crucial step that sets the tone for the rest of the transition process.

Choosing the Right Electronic Meeting System

To help you pick the right electronic meeting system for your organization, you need to consider the following factors that have a big impact on your decision:

Purpose

Different electronic systems serve different purposes: Some systems have special modifications and are designed for training sessions, sales presentations, or enterprise meetings. These systems are specialized and usually come at affordable prices because they cater to only specific needs. Other systems are comprehensive, though they may be more expensive and complicated.

If you can be 100 percent sure that your organization will use an electronic meeting system for one purpose only, then you can save more with a specialized system. Otherwise, a multipurpose system makes a practical choice. Most organizations usually would use an electronic meeting system to allow their employees to securely digitally meet with one another.

Users of the Meeting System

Consider how many people will use the electronic meeting system after its implementation. Will it be used for company-wide conferences attended by hundreds, if not thousands, of employees? Or will it be used for smaller enterprise meetings of different teams and departments? Electronic meeting systems vary in the number of participants they can efficiently handle, so you have to check the capacity with each respective vendor before making a decision. Also, more users mean more paid licenses, which can affect your budget especially if it is limited.

The most preferred meeting systems providers would usually be flexible enough in terms of pricing when accounting for the budget of the enquiring organization and its use case for the electronic meetings software.

Electronic Software Budget

Budget is another crucial factor to be considered when you’re looking for an electronic meeting system for your organization. The purchase of licenses, as already mentioned, consumes a part of the budget. However, there are other costs that you need to anticipate, such as training, equipment, and support. You’ll need to also invest on mobile devices like iPads and Android tablets to would-be users, then spend on teaching demonstrations. If needed, you may even have to hire IT staff to provide technical support and perform necessary equipment maintenance.

However, you can lower costs by choosing an electronic meeting system vendor that offers free training and post-transition support for your users.

These services are often add-on expenses, but are likely to cost less than when you do it on your own. Also, to avoid having to invest in additional mobile devices, look for an electronic meeting system that supports multiple platforms like iOS, Android, and Windows. The use of such a system will enable you to implement a BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy, which is a policy that encourages employees to use their personal devices for work-related reasons.

Testimonials of Current Users

All electronic meeting system vendors claim only good things about their solutions, so limiting your research to what marketing collaterals say will cloud your judgment. To get a real peek into how an electronic meeting system works, look for actual users, read their reviews, and better yet, ask for what they think. Some systems may sound good in theory, but suffer from multiple issues in reality.

It is better to look research online on first-hand accounts of users of the electronic meeting system. Technology sites such as Capterra, Software Advice, FeaturedCustomers, and TrustRadius showcase testimonies and reviews of various electronic software. It is also advisable to ask some of your colleagues from other organizations that have already transitioned to an electronic meeting system for potential recommendations on a viable electronic meeting software.

More often than not, they will have strong opinions on whether or not their organization’s meeting system is easy to use.

Usability

As mentioned, usability — the ease of use and learnability of an object — is an important feature. End users wouldn’t care about full functionality and impressive features if an electronic meeting system is difficult to use. People want digital tools to be straightforward and intuitive, so it’s important to look for systems that make the user experience enjoyable and easy.

But don’t confuse simplicity with usability. Even complex meeting systems can be usable, provided the design is well-made. You can find an electronic meeting system with comprehensive features and high-level usability, so you don’t have to settle for less.

Free Trials

Most electronic meeting systems offer free trials and demonstrations to give you an opportunity to see them in action. In some cases, you can even use the system in an actual meeting, giving you a glimpse of what future meetings will be like in your organization. Thus, take full advantage of trial periods and use them to make a comparison table of different systems.

This will help you identify the pros and cons of each system, and how they stand against your organization’s non-negotiables. Also, include would-be users in the trials to get their opinion on which system they like best. After all, they’ll be the ones who will end up using it, so their thoughts on the matter should have a heavy weight in your final decision.

One can discern if an electronic meeting system is well-made and fit for your organization when the provider is glad to be able to give you a full demo and a substantial free trial period. It shows that they have complete confidence in their meeting system for digital meetings.

Transitioning to Using a Meeting System

Once you’ve finally chosen an electronic meeting system that provides a solution to your needs, be sure to always keep in touch with the electronic provider for the full transition and implementation. Make sure as well that all stakeholders in the company are aware of the shift to the new system and are informed of the new processes that goes along with it.

After a certain amount of time, do a full evaluation of the new electronic system and analyze if it had any positive effects to the productivity and collaboration within your organization. A periodic check of the usability of the meeting system can ensure that your organization’s members will be willing to embrace in using this system as part of their day-to-day tasks.

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Lastly, don’t hesitate to ask any questions, as most electronic meeting system vendors will be happy to address your inquiries. In fact, we’d love to hear from you, to try out Convene and tell us what you think about our electronic meeting software.

Convene is our own electronic meeting system that works on iOS, Android, Windows PC, and soon on Mac as well. Even with its wide range of features such as presentation tools and document management, it remains a highly usable solution, making your meetings not only efficient and productive, but also enjoyable and easy.