We’re living in a time of adaptation. Whether it’s how we do business, or how we keep in touch with our loved ones, the COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to evaluate almost every aspect of our lives.

The use of mass media, and rapidly evolving technologies, has allowed us to amplify our voices and to become highly accustomed to rapid communication. The pandemic may have stunted communications initially, but as our innate ability for problem solving kicked-in, we were able to overcome the disruption through the smart use of technology, globally. Whether it’s a video call with your work team, or finding innovative ways of socialising from a distance, we’ve been forced to integrate video conferencing software into our day-to-day norm. 

We’re blessed to live in a world where options are widespread, and the field of communications is no exception. But with so many options available, how can you understand which one is right for you? After weeks of trial and error, the comparisons between the different platforms and their strengths and weaknesses becomes evident. 

To help you understand which system is best suited for your needs, we’ve compiled a review of the top online meeting platforms currently being used and have laid them out in an intuitive matrix showing the good, the bad and sometimes the ugly. These reviews are based on feedback from expert opinions across several industries, each with their own unique challenges to overcome.
 
The truth about video conferencing options…in a table

Microsoft Teams
This platform comes automatically integrated within Office 365 and is ideal for remote organisational communications. No sign ups are required as it integrates seamlessly with your Office 365 login in ID. 

This software integrates easily with your Outlook calendar – it even shows it within Teams itself, allows the set-up of individual teams within a larger organisational framework, provides a chat functionality for instant messaging, allows screensharing and integrates with third-party project management apps such as Trello, Survey Monkey, Asana, and many others. 

Communication is well organised, as only active speaker appear on screen at any one time; and the organiser has full control over the room – able to remotely mute users, admit guests from outside the organisation to the meeting (before which, they’ll be waiting in a virtual “lobby”), eliminating security issues.

If you work on a Microsoft based system, Teams is definitely the easiest, most well-integrated platform available. Highly recommended for professional use. 

Favoured by: big business, finance and banking companies, professional services

Zoom
If you’re looking to deliver a service online, such as offering classes, Zoom is your best bet. It comes as both a paid and a free service – although the free service is limited to a 40-minute meeting, which is ended without a warning. The software also lags in comparison to other systems available.

For commercial purposes, it’s great as the app is readily available for both desktop, mobile & tablet interaction. If you need a system where you want to see all meeting participants at one go, this is definitely the best solution, as all participants (up to 100 on the free version) are visible at any one go – although the host can program their screen to take prominence if needed. Recent privacy and security issues for Zoom with early engagers seem to have been ironed out, but some doubt still lingers amongst some users. 

Favoured by: educational services, schools, HR, creatives, casual working

Houseparty and Facebook Messenger
Both Houseparty and Facebook Messenger are great apps for keeping in touch with your loved ones from a distance. The main benefit to Facebook messenger is that, at this point in time, almost everyone has an active Facebook account. If accessing through a browser, you may experience difficulty when accessing from a Mac, although the Messenger app works wonderfully. 

If you want to take the social experience to another level – there’s the Houseparty app, which allows you to create a room – which can be locked so that only the participants present can enter/leave. Houseparty integrates with third-party apps such as Heads Up & Draw This to allow you to remotely engage with your friends. The downside to Houseparty is that it drains your battery – expect to go down to 30 per cent after a 20-minute call. Its design isn’t intuitive and can lead to accidental pocket-dials. 

At the time of writing this article, Facebook is trialling and slowly rolling out a similar rooms function to Houseparty, which they’re calling Messenger rooms – which will eventually be able to accommodate up to 50 participants without a time limit. Not all Facebook users have this functionality available yet – but it will be made available to all in the coming weeks. 

Favoured by: friends, colleagues on leisure time, most informal user groups, families

Honourable mention: Google Hangouts
We couldn’t end this review without an honourable mention of Google Hangouts. Google were first to the game, introducing an online meeting space as part of their social media platform, Google+. 

This became a standalone platform in 2013, but – much like it’s social network – never picked up much traction amongst business users. Many individuals still use Google Hangouts and Google Meet but the feedback we got from people we interviewed showed minimal engagement within business environments. In general it seems unable to provide a competitive edge over other video conferencing systems.

One of the most basic human traits is our need to communicate. We communicate for a variety of reasons –to persuade, sending & receiving information, recreation, to express emotions, or to stay organised. And there are different levels of human communication which can be addressed (organisational, interpersonal, and mass-audience communications, to name a few). As innovation has proven over the centuries, many a time principles don’t change much, but thanks to technology the tools do. 

Hopefully our in-depth review has given you a better view of the landscape that you have at your fingertips allowing you to embrace meaningful communication in these crazy but exciting times. 

This in-depth review has been brought to you by MPS in collaboration with BMIT Technologies plc. BMIT Technologies’ is a leading IT services provider, focusing on providing customers with peace of mind by enabling them to focus on their business whilst we abstract the complexity involved in deploying, operating and managing complex IT solutions. We do this by bringing together our best-in-class infrastructure and a talented team of people with expertise across various technologies, to deliver a portfolio of services at your business, within one of our datacenters or on the cloud. Discover more at www.bmit.com.mt