Remote Meeting – When You Should Host One and When To Avoid It

The remote meeting has become integral in the modern workflow. As the technology improves, the stuff of cheesy 80s sci-fi films has become reality. Conference calls have given way to video conferences and virtual meetings among a myriad of technological advancements. The temptation to use this technology in every facet of corporate life is all too real, but there are still situations that are better handled with good ol’ fashioned face to face human interaction.

When should I host a remote meeting?

• Frequent Internal Meetings – Maybe it’s a project meeting, a weekly brief, or a daily team meeting and one or two key members of your team happen to be on the road, overseas, or even working from home. This is an opportune moment to make use of your conference call platform. If you are simply sharing information, consider a group email or an audio conference, as video conferencing under these circumstances would be slightly superfluous.
• Earnings Call – If you’re discussing the financial results of a reporting period with investors or any important stakeholders, it’s best to utilise a virtual meeting. Important news is best delivered face-to-face, but it’s unfeasible to deliver financial information to potentially thousands of investors. That’s why we recommend you upgrade your earnings call to a video or web meeting. Check out or blog on organising the perfect Earnings Calls here!
• Severe Weather Conditions – Sometimes we have no choice but to host a remote meeting. If the forecasters raise the red alert and your employer informs the team to work from home, liaising with your team will require hosting a conference call. Video conferencing is useful if you have a presentation or any visual information to share.
• Emergencies – Those situations that arise you just can’t account for. Incidents may occur that require the attention of your team immediately, so a remote meeting is critical in taking action. It’s during situations like this we recommend a conference call platform that allows for dialling-out as opposed to waiting for your team to dial-in. Dialling-out allows you to reach your team immediately, no delays stemming from PIN codes and dial-in numbers. Check out the 247meeting Mobile app for a handy dial-out service that’s like a war room in your pocket! Also be sure to check out our blog on how to manage a crisis situation.

When should I not host a remote meeting?

• First meeting with a client – It’s your first meeting with a client, you want to put your best foot forward. In doing so, you should meet and greet them in person. Establishing a relationship with a client is paramount in ensuring a long and fruitful partnership. Doing this in person cements the foundations by forging a real human connection. You may host any subsequent meetings with clients using a remote meeting.
• Bad news – If you need to share bad news with a team, courtesy dictates you share it in person. This can depend on the gravity of the situation, some bad news is worse than other bad news. Delivering bad news via a remote meeting can inadvertently suggest a lack of caring or empathy. The other major risk involved is by not using an entirely confidential means of communication, you put sensitive information at the mercy of hackers. Just have a look at what happened to the organisers of the ill-fated Fyre Festival! Being security conscious avoids embarrassment further down the line.
• Tense customer relationship – A major customer/client is not totally satisfied with the service they’re being provided. We would ideally like to use a form of remote meeting for tricky situations like this to avoid any confrontations. But meeting with the customer/client face-to-face can do a lot to improve a fraught relationship. It indicates to the concerned party that you care and don’t want to lose their business. People are also generally a lot more cordial with one another when meeting in person. The problem with remote meetings is that we sometimes forget we are dealing with humans. We forget empathy and only focus on our own objectives and needs, forgetting about compromise, or finding new solutions that would satisfy each part.
• Team-building – Developing or strengthening relationships between colleagues is often achieved by partaking in team-building exercises. The idea is to create bonds between individuals to improve communication and productivity. These exercises are best done face-to-face, as creating real connections between people is a slower process when one person is only present through a digital screen. Even if you have other teams based in another part of the world, we recommend meeting at least twice a year to ensure fruitful relationships.

Solutions

Next time you plan a remote meeting, make sure you choose the correct medium that works with your objectives. 247meeting offers a range of remote meeting tools that work to help your organisation. Be sure to check out our mobile app that allows for immediate meetings with added security.