When joining online meetings, you don’t expect complications to come up until it’s too late. Common issues that happen when joining a conference can lead to a lot of wasted time and an unproductive meeting.
If you want to get the most out of your meetings, you want to take a proactive approach to your conferences and take precautions that will help you escape the drawbacks of failed equipment or circumvent a difficult situation.
We’ve put together a list of six of the most common online meeting issues that you can avoid and help you keep your business meetings focused on its most important tasks.
1. Attendees have general trouble joining the meeting
With so many meeting platforms on the market, it’s not hard to get confused on which platform a host is using or how to access the conference via PBX or local landline. What’s more, computer or mobile access through an app will often require the user to download the native platform onto their device.
A reliable solution to attendees having general trouble joining the meeting is to send out the meeting information beforehand to give attendees a chance to review details about the meeting, like what platform you plan to use so they can download it beforehand and what credentials are required to join the meeting without delay.
What’s more, email integration like plugins that often comes with conferencing platforms can save hosts and attendees time and frustration with non-automated functions. Using a platform like FreeConferenceCall.com with built in Google Calendar and Outlook integration can help streamline the process of sending out meeting credentials and ensuring every one of your attendees knows when and where to join.
2. Mistaken Access Codes
With most meeting platforms, each meeting comes with a dedicated access code to the conference. One solution would be to send all the meeting credentials at least 15 minutes before the meeting starts to give everyone enough time to have access codes on hand when the meeting starts. However, even with the access codes available someplace else, attendees will still have trouble joining by human-related errors.
A second solution would be to eliminate the access codes, like with FreeConferenceCall.com’s one number solution. One number ditches the access codes and offers hosts a dedicated phone number that operates just like a regular landline.
The third solution would be to use a desktop or mobile app. Desktop and mobile apps avoid access codes all together and allows users to join using a meeting ID instead.
3. Failed Equipment
Ever hop on a conference call only to realize your microphone or video conferencing equipment isn’t working?
When joining meetings for the first time, equipment can malfunction. It’s important to review conferencing technology beforehand to prevent any issues from arising when the meeting begins.
A quick solution to avoid using technology that’s ready to fail is to inspect the equipment beforehand using a test conference. Whether you’re the host or the attendee, you can start a mock conference and join using a second device where you can test whether the equipment functions as intended.
4. Unreliable Call Service
At times, it can be difficult to hear others during your online meeting. Your conference can be riddled with choppy audio and video streams that are highly pixilated.
Whether it’s due to unreliable internet connection or lackluster phone coverage, you may experience a suboptimal conference that leaves you more confused than when it started.
To avoid issues like unreliable call service, you want to ensure you’re close to a reliable wi-fi service that enables high-speed connectivity. If you’re using your phone to connect to calls, you want to make sure you’re on a reliable network and in an area where your service covers.
5. Background Noise
During a conference, especially in fast-paced work environments, background noise on a conference can be a major distraction. It’s easy for your microphone to pick up adjacent conversations or coworkers shuffling about.
To limit background noise and prevent distractions from ruining your meetings, you’ll want to create an atmosphere conducive to productivity. Start with going somewhere quiet, like a meeting room. You’ll also want to avoid using your device’s built-in mic and opt for a headphone setup that can filter out background noise. Last, you can utilize your mute option in between speaking to keep the lines clear of any sounds when it’s not your turn to speak.
Additionally, appointing a mediator and notifying your participants to mute their own devices can go a long way in fostering an environment conducive to high productivity.
6. Conference Echo
Our last common issue when it comes to joining a meeting is experiencing an echo when multiple devices are connected to the same conference in the same room.
You’ll notice that when you have two or more devices, each device will pick up on the sounds from one another and continue to generate incoherent noise as the echo bounces from one device to the next.
When hosting a conference in a room with two or more devices, rely on only one device for audio. Additionally, you can appoint a single meeting room as the dedicated conferencing space where you can rely on a single place for both audio and video.
The first step to avoiding issues is awareness. Now that you’re equipped with the most common issues you can expect when joining an online meeting, you can easily bypass any complications and jump straight into a productive conference.