Virtual meeting or video conferencing capabilities are a valuable tool to add to your client engagement repertoire. The good news is that there are many free and low cost choices available. The following are 3 options that are easy to use and should be familiar to both you and your clients:

Zoom (zoom.us)

Zoom is the fastest growing video conferencing service in the world. They offer some generous free accounts for individuals, and provide consistent performance.

Free Option – YES (Go to zoom.us and click “Sign Up It’s Free” in upper right corner)

Free accounts include the following features:

• Unlimited 1 on 1 meetings
• Up to 40 minute calls for parties of 3 or more.
• Unlimited number of meetings
• Screen sharing

Pros:

• Optimal performance
• Abundant features for host and participants
• Easy to use
• Widely adopted

Cons:

• No toll-free dial in numbers for the US or UK

GoToMeeting (https://www.gotomeeting.com/)

GoToMeeting is the current virtual meeting platform of CENTURY 21 Redwood’s corporate and field team. It has worked well for our company, but has limited options for free accounts.  To become an expert in no time, check out the short online tutorial Getting Started with the GoToMeeting Platform.

Free Option – YES, 14 day trial (Go to https://www.gotomeeting.com/ and select “Start for Free.”)

Pros:

• Already used by Redwood
• Simple interface
• Easy to create meetings
• Screen sharing
• Strong performance
• Trial version does not require a credit card

Cons:

• Free option only available on a trial basis. Plans start at $14/month.
• Lacks the advanced options of other platforms

Google Hangouts (https://hangouts.google.com/)

For those who have already adopted the Google suite, Google Hangouts may be your most convenient virtual meeting option.

Free Option – YES (Click the 9 dots in the upper right corner of your Google account. Scroll down until you find “Google Hangouts,” and select.)

Pros:

• No time limit on video calls for up to 10 people
• Unlimited number of calls
• Easy to use
• Screen sharing option
• Non-Google users can still receive invitation and join call

Cons:

• Must have a Google account to create a meeting
• Performance issues with lower bandwidth internet