How to Compare Online Conferencing Vendors

I've written about the great sales and marketing benefits of a webinar. Many of the hosting vendors are reasonably priced and can accommodate a one time hosted webinar or meeting. However, if your company utilizes video and audio conferencing frequently, you should consider an annual contract. Here is a list of items to consider when selecting a hosted vendor solution.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Compare the annual fee per meeting and what this includes. Some vendors charge an annual fee and a charge per minute per seat. Others omit the annual fee and charge only for the minutes used per seat. The more minutes, the less the charge. For instance, less than 5,000 minutes may cost $0.26 per seat while greater than 5,000 minutes may cost $0.21 per seat.

2. Consider the charge for concurrent licenses. Concurrent license means anyone can host the meeting. There may be an annual fee, a minimum number of concurrent licenses or a charge per seat.

3. You can also have named seats. This function allows only the person named on the license to host the meeting. There may be an annual fee, a minimum number of named seats or a charge per named seat.

4. Audio is usually a separate charge per seat per minute. Some vendors do include this cost in the annual fee.

5. Whether you go à la carte or annual fee, the services should include 24/7 support, training, video, desktop sharing, application sharing, branded website for your meeting and audio and presentation recording and storage.

Tips & Warnings

• Consider how much you will utilize web and audio conferencing in the coming year. Compare the annual cost with the ala carte services.