Video Chat App for Business
Start your free video chat, calls, or text group chat with anyone on any device
Start your free video chat, calls, or text group chat with anyone on any device
Choosing a video chat app for your business is important. Video chatting is now expected in most industries: from law, to writing, to sales, teams need to be able to communicate. Whether it’s a call to meet new people, check in on a project’s progress, or simply to catch-up, video calls are the go-to communication strategy. A video chat app means that teams can talk effectively while sending over any relevant information in a chat system at the same time.
But, let’s take a step back for a minute and determine some of the basic facts when discussing video chat apps.
A video chat app allows people to speak to friends, colleagues, or customers through a computer or mobile device either one-to-one or as a group video—and to physically see them.
From simple video chats like calling your mom, to business meetings about hiring a potential new employee, video calling is being used now more than ever. So, it’s important for businesses to keep up and use the best equipment to ensure that their video chatting system is up to scratch.
Image from RingCentral.com
Anyone can video call someone. However, there are some essential items you will need, such as:
Anyone can video call someone. However, there are some essential items you will need, such as:
The art of video chatting varies depending on what you’re using.
You might choose basic, free apps for video calls, for example. Often, they’re mobile apps that provide a chat alternative to text messages, but also include video calling, alongside voice calling.
To make a video call on such apps you will need a mobile phone, the app downloaded, and the phone number of the person you want to contact. You will also either need wi-fi or phone data to allow the call to connect.
Alternatively, you can make a call on a social media based video calling system. Instead of having the person’s phone number, you will need to be connected with your intended recipient on the right social network. If a social networking platform can make calls, there will usually be a video camera icon in the app itself. Of course, you’ll need the relevant social media account before anything else.
While both of these solutions are great for contacting family and friends and random video chat, they aren’t regarded as professional. A business will need a more sophisticated video calling app to ensure that their needs are met.
While the purposes are different, a professional video chatting app works in a similar way. However, most professional video chatting apps will use a video meeting ID.
This is a unique number created by the app for each online meeting that is created—allowing for more security. So, instead of needing the person’s phone number or social media details, you will need this meeting ID to be able to join the video call.
Image from RingCentral.com
How can you make a video call with RingCentral? The RingCentral Video app is designed for professionals with little time on their hands. It’s incredibly simple to use. Once you’ve logged into the app and clicked the video camera icon to display the RingCentral Video section, you can video call or webcam chat in a number of different ways:
Video chatting without an app isn’t impossible. If someone has sent you an invite link using an app which they use for meetings or to speak to friends online, you can simply open video calls or group chats in your web browser. Many smart home technologies also have video call capabilities, or the ability to join one audio-only.
However, professional web calls should always be conducted on a video chatting app.
While video chat apps vary, all basic free apps have certain essential features. These include:
However, professional apps for video chatting are more streamlined and technical. This means they have more features. The RingCentral Video app includes a number of impressive features designed to ensure effective collaboration among teams. These features include:
Image from RingCentral.com
There are many benefits to video calling. For example:
There are a number of different video chatting apps available. Some include more features than others, and you’ll find that the free ones have certain limitations. However, there’s no one conferencing app that’ll be perfect for everyone. So, let’s look at it from a different angle.
Every business’s needs and priorities are different. That means the tools required to meet them also vary. There’s no exception when it comes to video conferencing apps. Before you commit to a video chat app provider, it’s important to check all of the pros and cons involved with each provider.What are the considerations, then, that most companies need to keep in mind?
There are plenty of popular free apps—or paid for apps with free versions—out there. Many businesses feel they can get by with using these, and save money by doing so. Often, though, that’s a false economy.
Most free apps are fine for creating group chats or sending emojis to your colleagues. When you need greater professional functionality, however, they fall short. Typical limitations include poorer video quality, inability to schedule meetings, meeting time limits, restrictions on numbers of participants, and more.
Professional video calling apps outstrip the free alternatives in all those areas and more. What’s more, we might be a little biased, but we think RingCentral Video is the best professional video chat app around. With a vast array of professional features, the RingCentral app creates a higher level of functionality than any other app. Just a selection of the features, include:
But don’t just take our word for it. See for yourself. Here’s why customers love RingCentral Video:
The art of video chatting varies depending on what you’re using.
You might choose basic, free apps for video calls, for example. Often, they’re mobile apps that provide a chat alternative to text messages, but also include video calling, alongside voice calling.
To make a video call on such apps you will need a mobile phone, the app downloaded, and the phone number of the person you want to contact. You will also either need wi-fi or phone data to allow the call to connect.
Alternatively, you can make a call on a social media based video calling system. Instead of having the person’s phone number, you will need to be connected with your intended recipient on the right social network. If a social networking platform can make calls, there will usually be a video camera icon in the app itself. Of course, you’ll need the relevant social media account before anything else.
While both of these solutions are great for contacting family and friends and random video chat, they aren’t regarded as professional. A business will need a more sophisticated video calling app to ensure that their needs are met.
While the purposes are different, a professional video chatting app works in a similar way. However, most professional video chatting apps will use a video meeting ID.
This is a unique number created by the app for each online meeting that is created—allowing for more security. So, instead of needing the person’s phone number or social media details, you will need this meeting ID to be able to join the video call.
Image from RingCentral.com
It’s not just budget that defines the right choice of video chat app for your business. The solution must also be usable and convenient for your team members, whatever industry or line of work you’re in.
Not many businesses are now strictly office-bound. Video chatting apps, then, should work seamlessly on mobile devices—all of them. Unfortunately, that’s not the case for some free alternatives. Often these tools from the Play or App Store will either work only on Apple devices—great for anyone using iOS, iPhones, iPads, or Mac—or only on Android.
Even if you are in a set workplace, usability across devices and browsers is still crucial. It’ll create discord among your team if those members who favor Google Chrome can’t get your chosen communication tool to work!
At RingCentral, we include everyone and ensure our video calling works on any device. Whether you have an Android phone or you’re strictly Apple, being professional means understanding that certain devices work better for certain people, industries, and professions.
At heart, therefore, choosing a video chat app for your business is about understanding your priorities. Is your budget so tight that you simply can’t afford any investment in your team communication? Or, is it more important that you get value from whichever conferencing app you choose?
If it’s the latter, RingCentral Video could be just the solution you’re searching for. With outstanding functionality—both on mobile and desktop—it provides everything your business could need to work collaboratively, wherever your team is based. Sensible, reasonable pricing, too, means RingCentral can suit all budgets. Plus, the cloud-based aspect means you’ll save on web hosting.
Earlier, we listed features that any video chat app should have. However, providers don’t always offer all of them at the same time. As mentioned earlier, most free chat apps will be limited in features. Some paid video services might offer all the features listed, but with a limitation. For example, some might not be able to support a large number of users per session. Others might not be able to send video messages with long durations or large file sizes.
Of course, RingCentral Video offers most, if not all of the essential features a business will need from a video chat app. Not only that, but it comes with additional features like task management, team calendars, file sharing, and more. If you need a video app just for meeting new people or contacting your friends and family, this might be too much for you.
However, any professional will be able to appreciate how useful the tools offered by RingCentral Video are. With our video chat and conferencing solution, your virtual meetings and general workplace operations can be streamlined and optimized considerably.
Find out more about RingCentral Video by signing up today for free!