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Video calling has been around for years. Not only has its use increased dramatically recently, but inevitably it’s going to keep growing. Video calling is set to become the most essential communication tool in 2021.
Video conferencing software make it possible to have meetings remotely, and to carry on working as normal while working from home.
It also provides incredible collaboration features such as screen share, so you can share a spreadsheet and discuss with your team with just a few clicks.
As easy as video calling is, I’m sure you’ve run into some issues along the way. How many times have you heard “You’re on mute” and you didn’t even realise? I know I have, plenty of times.
That’s why we’ve created this video for you to guide you through a few tips in how to improve your video calling experience.
Lighting
Lighting is everything – not only for Instagram pictures, as young people might say, but also when video calling.
Depending on where you’re sitting during your video call meeting, your lighting will affect the way you look.
Good lighting really makes all the difference to the video quality.
If you have light shining from behind, whether that’s a light or window, it’ll make you look like a giant shadow. Ideally you need lighting to be straight in front of you. This could be natural lighting or a lamp.
How can you have an important business meeting when you can’t be seen? You want people within your video call to be able to see you and not just your shadow.
Upgrade webcam
This may seem like an obvious one, but a higher quality webcam can make all the difference. Having the best lighting in the world doesn’t mean much if you’re all pixelated and blurry.
Most laptops come with a basic, inbuilt webcam. These are great up to a point, but can only get you so far.
To really look professional, you want to make sure that you can be seen clearly by everyone else in the call.
We recommend a HD webcam – such as the Logitech C310 or any webcam that has a 720p (which is HD) resolution.
Unfortunately, webcams are all pretty much out of stock at the moment and have been for most of the year, so be patient when it comes to ordering them.
Sound quality
Video calling isn’t just about the video quality, but also the audio. There’s nothing more distracting than when someone’s mic is buzzing, low quality, or picking up too much background noise
This will depend on the kind of headset you own, or if you’re using an inbuilt laptop mic.
If you’re worried about poor sound quality from your microphone, and you don’t want to break the bank, we would recommend the Microsoft LifeChat LX-3000 headset. Not only does it provide great sound quality for you, but also offers a clear and crisp sound via the microphone. It’s easy to set up too – simply connect it to your laptop/PC via USB.
There are other headsets you can get that are wireless, and a lot of it is really a personal preference, whatever you feel comfortable with.
Call quality
So you’ve got all the tech. Great lighting, good webcam, and headset, but the call quality could still be awful, depending on your internet connection.
If your web calls are freezing constantly, then that’s a sign that your connection quality is poor.
There are a few ways around this…
Test your connection
The first thing you should do is test the quality of your connection. You can do it via this link – Broadband test.
A good internet speed is above 25 Mbps – this supports streaming, online gaming, web browsing etc. Depending on how many people are using the internet will affect the internet speed. Read more about internet speed in this article – click here.
Get faster internet
After you have tested the connection if you are not satisfied with the quality, you should do some research to see whether there is a more sufficient broadband for your area. You could upgrade to that and say goodbye to your video calls cutting out.
4G Broadband
At Ingenio we provide 4G broadband. This is available wherever you are working – from home, site cabins, temporary locations, countryside or rural locations. So, you can get fast internet, no matter where you are. Discover more about this here.
Connect directly to router
If you cannot upgrade to faster internet there is another option for you – you should use an ethernet cable to connect your laptop/PC directly to the router. This will give you the best possible connection.
There’s no telling when we’ll all be back in the office, and even then it’s looking like more and more businesses will be using video conferencing. Don’t let bad technology or a poor internet connection prevent you from making that sale, wowing with that presentation, communicate with your clients, etc.
Remember – the quality of your business is represented in the quality of your video calls.
If you are still unsure, or need any help in regards to video calling or managed IT services, then contact us today – we would be more than happy to help. Call 01273 806211 or email [email protected].
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