Web Conferencing - Buyer's Guide
By BuyerZone.com Editorial Staff - BuyerZone.com

Web conferencing solution introduction

Imagine being able to hold meetings with people around the world at a moment's notice without having to leave your office. A web conferencing solution provides a central online meeting place for people to get together for meetings regardless of location. With a simple click of the mouse, you can present PowerPoint slides, run a software demonstration, or even hold brainstorming sessions using a whiteboard.

Businesses can use a web conferencing solution for a variety of purposes:
  • Marketing meetings - product announcements, brainstorming sessions
  • Sales presentations - demonstrations, new product releases
  • Training and human resources - employee orientation, customer training
  • Financial and investor relations - shareholder meetings, briefs
  • Creative presentations - weddings, fashion shows, live surgery

Probably the greatest downside to a web conferencing solution is the lack of face-to-face interaction and the relationship building it brings. Collaborative applications like interactive polls and Q&A sessions help bridge the gap, but the fact remains that the interaction is all virtual.

On the other hand, a web conferencing solution helps slash the hefty travel and time costs associated with face-to-face meetings. Microsoft icon Bill Gates recently remarked that web conferencing stands to save his company over $40 million in travel costs alone in 2005. Although they may not be as large, other budget-conscious companies could certainly cut travel expenses using web conferencing.

This BuyerZone.com Buyer's Guide will take a look at the functionality of a web conferencing solution, the services provided, costs, and how to purchase and install web conferencing, so you can get your company up and running in a flash.

Web meetings basics

To hold web meetings, you need three key items: a computer with an Internet connection, a web conferencing solution, and a phone line to hear the presenter. That's it. While participants of web meetings can get away with a dial-up Internet connection, it's recommended that the presenter have high-speed Internet access like DSL, T1, or cable modem.

To set up web meetings, you simply use the web conferencing software to reserve a "room" for a specific date and time. The software then lets you send invitations to attendees to join the conference at the appointed hour. Web meetings can range in size from 2 to 500 or more people. Generally, meetings up to 125 people can be scheduled on demand; advance notice is usually required if you want more concurrent seats.

In the invitation, attendees receive a link to download the requisite software, which takes only a few minutes with a high-speed connection. The invitation also includes a phone number to call into the meeting for the audio portion and a unique conference ID for the attendee claim their "seat" - the access port open for the conference.

Other types of online web conferencing
As you add more features, online web conferencing morphs into other types of conferencing. Here's a quick rundown of the different flavors available:

A webinar is just like a web conference except that the audio is streamed over the Internet instead of carried on a separate phone line; it is used for structured events like training sessions. Webcast services include video to allow you to see the speaker, but have with limited interactive options. On the high end, web video conferencing provides television-news like meetings, relying on dedicated high-speed data connections and hardware to support this high-quality interaction.

Web based conferencing features

Many web based conferencing solutions are rich in applications that can make your meeting a dynamic, interactive experience. Here is an overview of commonly available features of web based conferencing:

For the presenter:

Application sharing - Share any applications you have on your computer desktop directly with your participants. You can pass the controls over to a conference attendee to run a part of the meeting, make changes, and even group edit documents. As the moderator, you can take back the controls from a participant at any time with the click of a button. While application sharing is a powerful feature, you need to be very careful with it, as it gives the person full access to your computer and your company's network, bypassing your company's firewalls, which can put your infrastructure at risk.

Slide presentations - Upload a PowerPoint presentation and share slides at your pace. This feature guarantees that no participant can skip through the presentation ahead of you.

White boarding - Draw diagrams and write notes live on screen to support brainstorming sessions.

Screen sharing - Show anything that appears on your computer desktop such as a single chart or diagram. You can even isolate part of your screen with a cropping tool so that your audience can only view what you want them to see.

Web touring - Display Web pages as you click your way through them. This can be significantly easier than verbal instructions such as "click on the third link from the top in the left hand side" to guide a person through a site.

File transfer - Send files to everyone at the conference at one time.

For the audience:

Live chat - Attendees talk amongst themselves and with the moderator through live person-to-person chat or group discussion.

Q&A - Moderator takes questions from attendees throughout broadcast but particularly at the end of the meeting. Presenters have the option to reply solely to the person asking the question or to everyone in attendance. This interactive tool allows participants to play a more integral part in the conference.

Polling - Moderator gets instant feedback on presentations by providing a set of questions with multiple-choice answers. You can view the results during the meeting and discuss the results, or analyze the data afterwards.

Help request - Attendees can quietly alert you that they don't understand something or need help with an application without disrupting the flow of your meeting.

Other web conferencing service features

There are other administrative, reporting, and infrastructure functions that some web conferencing service providers offer to enhance your meeting:

Web-based audio - Broadcasts the audio portion of your conference via streaming audio, instead of a separate conference call. This way, participants with a PC sound card and speakers can listen without additional audio conference calling charges. Usually referred to as a webinar.

Web camera - By adding a webcam at the presenter's location, attendees can see view the presenter during the meeting. This can help them associate a face with the voice guiding them through the web conferencing service. Don't expect too much, though - the video may have a few seconds' delay and won't allow you to show much more than your headshot and the background of your work area. This is sometimes referred to as a webcast.

Monitoring - Most web conferencing service providers have a participant window for you to view a roster of attendees as well as their web and audio status. You can also monitor who is entering your conference and bounce people you don't want at the meeting - a competitor or someone that didn't pay for access to a fee-based course, for example.

Backup systems: Redundancy, or "conference continuation", allows the hosted web conferencing solution to seamlessly move to a second server should the first server fail unexpectedly. If the moderator loses the connection to the conference, the attendees are alerted to stand by while the connection is fixed. All meeting materials are stored so critical data is not lost.

While this addresses the potential downtime associated with problems with the web conferencing service provider, this does not cover the potential downtime due to computer, network or Internet connectivity problems experienced by the participants. While most providers guarantee nearly 100% uptime for their programs, they have little control over attendees' connections or hardware.

Security - Almost all web conferencing service solutions include encryption to protect your information. For some, Secure Socket Layers (SSL) - high-level security technology that protects and secures confidential data - is a critical security measure for any web conference. Some companies charge extra for it while others will bundle it as part of a package. For others, security is less critical - there's no need to pay extra to protect public meetings or simple sales calls.

Recording - Online archiving allows you to replay part or all of the actual meeting. Stored on the meeting host's PC, it gives you a reliable point of reference to consider potential improvements for future conferences. Since it's proprietary information, only the moderator determines who gets access once the conference ends.

Reporting - Get conference activity such as full text chat transcripts or data from survey and quiz results. You can also find out when participants logged in and out and receive customized reports of how each attendee answered a particular question.

Web conferencing software options

ASP web conferencing software
Want to add web conferencing software as a communication tool for your company? Unless you plan on hosting a large number of meetings, you should start with an application service provider (ASP) where the meetings are hosted on a third-party provider's server. Since there are no set up charges and you are not locked into the service once you are done, it's the best way to evaluate if the solution is right for your business.

First, you access the web conferencing software from the provider's web site - either through a web browser or by downloading the software to your desktop. Schedule a web conference by using the site or the software to book a room for a specific date and time and to invite attendees to participate. Attendees receive an invitation to the conference, access the web conferencing software from their computers, and enter the information provided to join the conference.

Most ASPs rely on a web browser as the interface to set up and hold meetings. Typically, these providers work best with an Internet Explorer browser on a PC. Some web conferencing software providers will also work with other browsers and Macintosh environments, but it's less common.

With an ASP model, you won't require additional resources or expenses such as a dedicated server or other equipment. Also, you won't be locked into a single provider and can move onto another vendor if your current service falls short.

While it's a great way to start web conferencing, costs for an ASP can increase substantially with more usage. Also, because you're accessing the service through the web, you're relying on a third-party vendor for critical support. If a problem comes up, you'll need to contact their customer service instead of in-house IT staff, which can take up valuable conferencing time. And, if you want more control over particular features, you may want to consider installing your own software as ASPs limit your customization options.

In-house web conferencing software
The other method of delivery for web conferencing software is in-house or on-premise software. By installing and hosting the web conferencing software on your company's servers, you get complete control of the system. If your company is a substantial user of web conferencing services, you'll like the unlimited conferencing with no additional incremental charges and the ability to invite as many participants as your infrastructure can support.

Costs start at $2,000-$5,000 - so you will pay more up front - but you can save considerable money because there are no per-minute or per-seat charges. With in-house web conferencing software, you also have to invest in an IT staff capable of maintaining the product, acquiring updates, and quickly managing any problems. You may also need a dedicated server to run the application and considerable network bandwidth, depending on the number of attendees.

Free trials
Most web conferencing software providers will have demonstrations on their web sites to allow you to test the program before making any decisions. This gives you the opportunity to learn each of the tools and interactive elements available before you commit to paying for the service. You can also interact with the provider's live customer service reps directly to ask questions.

Choosing a web conferencing solution

The web conferencing arena consists of providers that develop the product and host the conferences on their own servers, as well as resellers who offer technology and services from one or more providers. In general, a developer may offer better support since they developed the technology, but they may be more expensive. In contrast, resellers might offer web conferencing solutions at a more attractive price since they don't have overhead costs, but they might not have answers to all of your questions or the resources to provide adequate training.

Whether you choose to work with a provider or reseller, your decision might come down to which vendor offers you the products and services that best suit your business. In addition, the company you work with should be financially stable - you don't want to select a vendor whose future is in question because they may not be around the next time you need them.

Understand your needs before locking into any sort of commitment with a web conferencing vendor. If there's a web conferencing feature you rely on the most - say PowerPoint presentations - find out which vendor offers the best functionality for that feature. These features may look the same on paper but can be quite different in actual use. This is why it's so important to take advantage of the free trial offers that many vendors offer.

It's also important to recognize what support you'll need for web conferencing. If you select an ASP vendor, ask if they can accommodate the number of people you intend to invite. If you intend to install a licensed software solution, find out what resources you will need in house - such as specific IT staff - should problems come up. Find out what each company offers in terms of customer service. Do they provide live help 24/7, or do you have to leave a message and wait for someone to get back to you during their business hours?

When narrowing your options, make sure to get all proposals in writing, including all pricing and capacity details. Also check that there aren't any hidden fees. If you plan to use the product only sparingly, confirm that the contract shows all previously discussed price quotes for web and audio minutes.

If you sign up for a subscription service through an ASP, there may be a service level agreement (SLA) that guarantees you won't experience downtime when you use the service. Otherwise, you can opt out of the agreement. Most systems strive for "four 9s" uptime - the servers hosting your web conference will be up and running 99.99% of the time, equating to less than half an hour per year of downtime. Reliability of the service is crucial - you shouldn't have any fears of web conferencing reliability whether you hold a 3 a.m. conference overseas or a 7:30 a.m. meeting on Sunday morning.

Web conference pricing

Web conference prices have dropped considerably since its introduction. While the technology was very expensive when it first came out and was only suitable for larger companies, there are now providers and resellers that serve the little guys. They can provide barebones solutions featuring audio, text chat, and application sharing for a fraction of what a full service with all of the bells and whistles can offer.

With ASPs, the least expensive option - pay as you go - is also the most common for those that will only use the technology on occasion. With pay as you go models, there are no set up costs and you're not committed to a contract; you simply pay for what you use. You pay $0.08-$0.40 per minute per participant for the web portion and another $0.08-$0.25 per minute per participant for the audio. Some providers may offer volume discounts depending on how many seats you use, or a blended rate of the web and audio fees.

You can also go with a Web seat license model that provides a fixed number of seats that can be used for a certain amount of time at a monthly cost of $50-$200 per seat with overage charges for additional seats and additional minutes. There may also be an extra set up charge of $0-$500.

Subscription models allow you to reserve rooms with a set number of seats for unlimited conferencing for the month. The costs can vary greatly - from $150 per month for basic web conferencing with minimal applications to $3,000 per month, which can get you a fully functional, branded corporate site. Keep in mind that most vendors will provide volume discounts if you increase the number of seats.

Large organizations relying on web conferencing as a regular part of business may choose to purchase licensed software to hold web conferences in-house. Web conferencing software pricing starts at $5,000 and can reach the tens of thousands of dollars. You should also factor in the costs of annual maintenance and service fees as well as a dedicated server and the IT staff to support such an investment.

Web conference add-on pricing

Web cameras are an inexpensive addition to your web conferencing experience. A quality camera that lets you provide a live head shot of the moderator can be had for as little as $50-$100.

You can arrange for operator-assisted web conferences where the vendor takes over most of the administrative duties of the conference. This may include confirming reservations, assisting with interactive features, and speaking with the moderator through a private line to discuss details before and during the conference. This frees up the moderator to concentrate on the actual content of the presentation. They can also provide additional training services. An operator-assisted web conference costs $1,000-$5,000, depending on the size and intensity of the project.

There are also fees for recording and archiving the content for future reference - about $50-$250 per meeting. Other fees to consider may include customizing your interface with a specific design or company logos.

Online conferencing tips

Arrive early. Web conference presenters should log in about 30-45 minutes before the start of a meeting and make sure everything works properly (interface properly installed, sound is in place, etc.) to avoid hassles at the last minute.

Explore features. Most moderators only use a fraction of the options available to them. To get the most out of the rich functionality that a web conferencing solution provides, you may want to use your dry runs and free demo periods to explore the different applications you can use to create a better experience for you and your audience.

Speed up. If some attendees are using slower connections such as dial-up to participate in a web conference that includes video, suggest that they disable video capabilities to save bandwidth.

Using visual aids. With presentations, use detailed charts and graphs and keep text to a minimum. Remember slides should be a visual aid and you should be able to walk attendees through the presentation so there's no need to give them a lot to read on screen.

Partner up. You can share the responsibilities of running the conference with one or more co-workers. For example, while you talk through the meeting and conduct group edits with your attendees, one of your co-workers takes questions and runs the live chat.

This is a recording. The FCC requires you to notify all participants before the start of a web conference that you plan to record the session. This is done either through an audio prompt that the attendee hears over the phone when they enter the conference, or an automated text message in the chat function.

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