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4 things to consider when starting virtual offerings
Stephen Lin • Apr 14, 2020
Which video conferencing solution is best for tours and activities operators?
In my last post, “4 Things People are Searching for That We Can’t Ignore,” I talked a lot about new emerging search trends as people seek out new things from self-quarantine. I also suggested that it’s a great time to brainstorm new experiences to offer virtually.
What I didn’t discuss in any depth is “How.” Once you’ve determined what your virtual product offering is, then you need to determine what technology to use to get your virtual experience to your customer. But, don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Your smartphone, tablet, or laptop you already own likely has a high-quality video camera built in. There is no need to buy a fancy new camera; just prop up your mobile device to make sure it isn’t moving — simple as that.
Let’s spend this time looking at various video conferencing opportunities. If you’ll recall, here’s how the market looks from a Google Trends
search behavior perspective:
1. You Probably Want to Use Zoom
What I infer from this data is that more people have recently become familiarized with Zoom than any of its competitors. From personal experience, I can tell you that I was nudged in this direction because my son’s karate class now operates virtually via Zoom, my other son’s Python coding class now uses Zoom, both kids’ school meetings are now held via Zoom, and my Dungeons & Dragons group now runs its campaign on Zoom.
Zoom may not be ubiquitous, but it feels like it’s getting darn close. It’s platform agnostic, cost effective, and unparalleled in the number of simultaneous on-screen participants.
2. You Definitely Want to Password Protect Your Activity
By now, everyone has heard of “Zoombombing” cases where unwanted guests have disrupted everything from elementary school classes to AA meetings. There are a number of things you can do to protect your virtual product:
- Password protect your event. This can be done when scheduling a new meeting.
- Lock your meeting from any new attendees after your booked guests join. You can do this through the “More” option on the Participants panel.
- Limit screen sharing capabilities to only the host (unless your activity requires your participants to share their screens).
You’re likely interested in saving costs wherever you can, right now. If you’re running a private 1-on-1 activity, the free version allows for unlimited meeting length. Otherwise, there’s a 40-minute limit on group meetings of up to 100 attendees. That said, since self-quarantining became the norm, Zoom has been granting an extraordinary amount of lenience regarding the time limit.
Do you need more attendees, unlimited meeting length, reporting, or recording capabilities? Then consider the paid options.
4. You Might Want to Experiment
One size rarely fits all. Maybe you’ll prefer a different solution because it’s easier to operate from a mobile device. Maybe there are regionalized options that suit your audience better like Line or WeChat. Maybe you want to install a dice-rolling bot to make your D&D campaigns run more seamlessly. In most cases, it doesn’t cost anything to experiment.
| Video Conferencing Tool | Lowest Cost Option | Max Attendees | Platforms Supported | Unique Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bluejeans | $9.99/ month | 50 | Web app, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. | |
| Discord | Free | 10 | Web app, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. | Appeals to gamers. |
| FaceTime | Free | 32 | macOS and IOS | Preinstalled on iPhones and MacBooks. |
| Google Hangouts | Free | 25 | Web app, Android, and iOS. | |
| Skype | Free | 50 | Web app, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. | |
| Zoom | Free | 100 | Web app, Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. | It's the only one that allows for 49 videos on screen at the same time. |
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