Zoom app’s video conferencing solution has a lot of useful and functional options that are hidden in their advanced menu. The following list lets you learn about the features, tips, and tricks to unearth the immense potential of this exciting communication app. Let us, deep-dive, into the wonderful options that allow you to use the app more efficiently – making you a pro at video conferencing.
1. Automatic Meeting Scheduler
The Zoom app relieves you from the worry of getting an assistant to schedule your meeting. You can directly connect your meeting scheduler app to Zoom, which will create a new Zoom meeting every time a user books an appointment. It also adds the dates and times to the personal calendar that is connected to Zoom. In this way, your meetings are fully automated and efficient, free from human error.
You can even automate team meetings by adding a step to the above, allowing Zoom to share the meeting link to a team chat app, like Slack or similar.
2. Easily create recurring meetings via saved settings and one URL
Recurring meetings can be the weekly and monthly check-ins or other regularly scheduled calls that you have with the same set of people. By creating a recurring meeting in Zoom, you just need to save the settings for once and will be able to use it every time you call. Another efficient point in the recurring meeting option is that you can use the same URL again and again. Therefore, you don’t need to send the meeting attendees a new URL every time a meeting is scheduled.
Another nifty trick packed inside the recurring meeting option is ‘No Fixed Time.’ You can use this option if you are meeting the same set of people over a regular schedule but not at the same time, for every meeting. With ‘No Fixed Time’ you can use the same settings and meeting ID over and over, changing nothing for the times you decide to connect via video conference.
3. Check who attended the meeting
This is a useful feature for video conferences that are mandatory in nature – like a University lecture or mandatory work training. For video conferencing events as such, you will want to check on the information of those who have attended and those who did not. Zoom provides you this information once the meeting is concluded.
In order to find the ‘attendee list’ all you have to do is to go to the Zoom Account Management > Report section. In the Report section, you just need to find the ‘Usage Reports’ and click on ‘Meeting’ to choose the meeting for which you want to find the information.
Once you have found your meeting, choose the report type and date range before you click the generate report option.
Note: The attendee list can be generated only if the following conditions are met:
- You must be the host of the scheduled meeting, with the role of account administrator or owner.
- The usage reports need to be enabled.
- The Zoom account needs to be Pro or API Partner or Business or Education plan.
If you have thought that the attendance sheet as a useful feature, the information collection option of the Zoom app is a feature that is even more exquisite. Zoom allows you to collect information about the participants from themselves before they join the meeting.
In order to collect information, you need to enable the Registration option found under the ‘My Meetings’ tab of the Zoom app. Once the feature is enabled you can set up the form that the attendees need to complete before they join the meeting.
The Zoom app comes with an in-built default form that lets you tick the checkboxes of the standard information that you may want to collect, such as name, company affiliation, etc. However, Zoom also allows you to create your custom fields in the registration over the tab of ‘Custom Questions.’ In this tab, you can create new questions and fields that you want to add to the registration form.
‘Webinar’ is a term for web-based seminar. Zoom app is quite capable of conducting webinars that allow you to connect with a plethora of participants. However, for the registration is it better to use a form on the event website or to use an event management app. In order to simultaneously make those who signed up for your event to register on Zoom, automation apps are advisable. Zapier’s pre-built apps allow you to synchronize the attendees with Zoom, you can either use that or use any other automation app to efficiently use Zoom for your Webinars.
Note: In order to collect the information from the attendees, the following conditions must be met:
- You must be the host of the meeting.
- You must have a pro account.
- The meeting cannot be your ‘Personal Meeting ID.’
5. Make a video out of a Zoom call
Another smart feature in Zoom is the ability to record your video conferencing call as a video. This feature is quite useful for sharing the meeting with those who missed it. For reviewing the meeting this feature is paramount.
Zoom app allows you to record the video in either the local drive or in the Cloud. It is to be noted that the cloud storage option is only available to paid users. An advantage of using the Cloud storage feature is the ability to immediately stream the meeting in a web browser, as soon as the recording is ready. The Cloud storage capacity varies with different accounts/plans.
Another factor to keep in mind for conference video recording is to optimize the settings in advance. This preemptive initiative makes you choose the best quality that is suitable for the type of video conferencing that you are conducting. For example: For a broadcast-type video conference, where only the host appears on the screens, it is much efficient to record only the audio and video of the host. Whereas, in a collaborative type meeting where the host and attendees interact and exchange information with one another, you might want to record everyone. Therefore, before initiating video conference recording, it is highly advisable to spend a few minutes in the settings pane, choosing the best format for your requirements.
Note: To enable video conference recording, the following conditions must be met:
- To record videos you need to run Zoom on Windows or Linux or macOS.
In the event of not seeing the record option in your video conferences, check your setting page or have the administrator enable it.
6. Let annotations become collaborative
The Screen Sharing option of the Zoom allows the host to display whatever is on their screen to all the attendees on the video call. The annotation tool of the Zoom app lets the video conference attendees/participants draw and highlight on the shared screen. This efficiency and the creativity of this tool needs to be lauded. If you are discussing visual materials such as mock-ups graphic design, etc., the significance of the annotation tool cannot be explained in mere words.
If you are a participant of the call and need to annotate on the shared screen of another, you can find the Annotate option from the ‘View Option’ on the top of the Zoom window. Once you click on the Annotate option, a toolbar with annotating options such as ‘draw’, ‘text’, ‘arrow’, etc. The save button on the toolbar allows you to take a screenshot of the complete image with the annotations. If you are the host, you also get the option to disable annotations for all the attendees.
7. Co-Host video conference calls
When you are hosting a professional video call/conference, there may come a time where the meeting has to be helmed or co-operatively controlled by more than one host. There may be instances where the PR team might want to control the meeting along with the speaker or the subject of the webinar/Video conference needs two people to explain the necessary material or two executives has to collaboratively give a presentation. In such circumstances, Zoom allows you to choose more than one person to helm the video conference rather than going through the process of picking one host amongst others
The procedure to use the co-host option starts with first going to the Zoom Meeting setting and to enable the ‘Co-Host option.’ Once that is done, you have to wait for the .meeting to start and for the co-host to join. With the start fo the meeting you can add the person by clicking on the three dots hovering over the video.
The alternative method to co-host is to find the Participant window and select ‘Manage participants.’ Once you view the list of participants, hover over the participant name that you want to co-host and click on ‘More’ and select the ‘Make Co-Host option.’
Note: In order to enable Co-Host option, the following conditions must be met:
- You must need a Pro or Business or API Partner or Education account.
- You need to run Zoom on macOS, Windows, Android or IOS (Not on Linus or Web).
On the event of the Co-Host option not appearing, ask your Account Administrator to enable co-hosting privileges in the Meetings tab.
8. Avail meeting room for the attendees
Zoom has an interesting option of letting the attendees into the video call even before the host appears. Small groups have a fondness over this option as it allows them to make small talks before the host appears to officiate the meeting.
However, at instances, this congregation of your attendees in a virtual room can be attributed to a poor display of your brand or corporate image because of interaction starts before the host even arrives. This can be avoided with the creation of a virtual waiting room that keeps the participants on hold until you, the host, allows them to join the meeting either at the same time or one by one.
The exact option to enabling the virtual waiting room varies with your account type. However, once you enable the option you can customize what you want the attendees to see as they wait for the start of the meeting.
9. Allow a third party or your assistant to schedule your meeting
Zoom lets you make exceptional video calls, but it is more than just an app for a video call. The plethora of features and options make Zoom a powerful corporate communication tool. Zoom is often used by professionals and high-level executives for connecting with the various personnel over video conference.
Therefore, in a corporate or business setting the communication tool often needs to be handled by an assistant or by the PR team or the marketing personnel. Zoom allows you to delegate the scheduling of the meeting to your assistant or with a third party who manages your calendar.
In order to enable the scheduling assistant privileges, you need to log into the Zoom and under ‘Meetings Settings’ click on ‘Others.’ There you will find a plus sign next to the Scheduling Assistant, click on it and type the email ID of your assistant and finish the process by clicking on Assign.
Once you have added your assistant, the chosen personnel must log out and log back into their Zoom account for the feature to start functioning. After the Scheduling Assistant takes effect, the assigned personnel can schedule meetings for you. Follow Advance Option or Meetings Option (Based on the version of your Zoom) and create new meetings based on the prompts.
Note: In order to allow your assistant or a third party to schedule meetings for you, the following conditions must be met:
- Those who received the Scheduling privileges and the Primary Account that has assigned the privileges, both need to have either Pro or Corp license.
- For those who wish to conduct webinars, the scheduler and the account holder both mush have a Webinar license.
10. Keyboard essentials to efficiently navigate the Zoom app
For those who frequently use Zoom, learning a few keyboard shortcuts will help you deftly manage your video calls. The shortcuts of Zoom are sensible, functional and easy to remember.
I stand for ‘invite.’ For macOS users, “Cmd+I” jumps to the invite window. For Windows users, “Alt+i” brings you to the invite window. This shortcut lets you have a quick start on your Zoom activities, as from the invite window you can grab links to the meeting or send invites via email.
M stands for mute. For Mac users, “Cmd+Ctrl+m” and for Windows users, “Alt+m” allows you to mute everyone else on the call when you are the host.
Share screen is a popular feature in Zoom and its popularity is not lost on Zoom, as the feature has its exclusive shortcut.
S stands for share. For Mac users, “Cmd+Shift+s” and for Windows users, “Alt+Shift+s” allows you to share your screen with your call participants.
These shortcuts allow you to make instantaneous changes when you are getting started on Zoom for the day or in the middle of a video call.
How does Zoom compare with its competitors? What makes Zoom unique?
Zoom is a complete video conference tool that allows you to make sophisticated video calls/conferences and a lot more. The top companies or rivals that offer similar services to Zoom are WebEx, Skype, and LogMeIn. Though the three companies offer similar services, Zoom has put more emphasis on the video aspect of their product, as it offers a higher frame rate comparatively.
Amongst the three competitors, Skype is widely known for its personal usage and is not quite popular for corporate activities compared to Zoom and the others. Although the interface graphics and design of Skype are more pleasing to the eye, it falls short on the various features and options that are founded in the other video conferencing solutions.
WebEx takes the lead on the free plan with no limits to meeting lengths compared to Zoom capping at 40 minutes. However, Zoom tops the race with its ability to share not just the screen by also the host audio – a feature that is unique to Zoom.
The various corporate communication and webinar options often come as paid privileges. The pricing ranges are moreover similar amongst each other. However, Zoom offers lots of sophisticated options such as conference rooms and more.
Zoom is a professional video conferencing solution. However, it is that short phrase and also a lot more. Reading through all the tips, tricks and features of Zoom, one couldn’t help but arrive at the conclusion that Zoom is a complete virtual communication solution.
Zoom lets you make video calls of exceptional quality, and also lets you share screen, make annotations, record calls as video, add assistants, create a conference room, collect registration information and more. The options available with Zoom avails you of innumerable possibilities over a video call, which were impossible otherwise.
The possibilities that Zoom usher lets you, the host, take the virtual conferencing efficiency to the next level. With Zoom the communication is nearer, more personal and more efficient; despite the distance.
With Zoom, let us connect, let us share, let us collaborate and let us create – transcending boundaries.
