More people than ever before are working remotely, and experts say that number is only expected to climb over the next few years. Just because you’ve gone virtual doesn’t mean you can’t make everyone feel like they’re part of the team, though. Virtual meeting software has a wide variety of features. Using them will help to make the transition from in-office work to virtual work smoother.

Enhance Your Brand

Using a virtual background is one of the best things that you can do for your online business meetings. Without them, people are more likely to focus on any distractions behind you than they are to focus on what you’re saying. Zoom has its own basic virtual backgrounds in its settings, but there are other options as well. 

Immersive view Zoom backgrounds are one of the most popular options. These backgrounds are set up like conference rooms or auditoriums and allow everyone to look as if they’re in the same room, cutting back on distractions and helping people to focus on what’s being said. They also allow you to add your company logo into the “room,” so that your brand looks even more professional. 

It isn’t just Zoom that benefits from brand enhancement via personalized backgrounds, either. You can use this function on a wide range of chat, call, and video messaging platforms. There are even ways to learn how to mirror virtual background in Google Meet.

Engage the Team

There are plenty of third-party apps that you can integrate with Zoom or with other chat and video applications. In fact, many of your favorite apps probably include integration features that will enhance user experience and keep your audience engaged. Some options include the ability to collaborate in real-time during your meeting with apps such as Dropbox Spaces, apps that allow you to teach more efficiently, and goal- and task-tracking apps such as Asana.

Even when working remotely, team building is an important component of running a productive workplace and keeping employee morale up. One fun way to do this via video apps is with an integral app called Funtivity. The app has games, activities, and much more that allow you to improve morale and celebrate diversity in the workplace. New activities and events are available weekly, and you can even look at analytics that will help you build more productive teams.

Create Your Audience

There are lots of other features to look for in your meeting software. Most of them have a gallery view option that allows you to display everyone in the meeting at one time. This makes it easier for you to engage everyone at once and to see who is paying attention and who seems to need help.

Of course, on larger calls, some people may not participate with video. A sea of black squares can be discombobulating during big meetings. In these cases, you can use the feature that allows you to hide non-video participants. This way, you’ll have a full audience to look at while still engaging the people who are only participating via audio.

The virtual office isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. Start learning the best ways to use your meeting applications now to create more productive teams and happier employees later.