Given the circumstances at the time, we want to write about our experiences with remote work and communication.
When you no longer meet in the office kitchen every day, it becomes even more important to communicate regularly. We use Slack as a chat tool, which essentially reflects ongoing communication. Either via a quick chat or simply a short online call.
For meetings, after some testing, we have now settled on Google Hangout / Google Meet. The tool provides good audio and video quality. You can also share a screen to make information visible to all participants.
With Google Meet, you can also start spontaneous conversations by simply starting a "conference" and then inviting participants. For anyone with a Google account, this all works very easily.
If you're not at home in the Google world, Zoom might be a good alternative. So far, Zoom has always delivered absolutely top results in terms of audio and video quality. In addition, Zoom also offers a number of other features that go beyond what Google offers.
Here, several participants can share their screens simultaneously. Sequences can be easily recorded. A nice gimmick is that you can choose virtual backgrounds and thus virtually beam yourself into different environments.
Zoom can also be used very effectively for webinars where many participants might join. Up to 10,000 participants are possible.
A classic for video calls is Skype. However, this is our least popular tool. This is mainly due to the constantly necessary updates to the Skype app. In addition, we always have problems with image transmission on Skype. However, for true Microsoft power users, Skype can certainly work well.
Our ranking is clear:
- Slack for quick and spontaneous communication
- Google Meet for meetings including presentations
- Zoom for webinars or larger meetings