With a more digital-centric approach to how business is conducted, it’s not surprising that communication software is integrating better visual solutions. Not only are customer relationships deepened, but so too is employee engagement, participation, and collaboration when you can show what you mean instead of just saying it.
Let’s not forget how much nuance and meaning is lost when communicating via messaging. Long-winded instructions, email threads, and text chat are excellent forms of communication for certain tasks, but when it comes to a presentation or making a fantastic first impression, there are other ways to up the ante.
That’s where screen sharing and document sharing come in. These two key features add dimension to your online meeting and interaction by providing participants near and far with everything they need in an online space in real-time.
Here’s where implementing both screen sharing and document sharing pushes meetings to be more productive:
What Is A Two-way Group Communication Platform For?
Before jumping into specifics, let’s break down what exactly two-way communication software is and how it works to improve your workflow with everyone across the board including employees, clients, vendors, suppliers, friends, family and more.
Rather than relying on emails and scheduled calls to brainstorm or make executive decisions, schedule a meeting in advance or on the spot with video conferencing/conference calling software. Browser-based, zero-download technology allows for fast and simple set up that gets 1 to 1,000 people up and running online. Convene in confidence using the online meeting room with participants from around the world to discuss matters big or small and collaborate on presentations, pitches, and remote projects.
With such sophisticated technology, comes features designed to enhance the way in which high-level communication is achieved.
What Is Document Sharing?
Also known as file sharing, this feature gives you super streamlined access to share any digital file via a web conferencing platform. You can easily pass back and forth links, media, videos, audio files and more, or work simultaneously and in collaboration with others on the same word doc, presentation, etc.
Use Document Sharing to:
Ensure everyone has a “hard copy” of the document
It’s easy to drag and drop or select and upload any file that needs to be disseminated. Share a copy of the presentation after delivery. Send off a zipped file of photos. Shoot over a promotion video, links to your favorite recipes, or PDFs that need to be handed out to the group.
Distribute necessary files for the project and or meeting
As part of the set agenda, have your files ready to be sent before your online meeting gets underway. Everyone can have their own digital copy to add notes, make corrections or open up later to look at.
Submit your work during a web conference
Whether for business or learning, projects can be submitted via web conference for the lead or educator to look at later. This works well for a collaborative effort or group assignment that has multiple team members or many moving parts.
Send over what needs to be seen in the case of a bad internet connection
If you’re in a rural community or your wifi is weak, consider sending documents as a second option to screen sharing. Have peace of mind knowing your important files made it over safely without interruption or delay.
The Benefits Of Document Sharing:
By putting documents directly into the hands of the necessary participants, you can rest assured knowing that your important info is exactly where it needs to be. Expedite movement across projects and developments by sharing documents in the moment:
Hit your key performance indicators by acquiring more clients, boosting sales, and taking on extra goals when you can keep the team informed with relevant information or collaborate on a file from afar.
Enjoy storage and easy access to all your docs in the cloud. That’s right! All your important items like spreadsheets, graphics, audio files, images, and more – even large or hi-res – are stored in the cloud and can be taken down whenever you want. Your files are safe even if something happens to your laptop or desktop.
Cut costs by sending digital copies instead of heavy, costly printouts by courrier. Plus, you know the recipient has it without the chance of it getting lost along the way.
Document sharing is easy, simple, and faster to retrace, access, and send out than via email. Use Smart Summaries post-meeting to find your received documents or see the docs you sent out.
What Is Screen Sharing?
Screen sharing gives you a way to share exactly what it is you have pulled up on your screen. Exactly what you see is what they see. Hit the screen share button and view your presentation, a video, a document – anything you want others to get their eyeballs on!
Use Screen Sharing To:
Liven up online presentations
Sharing a progress report? Have some exciting metrics to discuss? Need to loop in shareholders about future plans? It’s easy to share any presentation and go through it by pinpointing what you want to demonstrate or call-out.
Simplify live demonstrations
Navigate colleagues through a hard-to-explain, user experience bottleneck or showcase new and improved software features using screen sharing that make it easier to show and tell.
Host web tutorials
Create a better online learning environment (that converts!) when you can go live and be in the moment answering questions, taking calls, and providing real-time support.
Break down problems and troubleshoot
Bulk up your IT solutions with screen sharing that gives you the option of seeing what your customer or colleague is seeing. There’s no need to “guesstimate” and you get to view the full picture of what you’re working with, regardless of where your geographic location, or time zone is.
The Benefits of Screen Sharing:
Screen sharing is advantageous for multiple reasons. Experience how problems become easier to convey, communication is less daunting, and visual impact is overall improved:
Especially for customer service and sales, complex inquiries can be addressed and drilled down, plus representatives can offer live personalized guidance on the spot!
Screen sharing cultivates a deeper, more impactful understanding when clients and or representatives can mouse over specific areas of the page to discuss problems, opportunities and any other points of conversation.
When in the screen sharing mode, privacy is still at the forefront. The desktop may be visible, but can only be viewed and not accessed. There is no way to click or pages, open up tabs or access applications.
Screen sharing doesn’t require downloading or installing additional software.
Before hitting Screen Share, make sure to:
Double-check what you have on your desktop:
Be aware of who you’re speaking to or who will be in your online meeting. By knowing your audience, you can effectively use your desktop’s wallpaper, for example, to make an impression. But first, avoid anything too busy-looking or offensive, and from there, consider pulling up your company’s brand or the brand of the client you’re pitching for.
Also, consider what tabs and pages you have open. Is it personal? Make sure to close those down.
Clean up your desktop:
Do a quick clean up of miscellaneous folders, downloaded images and general clutter that organically amasses on a daily basis. Keep your desktop neat and tidy looking so you can easily navigate and find what you’re looking for without having to waste time searching or potentially pulling up the wrong document.
Shut down programs and browser windows:
Your computer will run more slowly with programs running in the background. Ensure you’re up to speed by closing down everything you don’t need while engaged in an online meeting.
Sign out of messaging and chat:
Avoid the potential for an embarrassing message that pops up by signing out of any chat or messaging apps. The last thing you want is to be interrupted or interrupted with a direct personal message!
Check your internet connection:
Have your ethernet or wifi password on hand and ready to go. Try jumping onto the connection before it’s game time to make sure everything is in place for a smooth experience.
Using the screen sharing feature breathes life into every online interaction that involves communication. Aside from presentations and virtual meetings, try it out to improve:
Employee training – Training workers gets a lot more streamlined when you can target multiple learners at once, from the convenience of your desktop. Take them on a tour using your webcam or bring them through an orientation deck where they can ask questions and get answers in real-time.
Brainstorming sessions – Once everyone has convened in the online meeting room, hit screen share and then open up the online whiteboard to jot down ideas and concepts. Use colors, shapes and images to put together a mind map, or mood board that you’re hosting and leading, but everyone else can see.
Interviews with new talent – This works perfectly for a potential employee to show off their technical computer skills. If a candidate is in an interview, they can simply hit screen share and walk an HR representative through their portfolio or provide a coding solution on the fly.
Project updates – Take C-level execs through the status of a scheduled project by sharing it with employees and getting feedback from them in real-time. Loop in stakeholders, investors and managers to see spreadsheets, metrics and digital documents.
And so much more. No matter how you involve screen sharing as part of your presentation, pitch or virtual meeting, the convenience offers every industry and group of people a heightened sense of collaboration and cohesion. Suddenly, everyone can be part of the decision-making process and feel like they are on the scene when they may not be in the same part of town!
How Are Screen And Document Sharing Different?
Screen sharing is perfect for being in real-time. Participants get to see and be a part of your presentation or tutorial in the moment. It’s an extremely useful tool for bringing in colleagues to experience what you’re experiencing.
On the other hand, document sharing is more along the lines of a “takeaway.” Participants are left with tangible links, videos, documents, media and files they can access on their own time. They can obtain important files now to look at and open up now or save for later. Plus, this feature is especially handy in situations where the internet connection is subpar.
Why Do You Need Both?
Both features are essential and dovetail perfectly with one another to powerfully enhance an online workplace, classroom or support space for any community or business to gather and make progress on a project. Consider how this factors into healthcare, charity work, nursing homes, virtual gatherings, litigation, and more.
Plus, with other supporting features such as the online whiteboard, video conferencing, invitations and reminders, meeting recording, smart summaries and more, the possibilities to join forces and forge partnerships are endless. There’s always opportunity for better, more effective communication that gets you the results you want.
Work smarter, not harder with these two features that work to reinforce web conferencing and make online meetings more productive, collaborative and engaging.
Let Callbridge’s robust platform enhance how you do work with your team or communicate with friends and family. Perhaps the two most popular features, both screen sharing and document sharing will revolutionize how your communication unfolds.
Watch as conversations become more succinct, production becomes expedited, feedback is deeper and participants want to give more.
Try web conferencing that puts the quality of communication up front.
