Staying in touch with your clients, family and freinds

Here are some voice and video call options. We cover Skype, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Facetime and WhatsApp. If you think you know about these products just run through the list, you might be pleasantly surprised. This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, just the products we are familiar with and have actually used.

For business we use Skype and Zoom. For family and friends we use WhatsApp.

SKYPE

• Requires all attendees to have an account with Skype
• Great for voice, chat/messaging, and video.
• Up to 50 people on a call audio or video.
• Offers screenshare.
• On all platforms including iOS.
• Record calls or video calls.
• Full feature set here https://www.skype.com/en/features/
• Free but needs an account to be setup.
• You can add credit to call landlines. We use it for our US and Canada calls at 1.2p per minute.
• You can sync your address book with Skype.
• Has some clever voice/phone facilities.
• Skype for business comes with Office 365 and add some new business related features. See https://www.skype.com/en/business/

ZOOM

• Only the organiser needs a Zoom account, attendees can just log in with a meeting ID using the Zoom app or in a browser with the joining link.
• Great for voice, chat and video.
• Up to 100 participants.
• Offers screenshare.
• On all platforms.
• Record calls or video calls.
• Free but needs an account to be setup.
• Will run in a Chrome browser.
• Unlimited time for 1 to 1 meetings.
• Limited to 40 minutes for group meetings. For use over 40 minutes it's £11.99 a month.
• See pricing here https://zoom.us/pricing
• Addons for Webinars at additional cost.

GOTOMEETING

Up until a few weeks ago we used GoToMeeting for all our online training.  Our subscription ran out in February and I hadn't realised until my call with a client was cut off after 40 minutes. That's fine but I can't find any offer of a free version on the GoToMeeting website so I am unsure if it's possible to register for a free account.

• Only the organiser needs a GTM account, attendees can just log in with a meeting ID using the GTM
• app or in a browser with the joining link.
• Great for voice, chat and video.
• Up to 100 participants.
• Offers screenshare.
• On all platforms.
• Record calls or video calls.
• Will run in a Chrome browser.
• Free for up to 40 minutes (I think) but needs an account to be setup.
• More info here https://www.goto.com/meeting
• Over 40 minutes is £11.00 a month, £9.50 billed annually. See pricing here https://www.gotomeeting.com/en-gb/meeting/pricing-ma

FACETIME

• iPhone, iPad, iPod touch only
• Up to 23 participants. Here's how https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-use-group-facetime-on-mac-and-iphone
• Video calls only.
• Completely free for unlimited use.
• Screen capture with the camera app.

WHATSAPP

• Requires a mobile number smart phone, and an app installed.
• Great for voice, chat/messaging, and video.
• Up to 256 participants in a group.
• On all platforms and browser access. Yes PC and Mac but you will need your phone to activate the desktop versions.
• You can send photos, videos, documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, PowerPoints, and more up to 100MB free of charge to individuals or groups.
• Record and send voice messages.
• Personal https://www.whatsapp.com/ and business https://www.whatsapp.com/business editions.
• BUSINESS EDITION
  • You can create a business profile with helpful information for your customers like your address, business description, email address, and website.
  • You can label contacts as types such as customers, suppliers, order, etc.
  • You can set "Out of office" messages for when you can't respond.
  • You can add an auto welcome message.
  • Use it for customer support.
• Free.