Webinar hosting is a unique service that enables companies to hold online seminars for their clients. This allows them to increase sales and reduce marketing costs while also increasing awareness of their products or services. There are many webinar providers out there today. Therefore, finding the best webinar hosting provider can be very time consuming.

The Types Of Webinar Providers

There are two types of webinar providers - those that have built-in solutions and those that allow you to download and install special software. The best webinar platform should be an internet-based solution that allows you to create, upload and manage your own presentation. Because of its Surpassed features, this tops the list in most webinar provider review categories. Key features:

Easy to use interface: A good platform should allow the use of common software packages such as Microsoft Office or Open Office. It should also come with screen sharing functionality which allows attendees to share visual information on the webinar. When using these packages, attendees can be connected to their computers via instant messenger or screen sharing software. This makes it easy for them to share information without downloading the software or even interrupting the proceedings.

Live chat support: Some webinar providers offer chat support where attendees can chat with the host prior to the start of the meeting. This helps them stay on track with discussions and clarify questions or doubts. It also helps them get answers faster and may provide them with information they might not have been aware of. The host can give tips and answer questions too.

Good user experience: It is important that the audience can interact with the host and presenters. This can be done easily through an integrated channel system. Some providers do this automatically by installing an official page on their website. Others have a dedicated channel on their blogs or websites and invite participants through email, direct message or web chat. However, not all providers follow this practice due to lack of time or resources. If your platform can integrate the presenter's presentation into your autoresponder and provide a feed of comments and questions from attendees, then you will have a good user experience.

Advanced conferencing tools and features: Most providers offer the advanced conferencing features including screen sharing and slide presentation sharing. However, not all of them are able to integrate the features of video conferencing. Some only allow participants to view slides through a web cam while others require attendees to download specific software to view the presentation on their computer. Some offer screen sharing, which means a visitor can connect to another presenter just by clicking on his picture in a web cam. Others are even capable of enabling three or more simultaneous users in one call.

Integration of existing business systems: One important thing that all good providers should be able to do is to integrate with existing business systems so that they can offer a unified interface. For instance, you might already have an online store and want to show a presentation on the store. You could call the store and present your slide deck, upload your presentation and feed everything through a phone connection to the host. Or if you have an online store and want to show a live demonstration, you could simply record your presentation and publish it on the web through a web cam. You should find out the requirements of your hosts before making a choice.

Browser-based tools: A new trend in webinar platforms has been browser-based tools that allow the audience to see a slide presentation as they are browsing the internet. This is useful when the audience cannot be at the conference room or the location where the presentation will be hosted. These tools can also come with different levels of interactivity such as a slide viewer and a share button for the audience members. Some platforms even allow the audience to bookmark the page they want to watch and thus save it to their computer. To make sure that your customers get the most from their browser-based tools, look for webinar hosting companies that offer these features.

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