Best Software for Virtual Communication with Clients

by:  Angie Picardo

In today’s hectic and fast-paced world, it has become easier to stay in touch with clients through virtual communication. Instead of having to leave for the airport hours before your flight is scheduled to take off and going through the hassle of trying to meet face-to-face with clients, many opt for these easier online options.

Skype became the first mainstream video conferencing outlet that was capable of letting businesses interact with their clients. By this point, just about everyone knows what Skype is and how it works. It is also used widely as a social media form of communication, so even though business can use it with great success, it does not cater specifically to business that some others have. The knock on Skype is that compared to some of the other virtual communication sites, there are typically only five users allowed in one video conference, and you cannot be seen if you are using a mobile device, only heard. Still, it is one of the standbys when it comes to communication and will still be for years to come.

GoToMeeting started up in 2004 with the idea of businesses in mind. Much like Skype, there is also an app available for iPhone and Android phones that allow you to communicate from anywhere in the world, all it takes is a connection to the internet. There are different options with GoToMeeting and can have up to 25 people in one meeting with multiple organizers. You can also record and playback any meeting for future use and it is used for not just meetings, but also for enhance telecommunication training. It has allowed users to save thousands in travel, and companies can save even more.

Google Hangout was designed in 2011 with a format similar to Skype in mind for social telecommunication. Unlike Skype, though, Google Hangout also has enhanced business meeting options that allow you to not only share your Google Drive with the person that you are communicating with, but also share your screen with that person. Technical support makes Google Hangout certainly worthwhile as this person can take control of your mouse or simply point out where on your desktop you need to go in order to fix a problem that you may be having. There are over half a billion users registered with Google Hangout and over 235 million of those users actively use this online application. It was created with the hopes of making Google+ a more prominent social network but hangouts have proven to be a mainstay on their own. The best part of it all, is that Google Hangout is free to use.

SightSpeed is another video communication app that was acquired by Logitech in 2008 for $30 million. Through this program, you aren’t just limited to video conferences as you can send video e-mails and share files during a call. If you just do want to have conferences, though, you can support up to nine people at one time in a conference. You can also make and take phone calls from landlines and cell phones with prepaid credits, much like Google. PC World named this their best video conferencing app of 2007 and offers great tech support whenever you need it.

ooVoo is another that has many of the same features as the ones listed above and was created in 2006. There is high resolution video that can support up to six people in one video conference, or 12 people in a chat room type setting. You can also record video to send, make phone calls and share desktops for support. Since the free version offers instant messaging, many have used it for that purpose as video calls may not always be necessary.

Now that you have explored some of the best options for video conferencing and virtual communication, make sure to check these pros and cons to find which one may be suited best for your business. All of them are free to try and a paid premium service can unlock great features.

Angie Picardo is a writer at Nerdwallet, a personal finance website that offers advice on topics ranging from communicating effectively with new liveware to retirement planning.

Best Practices for Freelance Writers Working from Home , by Angie Picardo

When you work at home, freelance writing requires serious dedication and a passion for success.  Maintaining a professional workspace, honing your craft and generating a steady income are a delicate balancing act when you’ve got a family and other responsibilities to attend to.  Listed below are a few strategies for success as a freelance writer working from a virtual office job.

Ask yourself this: How do you increase productivity and the quality of your writing? Consider the following.

• Tackling your most difficult assignment first will make the rest of your day seem like a breeze.  You’ll learn discipline and free yourself up for when you really need it.  Like good exercise, you will feel a sense of accomplishment and may be eager to tackle more work in your downtime.
• Train yourself to seek out imperfections in all your writing.  Your emails and other correspondences should be treated as assignments.  Leave no room for error.  This will keep you sharp throughout the day and you will train yourself to be a grammatical perfectionist—a very necessary component of freelance writing.
• Keep a calendar of all your deadlines, clients and contacts.  Make it a point to never miss a deadline or forget an assignment, no matter how busy you are.
• Don’t let rejection beat you down.  So you wrote a bad article or story—everyone has.  Learn from your mistakes and take the defeat as a challenge to improve.  Step away from each assignment after completion and return to it after a while so you can edit your piece with a fresh perspective.
• Keep a portfolio of your work available at all times.  Every once in a while look through your old work to find strengths and flaws.  How have you improved over six weeks?  Six months?  Six years?
• Always write, whether its emails, grocery lists, or assignment edits, keep sharp at all times.  Keep a pen and paper on you at all times to jot down ideas, or purse through a pocket dictionary instead of playing Angry Birds at the doctor’s office.

Taking care of the kids, running errands, and keeping your daily routine is a demanding task, but that doesn’t mean you can’t carve out time to write. Now ask yourself: How do you balance working at home with your day to day schedule?

• Get up early. Many writers wake up extra early and start their day with a solid hour of uninterrupted writing before doing anything else.  Once you get into your routine, it becomes difficult to stop.  By simply forcing yourself to crank out ideas right out of bed, your mind will be sharp and craving other opportunities during your downtime later in the day.
• Organize. Keep your workspace area clean and organized.  You will want to create a space that is both comfortable and productive.  Keep reference materials, office supplies and equipment easily accessible, so that you can use them when you need them.  By creating a balanced space within your home, you can tap into “work mode,” and separate your home life from your craft.
• Manage time. If you have children, set up play-dates or find chaperoned activities for them to occupy themselves with outside of the home.  If you can get even an extra hour or two a week to yourself, you can use the time to proof documents or test your spontaneity on new projects.

It doesn’t matter if you’re blogging, writing technical or professional documents, pumping out content to a demanding editor, editing documents, or trying to write that novel you’ve been putting off since college—a little consistency, dedication and time management make all the difference in the world.  So keep working at it and before long you’ll be reaping the rewards of a job well done.

Angie Picardo is a writer at Nerdwallet, a personal finance website that offers advice on topics ranging from working from home efficiently to comparing options for Midway airport Parking.