The difference between audio, video, and web conferencing

Advancements in telecommunications have made conferencing easier than ever. As a company manager, it's important for your teams to stay connected, especially while many people continue to work remotely.

Determining which conferencing solution is right for your business comes down to understanding the differences between audio, video and web conferencing. These are the three options available to your team and each has its benefits. To help decide which conferencing solution is the best, let's take a closer look at each type of conferencing separately.

The difference between audio, video and web conferencing

Audio conferencing

Audio conferencing is the most traditional form of conferencing, and it's also one of the easiest solutions to organize for your team. The main difference between audio conferencing and a phone call is that in audio conferencing, participants usually call into a central system that then links all audio signals together.

One of the main benefits of audio conferencing is that these calls do not require an internet connection. While audio conferencing is a great option for conference calls, sometimes you want to have a visual image to ensure that important information doesn't get lost in translation. In this case, you'll want to consider using web or video conferencing to conduct meetings and organize collaborative sessions.

Video conferencing

Video conferencing is essentially audio conferencing that includes a real-time video capture. For most companies, this is an ideal option so that team members have an opportunity to clearly communicate their thoughts while being seen and heard. Most video conferencing is done through software that's installed on an electronic device and accessed via cell phone or tablet data — or through an internet connection. The number of participants allowed on any call is limited, but some of the best video conferencing solutions can handle up to 100 people on any conference call.

These solutions also allow people to share various media assets which is ideal for securely passing information and documents in real time. Video conferencing provides your company with a highly confidential platform for real-time communication in high-definition video. Team members can participate from anywhere in the world, as long as there's a stable and reliable internet connection.

Web conferencing

While the difference between web conferencing vs. video conferencing may be hard to understand at first, the best way to distinguish between the two is intention. The most common web conferencing definition is that it's an online system that allows companies to hold live meetings and presentations over the internet.

While video conferencing is often used for live communication amongst a small group of individuals in a private setting, web conferencing is generally used to host events, speeches and public-facing video conferences. In these situations, participants log in to a designated online area via a link, where they are able to watch a video in real time but are not necessarily able to speak or be seen. Web conferencing is great if you would like to give a presentation to your staff members but don't require participation or feedback from them.

If you have questions about audio-video conferencing, our team can help you gain a better understanding of these technologies and how they support your business. Smart conferencing solutions can improve workplace engagement and increase company efficiency.

Contact us today to learn more about our innovative audio conferencing technology and Unified Communications as a Service (UCaaS) solutions. Whether you're managing an SMB or enterprise business, we offer award-winning solutions to support every aspect of your work.