A popular response we get when it comes to video conferencing is, ” why should I pay when I can just use free services like Microsoft Skype and Google Hangout?” This is a valid question, especially when it comes to budgeting. But one thing to always keep in mind is what you’re actually getting for “free.” After all, the service may be free, but the features, services, and overall level of functionality are what pay the price.

When it comes to video conferencing, comparing a professional version such as Lifesize to a  free option such as Skype is like comparing your iPhone 6 to your Nokia Razor flip phone. Want further explanation? Let’s dive into it a little bit deeper and take a look at the main differentiating factors between professional-grade video conferencing and “free” video conferencing.

Security
Free software means that anyone can have access to it, so naturally it’s going to be less secure. Now, when it comes to business technology, security is a big issue. It is probably the number one concern for most IT professionals. With professional-grade video solutions you are obtaining encrypted security, which ensures that the only people that you choose to be involved are able to access your video sessions.

Quality, Quality, Quality.
When it comes to any paid service you are paying for higher quality. Professional grade video conferencing solutions focus on the latest in camera, audio, cloud and picture technology. And that’s exactly what you want when you are hosting a video conference among your employees, business partners, and/or clients. Also, our favorite video conference solution, Lifesize, offers the customer out-of-this-world, HD video quality while consuming very low bandwidth. This is an absolute plus for any business because you’re getting high video quality without having to lower the quality of your network speed.

Other features of a high quality video conferencing solution include:

• Take your conference rooms to wherever your people are.
• Click to add up to 25 locations or participants per call.
• Plug and play functionality that syncs your address book to everyone in your network.
• Zoom in on exactly who’s talking with automatic call escalation or select from any of the predefined display layouts.
• Plug your video endpoint into the Internet and start calling right away.
• Instantly integrate desktop and mobile users into your network.

Better customer service.
Paying for a service means you also have access to customer service when need be. With free services, be prepared to rely on yourself to solve your technical problems. Customer service for a paid service will definitely be there for you when you need them, because along with better quality, you’re also paying for good support when you choose to invest in a good quality video conferencing system. 

“Free” is always a great word, but as stated earlier, it’s important to thoroughly understand what type of service you are getting for free. Because when you think about it, a bad video conference call can hurt your organization’s profit, productivity, efficiency, image, and security – All of which cannot be sacrificed for the sake of saving a few bucks by going the “free” route. 

Interested in one of the best video conferencing solutions on the market that doesn’t break the bank? Take a look into LifeSize!