Skip to main content

How to wreck a video call (and how not to)

Can you imagine a time when you didn’t know what Zoom was? Video calls have become a cornerstone of lockdown survival, and despite the government guidelines changing, a fair few of us are still using Zoom, Microsoft Teams and similar platforms for work. If you’re still video calling your customers, here are the four worst ways you can ruin the call (as well as how you should be representing yourself and your business).

‘What’s that behind you?’

When you’re meeting with a customer or client in the office, do you make sure that the office looks clean and tidy? Cold mugs of tea cleared away, desk cleared of clutter? It’s something that we should still consider over video calls. You may be calling in from your home office or your sofa but presentation is still important, and your background is a part of that.

Check what’s in the background of your shot, and the things that are drawing your eye - these are the things that customers and clients will be looking at. It’s also worth noting that you shouldn’t be able to see any personal information in the shot (think about what’s on the pin board or whiteboard behind you), as you may be breaking GDPR regulations. Services like Microsoft Teams give you the option of blurring your background, so you can keep everyone’s privacy intact.

‘Oops, you’ve frozen!’

There is nothing that kills a video call faster than an unstable internet connection. If the picture is freezing or the sound is cutting out, you’re likely to frustrate your customers and clients quickly. This is going to lengthen calls between your customer and your business, and it might also mean you move to telephone, which can seem less personal than a video call.

A wired internet connection is always going to be more reliable than using Wi-Fi, and it’s definitely something to prioritise if you’re talking to customers frequently over video chat. If you are depending on the Wi-Fi, think about where your router is positioned, and whether a TP-Link adaptor might be helpful to turn that wireless connection into a wired one. Also think about what pressure you’re putting on your internet connection - when there’s an important call going on, tell the kids to get off Netflix for an hour.

‘Were you trying to say something?’

One of the most difficult differences to manage between in person meetings and meetings over video call is the ability for multiple people to talk at once. On the majority of video chat platforms, the service prioritises a single person speaking. This means that you can end up with another person talking where sound isn’t coming through, or background noise overwhelming the chat. 

Whether it’s a video call with a fair few people in, or it’s a call that’s one-on-one, making space for others to speak is absolutely vital. Talking over another person is disruptive in a unique way over video calls, and as such we need to wait for one person to finish before we rush in to say our piece. As for background noise, consider using a pair of headphones over video chat. That way you can keep the content of the conversation completely private. 

‘Let me just get the door!’

Another key difference between remote working and working from the office is the way that interruptions are managed. In an office environment, you may be having a meeting in a closed space which people know not to disturb. From home, there are a number of things that can interrupt you; the doorbell, the dog and the kids to name a few.

Planning for these interruptions and deciding what you’re going to do in advance is one of the ways you can manage them. It’s impossible to control everything; sometimes that grocery delivery could arrive slightly early, or the dog could come bounding into the room barking - but contracting how you’re going to respond can help. Letting a customer know that the doorbell might go, or that you might have to ring them back in ten minutes allows the customer into the situation; the customer knows that you may be disturbed, and what will happen if you are. If you do agree to call them back, ensure you call them back on time! 

Tweet us @TranscenditUK


The Transcendit Way

Transcendit understand that when you choose to work with us, whether we're taking care of your IT, app or web development, you're trusting us with part of your business. So whether we're looking after your computers, phone systems or servers we always do things 'the Transcendit way'.

The whole of our team adhere to the same values, beliefs and policies - the principles that were written when Transcendit first formed in 2000. Whether you come to us for cloud services or recovery backup you can be confident that you'll always receive the same excellent service.

The Transcendit way outlines how we do business; following the same straightforward principles with every client and customer, regardless of how big or small they may be.

That means we get to know you and your business. We offer you a friendly, professional and efficient service, and we'll always be honest with you.
We understand that not everybody speaks fluent IT, so we try to explain things in a way that is simple and clear. We always spend as much time as is necessary explaining things to you.
If you need to talk to us about something, no matter how insignificant, we are only ever a phone call away – and we’re never too busy to make you a cup of tea and have a sit down with you in person.
We understand how frustrating it can be when things are late. When we schedule an appointment with you, we are there when you’re expecting us. If something prevents us from getting there, we always call you in advance to let you know.
Sometimes things can go wrong, but we never lie to you or try to cover something up. If things go askew we tell you what’s happened and how we plan to prevent it affecting your business.
We want you to continuously benefit from working with us. We regularly discuss your business and make suggestions for improving systems and processes wherever we can – but we never try to push you into a purchase.
When we quote a fixed price, that's always the amount we charge – you won’t find any nasty surprises on a bill from us. If you are paying by time and materials, we inform you if our approximations could change.
We understand the importance of privacy for your business and your customers. We respect the confidentiality of your data, and we will never pass on your information to third parties.
We appreciate it when you take the time to give us feedback. A system called CustomerSure records our client's responses, so you can trust that our reviews are from real people.
Find out what they're saying here.
We have been working with Transcendit since they started in business and they have never taken what they offer us for granted. Always first class professional service. Thanks to you all for the prompt attention and service. Bill Baty, Tech Set

Based on 12075 reviews our customers rate us 9.8/10. Reviews and ratings by Customersure. 09-October-2024

Transcendit are proud sponsors of CHUF, the Children's Heart Unit Fund.

Transcendit is a Living Wage employer
Transcendit is a Microsoft Gold certified partner
VMWARE partner
Vipre partner
IPCortex partner
WithSecure partner
DELL partner
Barracuda partner
Veeam partner
N-Able partner