Google Hangouts is making it easier than ever for employee and customer collaboration. Businesses with customers and employees in different locations are using Google Hangouts to connect and communicate digitally.
Starting with the Basics of Google Hangouts
The unified communications service is built into Gmail and Google+, with mobile apps available in Android and iOs devices. Here are the basics of starting with Google Hangouts:
- Set up a Google+ account if you don’t already have one.
- Create a professional profile.
- Connect with customers/clients as well as influencers in your industry.
- Download Google’s voice and video chat plugin.
- Make sure you have a quality webcam and microphone.
- Explore Hangout apps like +Cacoo and +Slideshare that allow you to do more with Hangouts.
- Click on the events button in the Google+ sidebar to create your event and invite clients/customers. The time and details of the event will be automatically added to their Google Calendar.
Some Ways You Can Use Google Hangouts
Once you’ve got the hang of Google Hangouts, you can start using it in other ways. Google Hangout’s most practical use is for setting up meetings with colleagues, clients and vendors. Meetings can include up to nine people and businesses can conduct team meetings with employees working from home or reporting from business events in different locations. This kind of private Hangout is very useful for coaching and consultancy work, collaboration with clients across different cities and customer service to troubleshoot issues via screen-sharing. Organise webinars to explain features of a new product or service to clients or have a Q&A session with new customers.
You can broadcast the webinars via public Hangout to share your expertise and supplement your sales efforts. Click To TweetIt can be a way to expand upon your marketing, as well as add videos to your business blog or website. You can use Google Hangout to record a meeting or presentation, and then post the video to YouTube.
Are you planning to launch a new product or service? Have you won an award? It’s a great way to engage customers through live experiences, create a buzz and generate online traction by announcing the news to the world. Google Hangouts popularity is quickly growing as more and more business owners realise its potential.
