Hoot Meetings’ parent company has seen several branding avatars over the decades. It first came into being as West Teleservices in the 1980s, expanding and going public over the next 20 years. Across 2002 and 2003, it acquired three companies to grow IP and scale its product portfolio. In 2006, the company was recapitalised as a private entity, and by 2017, it was brought under the ambit of an equity firm for a massive $5.2 billion valuation. Finally, West rebranded last year as Intrado – a cloud-based communication technology provider serving healthcare, life & safety, as well as UC scenarios.
And there’s been no looking back since then.
Intrado has launched several new products and features in quick succession, in the last twelve months – most recently, its Hoot Meetings offering. The company calls it a “reliable, on-demand hosted platform without high costs, infrastructure burden, and inflexibility,” perfect for a time when virtual meetings are at an all-time peak.
So, how does Hoot Meetings fare in a crowded market? Here’s our review.
Inside Hoot Meetings
Hoot Meetings was launched on October 7, 2020, following on the heels of Intrado’s acquisition of OnSIP in August. The move brought proven UCaaS capabilities to Intrado, ready for utilisation in a product that was in the works. Let’s review the product’s key features:
- Video-first meeting experiences – Intrado makes it very clear that Hoot Meetings is designed to be video-first. To make the experience as seamless as possible, the company has opted for a no-client interface. You don’t have to download or install any additional service or software to either host or join video meetings. This is a major improvement, given that most meeting platforms still require installation at least for the organiser/host
- Mobile applications – Hoot Meetings has mobile apps for both iOS and Android environments, which is impressive given how new it is in the market. The mobile UI is smartly designed, giving you at a glance access to key features like mute, video, speaker, and call join/exit
- Telephony and connectivity – Hoot Meetings offers a number of options for hosting a meeting. It is SIP-enabled, with tolled numbers across the US, Canada, and 54 other countries. Needless to say, there is VoIP support via whatever internet connections you might be using, with a few handy add-ons by Intrado
- Security – The company said that Hoot prioritises security “ above all else”. Security considerations are woven into every step of the user journey, from account registration to in-meeting controls, and even feature customisation. Intrado has also promised 24/7 expert support across all pricing tiers to resolve any issues quickly
- Usage thresholds – All Hoot Meetings pricing tiers come with unlimited calling, subject to a fair usage limit of 1000 minutes per month per user. You can add up to 100 participants per meeting, and each user gets 5GB of cloud storage (expandable). These numbers place it squarely at the centre of the pack – you might be able to find more recognised players with a higher limit, but this isn’t a bad place to start
Why Hoot Meetings Makes a Difference
Intrado has covered all its bases with Hoot Meetings. There is Dolby quality video and audio for fatigue-free experiences. The solution supports single sign-on (SSO) for quick, secure access. And, probably the most critical of all, there is a global cloud audio network that assures uninterrupted meetings for those in remote or poorly connected regions.
For IT admin roles, Intrado has included a user management module, automatic software upgrades, and detailed meeting analytics. Built-in cloud storage also means that you’ll be spending less on additional storage space even if you record every meeting and conversation.
Intrado’s design aesthetic and UX is meant for basic users, while Hoot Meetings’ under-the-hood features are good enough for even the most demanding power user.
“Hoot Meetings leverages the unique strength of Intrado’s ubiquitous global cloud audio network, ensuring our customers will always have audio access” – Patty Watson, President of Intrado Enterprise Collaboration
What We Think
Interestingly, Hoot Meetings doesn’t have a free forever plan. This might help the company turn RPI faster and route the funds towards improving the product and rolling out fresh features.
Plans start at $17.99 per user (host) per month if you opt for the Lite plan for a three-year contract. But we were happy to see that essentials such as meeting recordings, SIP, SSO, meeting URLs, admin, etc. are available with all plans/tiers. If you’re considering a switch from your existing meeting room provider – or want a solution that comes with domestic number sets out of the box – Hoot Meetings definitely deserves a look.
