Collaboration is becoming a more deeply ingrained part of the UC environment today. Whether it's video conferencing vendors building PBX and UCaaS solutions into their environment like Zoom, or fully-featured Teams applications, communication and collaboration go hand-in-hand.
Finding the right UC solution for your workforce in today's agile environment means choosing something that can help you to support everything from business growth to customer experience. However, with so many options available on the market, it's hard to know where to focus your attention.
Today, we're going to look at two of the most exciting options on the market: Zoom and Amazon Chime. Here's what you need to know about these smart meeting and UC solutions.
Zoom vs. Amazon Chime: User Experience
Let's start by looking at the thing that will decide whether your new tool achieves business-wide adoption or ends up at the top of a pile of unused investments. User experience will dictate how much value you can get out of your new UC opportunity.
Zoom is one of the easiest tools to access on the collaborative market. For years, it's been the one-stop solution for people who want quick and seamless video conferencing. All you need to do to invite someone to a meeting is send them a custom URL, and they can connect over the web in seconds. Zoom works on both computers and smartphone devices, and with the recently added UCaaS offering, you can even integrate Zoom with your phone system.
Zoom Phone offers global click-to-call functionality for businesses of all shapes and sizes, taking the complicated hardware out of the UC environment, and placing conversations in the cloud. There are toll-free numbers available across 55 countries, and dedicated dial-in numbers available. Features include:
- Integrated UCaaS with Zoom Phone
- Click-to-join cloud-hosted meetings
- No hardware or downloads necessary
- Toll-free VoIP in over 55 countries
- Smartphone or web-browser access
Amazon Chime is the UC solution offered by Amazon Web Services. Intended to give companies a way that their users can chat, meet, and collaborate in a single application, Chime offers companies the flexibility to build out their own productivity suite. You can add video conferencing, business calling, and more, and only pay for what you use.
With Amazon Chime Voice Connector, you can even link your new cloud-based meeting and conferencing solution to your existing PSTN lines and PBX system. That means that there's no rip-and-replace necessary. Scheduling meetings is a breeze with in-built calendaring functions, and you can even use Alexa to set up your meetings too.
Amazon Chime even works with most SIP solutions and H.323 video conferencing systems, so you shouldn't have trouble embedding it into your existing processes. Features include:
- Smartphone or web-browser access
- Voice assistant support with Alexa
- Amazon Chime Voice Connector to connect to your PSTN
- Easy meeting scheduling
- 323 and SIP video conferencing
Zoom vs. Amazon Chime: Team Experience
Both Amazon Chime and Zoom started as meeting or collaboration tools that evolved to offer UCaaS and calling services. This means that both solutions are excellent for giving you your teams the crucial collaborative experiences they need to boost productivity.
Zoom has always had a strong reputation for offering simple and immersive meeting experiences. With a click-to-join functionality that means anyone can get involved in a conversation in seconds, it has never been easier to collaborate. HD video meetings with Zoom support up to 49 webcams at once, and you can host audio conferencing sessions through Zoom Phone too.
To build more immersive meeting room experiences in your conference or huddle rooms, Zoom also collaborates with leading hardware providers around the world to provide Zoom Room packages. With everything from virtual whiteboards to state-of-the-art camera kits, you can build the perfect meeting space for your teams. There's also the Zoom Room Connector for companies that need features like interactive touchscreens and scheduling displays built-in. Capabilities include:
- Click-to-join meetings
- Calendar and scheduling integration
- Easy HD video conferencing
- Displays and whiteboarding
- File and screen sharing
- Instant messaging
- Full Zoom Room kits
Amazon Chime is another fantastic tool for collaboration. Today's businesses can use the service to chat with employees directly or through group rooms. Chat rooms include @mentions for specific participants, and access to 1:1 or group video calls. Additionally, there are "Smart Presence" features built-in to Amazon Chime to help employees manage their work/life balance.
With Amazon Chime, users can choose exactly how they want to communicate, whether it's via simple video meetings or voice calls. File sharing is available, and chatbots can be built into the chat rooms so that employees have an easier time accessing corporate information and applications without searching through endless tools. Additionally, everything integrates with Amazon Alexa for voice-based virtual assistant support. Features include:
