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Meetings are changing. With the pandemic confining many of us to our homes, meetings are more difficult to hold than ever. It isn’t just the fact that we do not see our teammates face to face. We also have to deal with back-to-back calls, inefficient scheduling systems, and shoddy after-meeting notes.
This is why it is important to find the right tools that make your meetings more productive. Luckily for us, many apps are doing just that.
Here are six cool productivity apps for your next meeting.
Calendly
Finding a common time for a meeting can be very hard. Nowadays, everyone’s schedules vary. This gets even worse when you factor in different timezones.
Here is where Calendly can help. Calendly is a useful software for scheduling meetings quickly. This reduces the time you need to spend on sending emails back and forth. You can then really focus on what truly matters.
Calendly provides many useful features. For instance, each user gets a personalized booking link. This link can then be sent to other people to book meetings. You can also activate custom notifications and use Calendly to organize group and collective meetings.
Even better, it is completely free for individuals that want to start using Calendly. Small teams that need more advanced features can consider the Premium plan at US$8 a month. Those with more scheduling needs can take up the popular Pro plan, which goes for US$12 a month.
Butter
With Covid-19, online calls have become a personal mainstay. Many teams are still trying to adapt to the new normal of video meetings. Luckily, platforms like Butter provide solutions we need to hold engaging and productive video calls.
Founded in 2020, the app features an Agenda feature that helps your team stay on task. Breakout rooms can also be created for more focused discussions. Other features like polls, queues, and reusable meeting rooms make for a smoother meeting experience. Butter even integrates with other apps like Miro and Google Drive. Right now, you can try Butter for free during its free trial period.
Around
Another app focused on video calls is Around. Also known as the ‘floating head’ app, Around crops participant windows into circles. This also reduces distractions in the background. Meetings then become focused on what truly matters — the people. The goal is to make everyone in the meeting feel like they are truly part of the group.
Around also has a nifty feature that uses artificial intelligence to suppress background noises. This auto-mute function prioritizes human voices, so that your meeting is not disrupted. It even integrates with other apps like Slack! Want to try Around? It is currently in public beta and free to use.
Miro
Collaboration can be very hard when you do not get to see your teammates in person. Miro solves this problem by creating an online whiteboard. This makes it much easier to visualize and discuss ideas for any team.
The Miro app allows for real-time collaboration. It does not matter whether you are seated next to your teammate, or located in different time zones. Miro provides an intuitive and engaging experience. The web-based canvas is infinitely zoomable, allowing you to both see the big picture and also iron out micro details.
The app also offers privacy and security features. And, as is essential for any team nowadays, it integrates with tools like Dropbox, Google Suite, Slack, and JIRA. The most basic plan is completely free and allows up to three editable boards. More advanced pricing plans start at US$8 per member per month and US$16 per member per month.
Pitch
Another process that is not easy when you are working remotely is making presentations. Often, one team member is in control of the presentation software. Then, they have to share their screen just so the others can see what is going on. And this whole process may even be riddled with technical difficulties.
Pitch tackles this by combining productivity, design, and presentation into a single software. Their goal? To enable every team’s best thinking. The Pitch app streamlines the workflow of presenting so that teams can create beautiful decks in a quick and easy way. Among its features is the ability to embed videos from YouTube and Vimeo. You can also add content from Unsplash and Giphy, and even upload custom fonts.
Currently based in Berlin, the startup boasts investors such as Instagram’s founders, the Slack Fund, and Eric Yuan, the founder of Zoom. The Starter plan is completely free, while the Pro plan is priced at US$8 per member per month.
Meetric
Ever came out of a meeting feeling like you have forgotten everything? You are not the only one. Though we all know that meeting minutes are important, our notes are sometimes slipshod and do not provide any information.
This is where Meetric comes in. Unlike other note-taking apps, Meetric is specially made with meetings in mind. The app allows you to prepare your agenda before the meeting so that everyone will stay on task. It also allows you to assign tasks to yourself and other meeting guests. Once the meeting is over, it is easy to search back for past meeting notes and decisions. Other features, like the built-in meeting timer, also make meetings less stressful for the team.
Meetric also automatically integrates with Google Calendar and Google Meet via a handy extension. This makes it completely hassle-free to take useful, detailed meeting notes. Even better? It is currently in public beta and completely free to use!
