Work calls have long gone beyond regular meetings — instead of getting lost in long correspondence and waiting for an answer, teams can quickly discuss tasks in real time via video conferencing services. However, despite their prevalence, calls can be both productive and, on the contrary, a waste of employees' time, which they could use to solve problems. That is why it is important to understand what types of work calls exist and what tasks they help solve.
In this article, we will take a detailed look at various types of meetings, such as daily calls, retrospectives, status meetings, and others, and provide recommendations on how to conduct them.
Why have calls become popular in corporate culture?
The history of video conferencing dates back to the development of video conferencing technologies in the early 2000s. Before the pandemic, video conferencing and work calls with several people were used mainly by large companies and tech startups. In smaller companies, these tools were less common due to their high cost and complexity of installation in the corporate infrastructure.
However, since the beginning of 2020, when the world faced a pandemic, the number of online meetings has increased sharply. , in 2021, about 60% of Russian companies used video conferencing for regular meetings. Between 2020 and 2021, the number of online meetings in Russia increased by more than 50% compared to 2019. Working video meetings allowed distributed teams “working remotely” to synchronize tasks, quickly solve them and maintain a sense of unity through the monitor screen.
Types of work calls and their features
The formats of work meetings may vary depending on the specifics of the company's activities. For example, in manufacturing companies, technical calls may be held to discuss the condition of equipment, and in the educational sphere, calls with students to collect feedback. We will highlight the most basic types, which can most often be adapted to different areas of business. Each type has its own characteristics, goals, format and time.
1. Daily call for teams
Daily calls are short daily planning meetings that are aimed at coordinating current tasks in the team, identifying problems and maintaining work dynamics. Most often, such meetings are arranged for several employees who interact with each other. For example, a product development team may meet every morning at 10:00 to discuss what was done yesterday, what is planned for today, and what are the main problems of the team members.
- Each participant speaks for no more than 2 minutes.
- At the end of the meeting, no more than 10 minutes for general questions.
2. Weekly Review
Weekly Review is a type of call that is necessary to summarize the week, evaluate the work done, discuss problems that have arisen, and plan work for the next week. For example, the marketing department meets every Friday to discuss the results of advertising campaigns, conferences and various activities for the week, as well as to draw up an action plan for the coming week and distribute the workload.
- Time: 30-60 minutes.
- Participants: the whole team + manager.
- Focus: specific achievements, conclusions + plans.
The approximate structure of the meeting is as follows:
- Results of the week (conversions, coverage, sales).
- Key successes and failures.
- Plans for the next week.
3. Status Meetings
Status meetings are held to assess the progress of projects. Not only company employees, but also clients involved in the project may attend such meetings. For example, a status meeting on launching advertising for a new product requires the presence of a project manager, marketer, target specialist, and the owner of the product itself. It is recommended to make status meetings as specific as possible.
- Duration - no more than 1 hour.
- Format: updating the status of tasks for each area of the project.
4. Retrospective
A retrospective not only helps improve processes, but also strengthens team culture, increases transparency and efficiency. The main goal of such calls is to analyze the work done and find growth points. Retrospectives are more often used in IT teams or in areas where it is important to regularly improve work processes and interactions between participants.
For example, a team has completed a large project and is holding a retrospective to discuss what went well and what can be improved. Each participant in the meeting should have the opportunity to speak up and share their opinion and, as a result, contribute to the improvement plan.
- Time: 1-1.5 hours
- Format: “What was good / What can be improved / What actions to take”.
5. Strategic sessions
Strategic sessions are calls of the company's top management to define long-term goals and strategy of the company. For example, when a company develops a plan to enter a new market, the participation of all department heads is required to ensure coordinated work to achieve a common result.
The meeting is prepared in advance, as a rule, with analytics, key points and materials for discussion.
- Format: presentations, brainstorming.
- Duration: depends on the specific issue, on average 2 hours or more.
6. One-on-One Calls
One-on-one meetings between a manager and an employee are needed to create a space for open dialogue, where you can discuss not only current work tasks, but also deeper topics such as development, motivation and improving work processes. They allow the employee to receive detailed feedback on their work, as well as share suggestions or difficulties. Communication with the manager makes the employee feel important and understands how his work affects the overall success of the company.
- Meeting duration: 30-60 minutes.
- Format: discussion, ideas, suggestions.
Video conferencing functions for productive calls
Modern video conferencing platforms play a key role in conducting business meetings. Here is the functionality that makes calls as effective as possible:
- Recording meetings. Reduces the time spent on clarifying information following calls.
- Real-time file sharing. Share presentations, reports, and other documents without switching between applications.
- Screen sharing. Ideal for demonstrating interfaces, graphs, or other data.
- Raise hand feature. Useful for large teams to avoid interrupting the speaker.
Advantages of holding business meetings in eXpress.ms
Superapp eXpress offers a secure corporate messenger with videoconferencing for companies of all sizes:
- Meetings can be held directly from chats, where all key participants are gathered.
- Customizable reminders. The system notifies participants in advance about upcoming meetings.
- Ability to record meetings.
- Flexibility. Suitable for both small team calls and larger conferences.
- Reactions and raising your hand during a meeting.
Work calls, conducted competently and taking into account the needs of all participants, help not only solve current problems, but also strengthen the team. Using professional tools such as eXpress.ms, allows you to organize meetings of any format and make them as productive as possible.
If you want to try eXpress for video conferencing in your company, use the free demo or contact us by phone for detailed advice.
