In the past few months I have come across a few organizations that use Google Workspace for email, calendars, and files, but also use a third-party app — specifically Zoom — for meetings. In any case, Zoom started using Zoom at a time when Google Meet hadn’t yet added a feature people wanted, such as recording, breakout rooms, or host checks.
My recommendation to any organization using Google Workspace alongside a third-party video conferencing app is that it’s time to revisit Google Meet. Google Meet now includes key features it once lacked. For people using Google Workspace, switching to Meet from a third-party conferencing system eliminates the need to frequently switch back and forth to a separate app.
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In addition, Google has made Google Meet and its many advanced features more and more available to more people. Where Google Meet started as a Workspace app for people in organizations, it is now available to everyone. Likewise, some features — such as background noise cancellation — that were once only available on more expensive plans are now available on many more plans and accounts. And in early July 2022, Google made enhanced calling features from Meet available to Google One Premium subscribers as well.
If you’re using Google Workspace and Google Meet isn’t, I think the meeting tools, integration with Workspace apps, and ease of use can all make you reconsider. And if you pay for a third-party conferencing app in addition to Workspace, you may be able to eliminate that cost.
Note: Different editions of Google Meet offer different features. Please check your subscription or contact your Google Workspace administrator if a feature below is not available for your account.)
Why you should switch to using Google Meet
Easy to get started
Google Meet works in a web browser you probably already use: Chrome. What you may not know is that Google Meet also works well in Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge. That makes Meet much easier to maintain than meeting apps that require an app download or plugin, which then require a new download or install when those apps change. If you’re using a modern browser and keep it up to date, you’re all set with Meet. Google Meet is also available for Android and Apple mobile devices.
People who use Workspace will find that there are many places where they can access Meet. Using Gmail? Open Meet from the menu. Using Google Docs, Sheets or Slides? Start a Meet session to discuss your document with video next to your file. Using spaces? Start Meet to video conference with your team (Image A).
Image A
Deeply integrated with Calendar and other Workspace apps
Google Meet is the easiest meeting system to use with Google Calendar. You can configure Calendar to add a Meet link to every appointment you create. Even if you choose not to, it only takes one click or tap to add a Meet link to a Calendar event (Figure B). No need to cut and paste conference links from third-party apps. If you use bookable appointment schedules, you can configure the system to provide a Meet link for each appointment as well.
Figure B
Meet also helps you track attendance, which can be especially helpful as the number of attendees grows. A calendar guest list feature added in 2022 will help you make sure people are there before you start working through a calendar. After your meeting ends, the event creator can choose to receive an attendee list, which shows exactly when people joined and when people left the meeting.
Active meeting tools
Google Meet includes several tools that promote active engagement during video conferencing sessions (Figure C). For example, a simple show of hands can indicate a desire to speak, which is especially helpful in encounters with many people. Breakout rooms allow hosts to split a session into smaller groups with assigned or randomly selected sections and then return to the main meeting. Polls allow people to vote on topics. The Q&A system structures incoming questions. Jamboard lets participants draw, type, or add notes on a collaboration board that people can access even after the meeting ends. Chat naturally allows people to respond – individually or for the group – without interrupting the flow of the session.
Figure C
Host controls make it possible to add co-hosts and manage what people are allowed to do in the meeting. This way, multiple people can work together to manage a meeting, instead of one person having to oversee all the administrative tasks in a meeting. For example, a host can manage whether participants are allowed to share their screen, chat, or turn on video or audio.
Useful Meeting Technologies
Google Meet has several features that make the overall meeting experience better for everyone. Enable automatic captioning and the system will decipher speech and convert it into text displayed on the screen (Figure D).
In fact, real-time translation for multiple languages is also part of the captioning system. Noise and reverberation reduction try to minimize distraction from ambient noise and echo, respectively. Background blurring and images make it possible for people to hide or replace their surroundings, which can help maintain privacy.
Figure D
Google Meet also helps you address potential bandwidth issues by lowering the video resolution when your internet connection is slow. You can also choose to turn off video altogether and use Meet as an audio conferencing system. Dial-in numbers make it possible to participate in a Meet session with a phone call.
Recordings, storage and search
If you choose to record a Google Meet session, which is an option on many organizational versions of Workspace, the recordings are saved in a folder on Google Drive. This ensures that you can access and manage all your meeting files in the same place where you keep all your other files. In mid-2022, Google added the ability to find Meet-related files when using the new app: search term “Google Meet” (Digits E).
Digits E
What is your experience with Google Meet?
I think most organizations using Google Workspace will probably benefit from the integration, easy access, and centralized storage of recordings that Google Meet offers. But what has been your experience with Google Meet? If you use Google Workspace, are you using Google Meet or a third-party meeting tool? If you use a system other than Meet, which feature do you depend on? When was the last time you thoroughly evaluated Google Meet?
Message me or mention me on Twitter (@awolber) to let me know about your experience with video conferencing and Google Meet.
