Teleconferencing is only one part of the Virtual Support Solution
Many support groups look to teleconferencing or chat solutions to serve as a way to host their online group conversations. But there is a catch.
While a good start, we think that if your group relies on Zoom, Skype, Hangouts or Facebook Groups … you may end up disappointed, spending time on manual administrative tasks, not taking advantage of new purpose-built support platforms, and doing a disservice to your members, employees, and others.
Teleconferencing software certainly allows your participants to participate in support groups via video or phone remotely and they offer standard standard features such as invitations and calendar integrations. But there are many “hidden” frustrations with these solutions that you typically only discover when using their services.
There is no community building with Zoom, Skype, or Hangouts. They are simply technologies and do not help you build a successful support community.
Most teleconferencing solutions require users to download and use their App on their device. This can be confusing and frustrating for many of us, including those that are not as technology savvy.
If your support group is used to sharing documents (meeting guidelines and agenda, industry information, classroom notes, etc) in live support, teleconferencing and FB groups do not give you that capability. Emailing different sets of documents to different facilitators and user groups can be a frustrating exercise.
How do you track participation in your groups with Teleconferencing? Can you get automated reporting? Most likely not.
Can you automatically capture and track group surveys and avoid paper shuffle? (e.g. how did the group work for you, what did you learn, how would you rate the facilitator)
Can you benchmark your facilitators on different types of groups they run and their review performance? Not with teleconferencing solutions.
Can you create waitlists and automated open-seat notifications with teleconferencing? No.
Can you collect donations with teleconferencing? No
Can you provide your members with the ability to track their mental wellness with teleconferencing and allow your organization to understand the impact (de-identified data) peer support is having on your participants? No
Can you provide a direct connection with your brand on your web site to the appropriate teleconferencing numbers inexpensively? No
Can your support members connect with each other for help in-between support groups on your teleconferencing line? No
Facebook Groups have the same drawbacks as teleconferencing solutions, but they scare many of us because of the lack of confidentiality (no anonymity on Facebook), their lack of data sharing controls, and their reliance on sending us advertisements.
Connect us at Peer Support Solutions if you want a complete comparison against popular teleconferencing solutions or Facebook Groups and create a free user account at Hey Peers to start and connect peer conversations.