Coaching online has become the norm. Many clients are more comfortable with hopping on a video calling app than setting up an in-person meeting because of its convenience and time efficiency.
Some life coaching clients even appreciate the healthy distance an online meeting room creates when they have to open up about their personal issues.
Now that video conferencing software has become a staple in the toolbox of service providers, it’s worth determining which works best for your business.
In this article, we’ve gathered the best virtual meeting platforms for 1-on-1 or small meetings that coaches and consultants can use to make their sessions more effective and engaging.
What are Virtual Meeting Platforms?
Virtual meeting platforms are online tools that connect you with your clients and team members when you can’t (or prefer not to) meet in person. You might have heard of them as video chat platforms, video call apps, or video conferencing apps.
These digital tools are handy when scheduling discovery sessions, coaching and consulting calls, or meetings with your team. Many clients prefer to hop on a call instead of commuting to a meeting location, even if they are in the same city as you are.
Let’s be honest: working from home does save a lot of time.
[ Read: 9 Client-Converting Questions to Ask In Every Discovery Session ]
Virtual video apps make it possible to speak to other people through audio or video calls, record your meetings, and share presentations with them—pretty much everything you would do offline.
Note that these platforms are different from virtual conference platforms designed to organize events for a large group of people. You can read more about those in the following guide.
[ Read: How to Choose a Virtual Conference Platform + the 4 Best Options for Coaches]
How to Choose a Video Conferencing Software
When choosing a virtual meeting platform for your client and team meetings, consider a few key criteria.
Connection Quality
We all know how a frozen screen or talking over each other because of delayed audio can ruin the flow of a meaningful discussion. The best video chat apps are designed to remain stable even when internet speed drops on either side of the call.
Easy Implementation
The right video chat app should be intuitive to navigate for you and for the people who attend your calls. The best online meeting platforms make it fast and easy to set up calls, automatically send calendar invites to attendees, and join meetings with a single click.
A Plan That Works for You
Most video conferencing software allows you to set up free meetings between one or a few people. However, some limit the length of your call on a particular invite unless you subscribe to their premium plan.
Check what’s included in your subscription so your meetings and sessions aren’t cut short halfway through a conversation.
Extra Features You Might Need
Do you want to make your meetings more engaging with live reaction emojis, polls, and virtual whiteboards? Perhaps you need to record your calls or automatically set up recurring meetings? Do you need a VOIP service?
Think about what features you need for the various online meetings in your schedule, and pick the video app that provides these options.
[ Read: These Are the Pros & Cons of the 9 Best Webinar Platforms for Coaches]
6 of the Best Online Meeting Platforms for Coaches and Consultants
Zoom
Zoom is the most widely used video calling app for large group meetings and one-on-one sessions with clients. It gained even greater popularity during the pandemic due to its flexible features, stable connection, and easy use. Zoom works both in your browser and on its dedicated app for desktop and mobile.
You can invite anyone to your Zoom meeting with a link without them having to set up an account. If you share your meeting link publicly, you can also password-protect meetings.
The downside is that Zoom’s free plan now limits 1-on-1 meetings to 40 minutes, so if your meetings are likely to run longer, you’ll need to invest in one of its premium options.
Zoom has nifty features that make group coaching sessions easier to navigate, such as polls, whiteboards, and reports. You can also set up “breakout rooms” for your exercises so that participants can split into smaller groups and rejoin your main meeting.
Snapchat-style filters and custom backgrounds can make meetings fun (or hide the mess in your living room). You can also explore Zoom One if you need a more unified communications platform.
Your meeting recordings will have automated transcripts. This will make it easier for your clients to review their session and for you to look up a particular topic discussed in the conversation later. You can also turn on live captions during the meeting itself.
Best of all, Zoom integrates with Paperbell, so when your clients schedule their next session with you, Paperbell automatically sends them a calendar invite with a Zoom link. If you haven’t tried Paperbell, you can take it for a free test run with your first client and see how you can manage all your contracts, scheduling, payments, and more on a single platform.
Google Meet
Google Meet is the virtual meeting platform developed by Google. You can set up meetings directly in your Google Calendar, and your session recordings will be saved to your Google Drive.
Participants who don’t have a Google account can open your calls directly in their browser and access them. However, they cannot join from their mobile device.
A great feature of Google Meet is that it shows how your camera appears before you join a meeting—just in case you accidentally leave your laundry in the frame.
The premium plans of Google Meet also provide some additional features like noise cancellation or a Jamboard to visualize your ideas. You can have up to 15GB of free storage space with Google Drive and buy more from $2 a month if you need to keep lengthy call recordings for future reference.
Paperbell also provides a native Google Meet integration.
Skype
Skype used to be a household name among virtual meeting platforms. However, it has lost popularity due to the innovative new features launched by Zoom and Google Meet.
Nevertheless, it’s still an excellent free tool for those looking for a simple video chat app with the most essential features and who want to invite ten or fewer participants.
You can record your calls, share files, and present your screen. Skype offers a simple, straightforward interface that’s easy to set up for your clients. Although, they do need to install the app to connect with you.
Still, if the essentials are all you need and you don’t want to worry about running out of call time on your free plan, Skype is a great alternative. To integrate Skype with Paperbell, just include your Skype handle in the “Meeting URL” field.
Slack
Slack is a popular messaging app that teams of all sizes use to communicate with each other and collaborate on projects. It also has a steady call feature that you can use to call anyone who joins your Slack space, including groups of up to 14 people in your channels.
Slack can be an excellent option for consultants working with external teams that use the app. This way, you can be involved in the team’s day-to-day communication and immediately start calls from the app.
You can also set up group coaching programs in Slack, share materials with your participants, and create a space for them to talk about their progress. Slack lets you start group calls from the app and send automated reminders about exercises and call times. You can make work and communication of your team much easier with best slack apps.
Talky
Talky is the simplest solution for setting up and joining client video meetings. It doesn’t require any downloads. Instead, it generates a unique room URL to connect with up to six participants at a time.
Your client doesn’t need to be tech-savvy to join your meeting; they can simply open the link in their browser. They might need to permit their browser to use their camera and microphone, but that’s all there is.
You can get creative with your Talky room URL or use your brand name to keep it professional. Apart from the essential screen-sharing function, Talky has no fancy features, but that is what you and your clients need to hop on a call without the hassle.
To integrate Skype with Paperbell, insert your Talky room URL in the “Meeting URL” field.
FreeConference
Although less known than other popular virtual meeting platforms, FreeConference has been around since 2000 (longer than all the others on this list). It’s free video conferencing software that doesn’t require any download or plugin; you can simply open it from your browser. Unlike many other apps that are entirely free, it’s secure and private due to the company’s commitment not to give out your information to third parties.
FreeConference comes with meeting recordings and transcripts called Smart Meeting Summaries that let you quickly retrieve any details from your meetings. They also enable document sharing and presenting, live chat, whiteboards, etc. You can hop on a call with your client instantly from your account or schedule a call for later.
To integrate FreeConference with Paperbell, insert your FreeConference link in the “Meeting URL” field.
Bonus Tool: RingCentral
RingCentral Video Pro is free virtual meeting software that allows you to connect with your clients worldwide. It will enable you to host unlimited HD audio and video meetings with up to 100 participants. The software has a dedicated mobile and desktop app that you can use on any device.
With the RingCentral app, you can conduct one-on-one sessions with your clients or even have group meetings. Your clients can join meeting sessions using any browser, so they don’t need to worry about downloading the app.
If you want to level up your coaching sessions, you can upgrade to RingCentral paid plans: RingCentral Video Pro+ for meetings with up to 200 participants and RingCentral MVP for a complete cloud phone system with advanced Voice over IP features such as call log reports and voicemail-to-email.
The Best Overall for Coaches: Google Meet
If we had to choose just one platform to start with as coaches, it would be Google Meet. The free plan allows you to host calls with up to 100 participants and has no time limit, which should be enough for most coaches.
If you’re already using Gmail and Google Calendar, it’s nice to keep everything in one place. Plus, it integrates with Paperbell.
We hope you found what you needed in this guide and are ready to facilitate meaningful coaching conversations on the app of your choice.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in January 2023 and has since been updated for accuracy.
