This isn’t the time to let your Zoom game slide. Even as companies announce returns to the office this fall—which still seems iffy, given the speed at which the Delta variant is changing the pandemic equation—most appear to be offering hybrid opportunities for at-home work. Which means virtual meetings will continue to be essential. And Zoom meetings in particular will continue to dominate. This week the company introduced Zoom Apps, which has the potential to really change the way you use Zoom.
Hasn’t there already been a marketplace of apps that integrate with Zoom? Yes. But Zoom Apps are different. While integrations featured in the past allow other platforms to hook into Zoom, apps actually run within Zoom. They function on the Zoom screen just as they would outside of Zoom. So everyone on the call can use them together in real-time.
A great example of why Zoom Apps matter is Miro, the popular shared whiteboard platform. In the past, if your team was brainstorming on Miro during a Zoom meeting, everyone would use Miro together in another tab while talking on the Zoom call. While this worked, it created a disjointed experience. Now, with the Miro app running within Zoom, the whiteboard appears where normally a shared screen would, front and center. Everyone remains focused on the single Zoom screen as they whiteboard together. No more switching tabs.
At launch, 26 apps were available in the marketplace. To find them, head to the Zoom Marketplace, and click on the Zoom Apps category on the left of the screen. Two apps that particularly caught my interest are Dot Collector and Sesh.
Zoom founder Eric Yuan personally promoted Dot Collector. It’s the brainchild of Ray Dalio, founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates and author of Principles. His company’s unusual practices and culture have gained attention and admiration in recent years. Dot Collector brings into Zoom meetings one of Dalio’s management principles, to provide constant feedback to employees. During a meeting—whether a small group or a town hall—attendees can click on attributes demonstrated by other participants and then can write a note. Attributes are all positive, and they include qualities like Inclusive, Communicates Well, and Adapts to Change. A dashboard displays the feedback you’ve accumulated. If this scares you, you’re probably not alone. But consider that attributes are all positive. And wouldn’t it be cool to know what people are thinking but not saying?
Sesh is a productivity app designed to help your Zoom meetings run on time, accomplish your stated goals, and include everyone. You create your agenda within Sesh, and it generates a link to include in your calendar invite. Then during the meeting, a visual agenda helps you adhere to parameters you’ve set up for each item. Going overtime? It’s glaringly obvious. Need an icebreaker? Sesh generates them for you. Are some people dominating the conversation? Sesh tracks the time each person speaks, which opens the opportunity to encourage others to share their thoughts. (As a quiet person, I particularly like this!) If you balk at structure in meetings, you may not like this app. But perhaps that’s an indication you may need it.
It’s well worth taking a stroll through the Apps Collection in Zoom’s Marketplace to see what might work for your own meetings. The offerings range from transcription (e.g. Rev) to games (e.g. Heads Up). No doubt the collection will grow quickly, too. With virtual meetings now a permanent part of the business fabric, leaders can’t afford not to tap into new tools to make them more effective.