10 Benefits of Zoom for Small Businesses, According to This CTO

RF Binder, an independent PR and consulting agency, has spent nearly 20 years using the power of words to address business challenges, build client reputations, and transform brands into market leaders. Communication is core to RF Binder’s identity, and the agency needed a top-notch voice and video solution to support its strategic work.

Tom Szauer, chief technology officer, implemented Zoom’s unified communications platform to connect more than 60 employees in multiple U.S. offices with clients around the world. With an intuitive, reliable, and easy-to-manage solution, his department now has “more time to focus on the business side of things rather than putting out fires or trying to help someone get on a conference call,” he said. 

Here’s how Zoom, Zoom Rooms, and Zoom Phone have helped RF Binder improve communication and collaboration, according to Szauer:

1. Easy, affordable plans

“With our legacy provider, it was cost-prohibitive for everyone to have a video conferencing license. So we shared accounts. You can imagine how complicated it was to set up a meeting. … It became a logistical nightmare. Now employees have their own Zoom account so they can schedule their own meetings and don’t need IT anymore.”

2. Seamless transition to video

“Not everyone was crazy about using video conferencing before. Lots of people tried to hide behind the camera. When we switched to Zoom, part of it was a culture change and giving people the choice between an audio conference and a video conference — you can decide on the fly. Zoom created a seamless experience, switching from a call into a video.”

3. Zoom Rooms’ ease of use

“When you actually see Zoom Rooms in action, you think it’s so simple, it’s impossible. You walk into a room and press a button and you’re connected. We have all our conference rooms integrated into the calendar. It’s so easy in a sense that you don’t really need dedicated or specialized IT support, and for a small business, that’s a big thing.”

4. Smooth Zoom Phone porting process

“When you talk about switching phone providers, the biggest thing is porting those numbers. The porting experience we had coming over from our old provider to Zoom —  it was by far the best experience I had, and I’ve done it a couple of times. It was done quicker than anticipated. Anyone who has dealt with that process before would appreciate the simplicity.” 

5. Intuitive user experience

“I see how well Zoom works on a day-to-day basis, how intuitive it is. Employees started experimenting with features I wasn’t even aware of. I wasn’t the first to use a virtual background — some other people figured it out. There are little things people see and use on their own and that tells me that Zoom is an intuitive platform.” 

6. Screen sharing and remote control

“We use Zoom as an IT troubleshooting tool. We start with a phone call, and if that’s not enough, we click on that camera, hop on screen share, and request remote control from the other person. It’s so easy. It’s not just a communications tool, it’s a help desk tool.”

7. Call and video quality

“People have told me that they really like the call quality. It’s pretty bandwidth-forgiving. My internet connection at home is not the greatest, having much less bandwidth available than I would have in the office, but Zoom Meetings and calls work and sound well. Personally, I prefer my Zoom Phone quality over that of a regular cell phone.”

8. Connecting employees

“We have a company-wide meeting on Zoom once a week. The first time we did this back in March, I was a little nervous. It has become a non-event, in a good way — it’s no biggie. People connect and it all works. We have games to bring people together. What I find amazing is how this has become the new normal for our people during COVID.”

9. A powerful administrative dashboard

“A co-worker had bad sound quality during calls and asked if we could figure it out. I have this cool dashboard where I can see everyone’s CPU usage, if there’s any delay or jitter on audio or video. We found out there was no issue with her internet connection, but her tablet was the weak point. It was easy to find out with the tools that are built in. I can manage everything centrally and view everything that’s going on and have statistics that help me point to where the issue is.” 

10. ‘Child’s play’ user management

“Setting up a phone on Zoom is child’s play. You don’t need any technical expertise to do it. I don’t like to call for support or file a ticket. I just want to do it myself and be done with it. With Zoom, I don’t have to call and say, ‘I need another license’ — I can just add it and it’s immediately available. From an IT admin perspective, that’s by far the best I’ve ever seen.”

Szauer’s favorite part? Fewer support calls allow his team to focus more on strategic projects that help grow the business. “When we do not get phone calls [for support], that’s the biggest praise we can get. Zoom just works.” 

Learn more about elevating communications for your small business. Zoom’s small- and medium-sized business plans allow you to deploy a unified communications solution that fits your needs.