Over the past two years, we have all had to make some adjustments. From welcoming virtual boardrooms for team meetings to converting our homes into offices, the COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically changed how we plan, execute, and attend meetings.
This shift has also changed the way we work and has forced many organisations to rethink how they design and communicate critical information.
Meeting Management Software usage has seen a significant increase within local government over the years. With the ability to streamline the entire process, automate approvals and increase community participation – it is becoming widely adopted and frequently used to run effective council meetings.
But with endless features and an abundance of solutions – how can you ensure you’re choosing the right meeting management solution to suit your needs? How can you make the most out of the key features and run successful council meetings that benefit council staff, elected members, and the community?
Here is an overview of the three must-haves for successful Meeting Management Software.
1. The option to host Hybrid Meetings
With more Australians now working from home and video conferencing technology becoming commonplace, adding a virtual component to your physical meetings is not only becoming the new norm but somewhat expected.
Hybrid Meetings provide you with the best of both worlds and offer the ultimate in accessibility. You can engage with communities from a venue of your choice while connecting with those virtually from anywhere with audio and video. It’s simply a matter of attendees logging in to your portal with personalised joining details. Providing online access to your council meetings combined with a seamless registration process can result in increased attendance and, in some cases, participation.
While the benefits of hybrid meetings are evident, offering a virtual component can also add a layer of complexity to your council meetings. It’s essential to utilise software that is intuitive and easy to use. Meeting administrators need access to built-in solutions to easily track, view and manage comments and votes from all parties. Attendees should be provided with community portals that allow easy viewing and access to information. from any device.
If electronic voting is required during the meeting, Councillors should have easy access to a portal to conduct electronic roll calls and initiate voting with nothing more than a few clicks. Eliminating time-consuming tasks, especially during a live meeting, is essential in maintaining flow and professionalism.
Live Streaming and recording features allow your content to live well beyond your initial meeting. Your physical meetings are no longer just a moment in time as virtual components enable you to make them available on-demand and accessible to viewers well beyond the face-to-face interaction. Accessible meetings which can be easily navigated will allow you to continue to increase community participation and share your message.
2. Integrated Video for easy distribution and enhanced viewing
We have gone from a society that once opted for audio meetings to one that embraces the power of video conferencing and all it has to offer. We’re also more comfortable with viewing video meetings across various devices and have come to expect high-quality and a streamlined viewing experience.
When it comes to council meetings, administrators should be able to distribute content quickly, and members should be able to view and interact with ease.
With so many moving parts involved in each meeting, integration between agendas, minutes, and video content is essential. The constant logging in and out of various portals to edit, publish and create can become frustrating for stakeholders and only increase inefficiencies.
Eve Newbegin from Baw Baw Shire Council says an end-to-end platform is critical for executing seamless meetings.
“Our previous meeting management solution had no integration, which meant we had separate portals to upload agendas, minutes, and video content. Having all the components in one easy-to-use platform means everything is available in live time, there’s no lag, and it can be achieved with a simple click.”
Members should be able to view meetings easily and access all content from one central location. The ability to view and download agendas and minutes and use search filters to find information quickly is great, but you can enhance the experience even further by offering integrated video capabilities that automatically connect with supporting documents.
Consider using meeting technology that allows members to skip straight to bookmarked sections on streamed video based on the information they are interested in. These sections can be timestamped to their corresponding discussion points within your minutes or meeting agenda. This level of integration provides viewers with an easy way to navigate to areas of interest and offers complete control and ease of use.
3. The ability to access from anywhere, and from any device
Remote and flexible working arrangements have driven the need for instant access to internal software and programs. But accessing and using day-to-day technology needs to be easy and shouldn’t require the need of IT departments to assist with setup and regular usage.
Browser-based Meeting Management Software that provides immediate access in one centralised portal speeds up creation, simplifies the process, and enhances the overall user experience. It also provides transparency and open communication to the public by allowing them to view, download and search for information from mobile devices without the need to download additional apps or software.
The benefits are apparent when agendas, minutes, and meeting content can effortlessly be accessed and updated by all stakeholders. From Report Writers to Agenda Approvers and Councillors – the ability to log in, create and edit from any device in any location is a must-have.
Meeting Management Software can be a powerful tool to modernise your council meetings, increase transparency and build community trust. But as with any software, how you leverage the features will ultimately define its success.
Discover how Resolve can help your council streamline your agenda creation process, automate approvals and increase community participation.