Zoom Offers Range of Services to Help Combat COVID-19
Zoom has offered a range of new services to help those affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. The news follows the shares of web conferencing tools climbing as persons affected by the outbreak are preferring to work remotely.
Key takeaways include:
- The 40-minute limit on meetings with more than two participants has been removed for Zoom’s Basic users in China.
- An assurance of maximum reliability amid capacity increases.
- A scheduling of informational sessions and on-demand resources to ensure training and support for Zoom’s platform.
- Providing free services and technical support to NGOs to help with disaster relief efforts; this includes using Zoom video webinars to train thousands of mental health counselors.
- Launching a Zoom video conference platform in cooperation with the China Educational Information Platform, supporting online education and research in China.
- Doctors are using Zoom’s high-definition video meetings for telemedicine enablement.
CEO Eric Yuan of Zoom commented: “It’s my responsibility as Zoom’s CEO — and Zoom’s unique responsibility as a company — to do everything in our power to support those impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.”
Source: SoftwareReviews Scorecard for Zoom. Accessed February 26, 2020
Our Take
It is welcome that Zoom is leveraging its position as one of the foremost web conferencing tools in the world to aid those impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak. Given web conferencing tools are booming from this potential global pandemic, it is only right that market leader Zoom should lead the way in social responsibility.
These additional features offered by Zoom center the web conferencing vendor as a reliable business continuity solution – at least in China. This is especially when Basic users in China can now have unlimited collaboration time over Zoom. Other web conferencing tools in a position to help those affected by COVID-19 must follow suit or risk their customers jumping ship to use the simplicity of Zoom’s platform.