Zoom Smarter, Not Harder: The Features We’re Missing

Zoom, I understand you have a report that is available after the meeting has ended - my suggestion is for meeting efficiency in real-time. You may already have something in the works, but if not, here you go:

I’ve been a fan of Zoom long before the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic made it a household name. Even back then, I felt Zoom truly understood the assignment. Its simplicity, ease of navigation, and reliability made it my go-to video conferencing tool. If you’re still not using Zoom, you’re genuinely missing out.

That said, there’s one feature I believe Zoom desperately needs: automated roll call in real-time.

If you work at a large company or frequently host Zoom meetings with sizable guest lists, you know the pain of pausing a meeting to figure out who’s missing. It’s disruptive and time-consuming to manually scroll through the participant list or send chat messages asking, “Are we waiting on anyone?”

An automated roll call feature could seamlessly notify hosts or moderators of attendee statuses: who’s joined, who hasn’t, and when someone drops off. Better yet, it could trigger automatic reminders or alerts for missing participants, integrated with tools like Slack, Google Chat, or even email. Imagine a quick ping with the meeting link included. No more babysitting or back-and-forth just to get the right people in the room.

Let’s be real, people forget. They get busy, caught up in work, or lose track of time. But this kind of smart feature could keep meetings flowing without putting the burden on the host.

It’s simple. It’s necessary. And it’s well within Zoom’s capabilities. Prioritizing an automated roll call upgrade would be a game-changer for professionals everywhere. And I have a vision for an IOS and Android update that is the must have video conferencing accessory.

Oh, and while I have your attention…

Can we talk about the waiting room feature for a second? Zoom, let’s add a little jazz, literally. How great would it be to play some funky elevator music or even a custom pre-recorded audio or video for attendees while they wait? A quick welcome message, meeting agenda, or just something to set the vibe. Why can’t we vibe with Zoom?

We know you got the tech. Let’s make it personal, engaging and A LOT more fun.