How To Schedule Zoom Meetings Like a Pro

Zoom meetings have become ubiquitous in the modern work-from-home workforce. As COVID-19 sent employees out of offices en masse starting in 2020, services like Zoom witnessed meteoric growth.

In fact, Zoom‘s year-over-year quarterly revenue skyrocketed by 355% in 2020 as businesses rapidly adopted it for meetings and events. Analysts at Forrester now predict over half a billion participants around the globe will use the platform at least once per day by 2024.

With demand booming, it‘s never been more vital to schedule meetings seamlessly to connect remote participants via video call. This comprehensive guide will equip you to organize Zoom meetings like a pro.

Free vs Paid Zoom Plans

Before scheduling, it helps to understand Zoom‘s pricing tiers and included capabilities:

Now let‘s get into the step-by-step process for getting your meetings on the calendar…

Effortlessly Scheduling via Zoom Website

The quickest way to setup a meeting is by using your Zoom account web portal. Just follow these simple steps:

First, visit the Zoom signup page to register for a free account using your work email address. Once logged into the portal, navigate to the Meetings section on the left sidebar.

Next click the blue "Schedule a New Meeting" button to open up the scheduling form.

Here you‘ll be able to set the exact date and time, meeting duration (up to 24 hours for paid plans!), enable video, and various other settings to make sure your meeting is set up perfectly.

Tip: Make sure to enable the waiting room feature so you can vet attendees before allowing them to join.

When finished entering details, click Save and Zoom will generate a meeting invitation with all the information participants need to join. This invitation can be directly emailed to attendees or copied and pasted as needed.

Easy right? Read on to see how to handle scheduling through desktop and mobile apps next…

Effortlessly Scheduling via Desktop and Mobile Apps

While the web portal works great for getting meetings on the calendar, you can also leverage Zoom‘s desktop and mobile apps to start instant meetings or schedule in advance.

Here are some pro tips for making the most of the native apps:

Desktop App Tips

Install the Zoom desktop app for your Mac or Windows machine. Sign in using your credentials.

Use the prominent Schedule icon to setup your next meeting or webinar.

Enable the setting "Use Personal Meeting ID" so your custom ID becomes the default for all scheduled meetings. This makes it far easier for recurring attendees to recognize your meetings.

Mobile App Tips

On your iOS or Android device, install the Zoom mobile app from the App Store or Google Play store.

Tap the Schedule icon to start, set meeting topic, attendees, date and time as you would on desktop.

One cool mobile exclusive is the option to directly add the meeting to your native iOS or Android calendar app.

You‘ll then see it appear right alongside your other calendar appointments making it less likely to forget.

Recurring Meetings, Webinars, Breakouts and More

While run-of-the-mill meetings are fine, Zoom offers powerful additions to take your sessions to the next level:

Recurring Meetings

Setup meetings that happen on a regular cadence, like a daily standup or weekly one-on-one without having to repeatedly schedule each individually. Just toggle the recurrence switch when first creating the meeting to customize frequency and end date.

Webinars

Host large seminars or presentations with up to 10,000 view-only attendees. Webinars offer features like dedicated Q&A interactions or survey questions to engage the audience.

Tip: Need deep analytics on participation and engagement? Upgrade to a Webinars plan for access to enhanced reporting.

Breakout Rooms

Organize participants into smaller separate sessions that split off from the main meeting room to discuss specific topics amongst themselves before reconvening. Breakouts are perfect for brainstorms, focus groups or classroom group work.

Waiting Room

The waiting room should become an integral part of your meeting workflow. As attendees join, place them on hold until you‘re ready. Vet each user and only admit them individually or all-at-once when set to start. Prevents Zoombombing by uninvited guests.

Mute All

As host, instantly mute everyone‘s microphones with one click to avoid distracting background noise. Let attendees unmute to speak then toggle it back on so you stay in control. Much easier than having to manually mute individuals.

Troubleshooting Common Zoom Meeting Issues

While we all hope meetings proceed without incident, sometimes you may face technical hiccups:

Failed Meetings

If a meeting won‘t start, first confirm all attendees are on the latest version of Zoom across desktop/mobile. Next verify your internet speeds meet Zoom‘s system requirements and disable VPN if enabled.

As a last resort, ask your Zoom admin to switch database regions in the web portal Advanced settings. Sometimes clustered traffic in certain regions causes connection issues.

Video Lag or Low Quality

Choppy video is also tied to internet speeds or local area congestion. Where possible use a wired ethernet connection which is more reliable than WiFi. In video settings, reduce resolution to 720p if enabled higher. For mobile use 5Ghz WiFi bands over slower 2.4Ghz. If issues persist, try limiting other high bandwidth activities on your network during meetings.

Let‘s Connect!

I hope you found this guide helpful for getting a handle on expertly scheduling meetings and webinars within Zoom fast. With a few best practices, you‘ll be video conferencing smoothly in no time!

What topics would you like to see covered about Zoom next? Shoot me an email at [email protected]. I read every one and aim to help simplify your remote work needs.

Until next time,
Sarah, Certified Zoom Pro