When you hear the word “meeting” do you picture a conference room? Or a video chat? If you work in tech, chances are, it’s the second one. We’ve come a long way from sitting around a conference table, to now sitting at our laptops, calling in from basically anywhere there’s Wi-Fi. And because of the evolution of remote work, virtual teams have more ways than ever to stay connected.
Whether your team is based in one city, or sits dispersed across the country (or globe), it’s easy to stay connected with daily or weekly calls, and a lot of teams like the face-to-face connection you get from a video chat. If your team meets virtually, you can supercharge your connectivity with meeting tools that have built-in interactive software features, like collaborative whiteboards, real-time note-taking, and shared document editing.
How do team meeting apps help with collaboration?
For software dev team leaders, using the right meeting app can be a game-changer. Whether it's for a data sync, weekly meeting, or Scrum event, smart meeting apps can help you stay on track, helping to bridge the miles (literally) between your team members.
If you’re looking for ways to infuse your agile meetings with technology that amplifies collaboration, we’re here to help, with our top 5 picks for the best meeting apps Agile teams can use to meet and connect.
But first, here’s a quick look at some of the ways the right team meeting app can make a difference in your Agile organization:
Centralized communication
Ever tried managing a project where messages fly across five different platforms? It’s like trying to catch confetti in the wind.
A centralized platform changes the game. By consolidating discussions, queries, and updates, you pave the way for clear, streamlined communication. As we all know, real-time communication is crucial in the Agile world. Quick decisions, faster pivots, and better results — all courtesy of a unified communication hub.
Structured collaboration
Team meeting apps can help keep meetings on track, preventing chaotic and off-topic discussions. With built-in structures, like specific agendas and time boxes, your meetings are organized and productive. Some even integrate with your calendar, so every minute is accounted for.
Easier follow-up and recordkeeping
Gone are the days when you had to rely on scribbled notes or faded memories. Automated meeting minutes, task assignments, and recordings now come to the rescue.
With these tools, revisiting past discussions, clarifying decisions, or delegating follow-up tasks becomes a breeze. Having a library of all your brilliant brainstorming sessions and essential documentation just a click away makes things easier to access than ever before.
Features the best team meeting apps have for Agile teams
Ready to turbocharge your team meetings? One of the keys to the Agile methodology is, it’s not just about having a good tool; it’s about wielding one that perfectly complements your team’s workflow.
The best meeting apps (including Spinach 😉) bring the right set of tools and features to the table. Here’s a look at our criteria for choosing the top 5 meeting apps for this article:
Integration with Agile tools
We're not here to manually switch between tabs and apps like some digital juggling act! Seamless integration with tools your team already uses means that backlog grooming, sprint planning, and all the other critical processes take place in real-time. No more scrambling to update another platform, no more data disparity — just streamlined, efficient workflows.
Task tracking and action items
Meetings without actionable takeaways are basically just interesting conversations! Task tracking ensures that ideas become to-dos and action items turn into completed tasks.
With Spinach on your team, your tasks are outlined and their progress is trackable. So, the next time someone asks, "Who's doing what?" Spinach will chime in with the answer, ensuring everyone's on the ball.
Ease of use
Let's face it: your team is a diverse group of superstars, each with their unique strengths. While some might be tech wizards, others might prefer things straightforward and simple. That's why user-friendly interfaces are non-negotiable.
Spinach, for instance, doesn't make you jump through digital hoops. It's intuitive, straightforward, and designed with everyone in mind. Because, at the end of the day, the tool should adapt to the team, not the other way around.
The top 5 team meeting apps
Ready to take a look at our list of the best 5 meeting apps for Agile teams? Each app included in this article offers a different set of features, but all of them integrate seamlessly with Spinach, so you can have an AI Scrum Master at all of your meetings.
1. Microsoft Teams
Microsoft Teams is like the multi-tool of the digital collaboration world. Built as a hub for teamwork, Teams integrates chat, video conferencing, and file storage.
Agile teams will appreciate that Teams has customizable tabs and connectors, which can bridge with tools like Jira and Azure DevOps.
Plus, Spinach integrates easily with the Microsoft Teams app, so you can get instant summaries, action items, and ticket suggestions from every meeting, saving you time and supercharging your productivity.
2. Zoom
“Let’s Zoom” became synonymous with video meetings for a reason! With its easy-to-use video conferencing platform, breakout rooms, and webinar functionalities, Zoom keeps teams connected globally.
Though not natively built for Agile, its marketplace has plugins that cater to Agile ceremonies. And here's the best part: Zoom and Spinach go hand-in-hand with integration capabilities, ensuring that your virtual stand-ups and retrospectives are powered up! Spinach comes to all your Zoom meetings and captures the key details for you, so you can spend less time documenting decisions, and more time delivering results!
3. Google Meet
From the tech giants at Google, Google Meet offers secure and HD-quality video meetings. Integration with G-Suite means docs, sheets, and slides are always within reach. While its native features aren't particularly Agile-centric, external plugins can join the fun to make it a great fit for your team.
And yes, you guessed it! Spinach integrates flawlessly with Google Meet. All you have to do is run a great meeting, and Spinach does the rest, summarizing and organizing the key decisions and action items so nothing falls through the cracks.
4. Slack
Slack is more than just a chat app; it's where work happens. Channels, direct messaging, and file-sharing capabilities are just the tip of the iceberg. Plus, you can easily join audio or video chats using the Huddle feature.
With its extensive app directory, you can plug in Agile-specific tools for sprint planning or task management. And of course Spinach integrates seamlessly, delivering instant meeting summaries and action items directly in Slack, so you never have to toggle between apps to see the outcome of your meetings. Having an AI Scrum Master on your team makes Slack an even more powerful hub for your Agile workflow!
5. GoToMeeting
Favored by many for its simplicity, GoToMeeting offers web conferencing with HD video. Features like hand raising and screen sharing make collaborative sessions engaging.
Its integrations and plugins can be tailored to suit Agile team needs, making sprint reviews and other ceremonies a piece of cake.
Tips to make team meetings even more effective
Now that you have a better understanding of the best meeting app options, we have some expert tips on how you can supercharge all of your Agile meetings.
Integrate with useful tools like Spinach
As an AI Scrum Master, Spinach steps in to facilitate all your meetings, from sprints, to retrospectives, Scrum meetings, and daily standups, you can unlock more productivity with Spinach. Here's the scoop:
- Real-time Insights: Spinach offers insights on the fly, nudging the team in the right direction.
- Integration Magic: Be it Slack, Zoom, or Teams, Spinach plays well with others.
- Automated Reports: Post-meeting insights? Spinach has got your back.
- AI-Powered Suggestions: Continuous improvement is the game, and Spinach is the name.
Gather feedback from each meeting
Agile thrives on feedback loops, and so should your meetings. It’s not just about going through the motions but ensuring each huddle brings value. Use feedback tools, digital whiteboards, or even a simple Google Form to gather opinions.
The goal isn’t perfection, just continuous improvement. By leveraging feedback, each meeting can be better than the last.
Set a clear purpose ahead of time
An agenda-less meeting can easily run off the track. Prioritize setting a clear agenda every time to avoid a purposeless or bad meeting. This focus ensures you’re not just meeting but moving forward. It helps with time management, keeps discussions on point, and ensures every minute counts.
Try Spinach to level up your team meetings
Whether your team is using Teams, Zoom, or Slack, remember that the best meetings are purposeful, actionable, and efficient. If you’re looking for a tool to take your meetings to the next level, Spinach is the AI Scrum Master that can unlock new efficiencies and transform good meetings into great ones.
Because Spinach integrates with the tools you already use, you don't have to change your team habits to start using it. Just invite Sinach to your meetings to get instant summaries, documented decisions, assigned action items, and ticket suggestions to accelerate your dev team.
Ready to level up to game-changing collaborations? Don't just attend meetings; elevate them! Set up your AI-powered Scrum Master today!
