How to Make Virtual Decisions Safely and Officially

Summary:

• Using online meeting platforms has become a necessity since the start of the pandemic and is here to stay.
• Governance best practices and bylaws must be adhered to during virtual and hybrid meetings.
• Real-Time Voting Software enables organizations to securely vote in virtual, hybrid or in-person meetings.

Safe and Secure Virtual Meetings and Voting

Love them or hate them, virtual meetings are here to stay. The number of users of online meeting platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom has grown by tens of millions since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. What started out as a necessity – meeting online due to health and safety concerns – has quickly evolved into an expectation.

A variety of surveys and research have found that the majority of video meeting/conference participants find online meetings help them save time, increase productivity, build relationships and increase engagement.

But, for member organizations such as associations, boards of directors, cooperatives, unions and others, decisions made during meetings must often follow stringent rules, guidelines, laws and regulations and require a high level of security.

Best Practices and Bylaws for Virtual Meeting Voting

When you have bylaws that must be followed, relying on Robert’s Rules of Order isn’t enough. Much more is required to enable discussion, vote securely (either anonymously or by name), count votes, report outcomes and keep official records.

In the “before times,” organizations would administer these important decisions in person with paper balloting and either a manual counting process or secure technology system. However, none of these processes or systems integrate with virtual meeting platforms. And the platforms themselves do not offer these capabilities.

Many member organizations had to scramble to make changes and struggled with administering and conducting votes required to make the decisions they need to operate and govern themselves.

Organizations had asked for these capabilities for many years, but that slow, quiet, steady drumbeat turned into a prolonged scream for help in the early days of the pandemic. Organizations clamored for something – anything – that could help.

Real-Time Voting Software As A Solution

Before the pandemic even began, SBS noticed this trend and set to work. One of our customers said they wished they had a voting platform that could better integrate with virtual meeting platforms to enable more flexibility in how they could administer meetings. They told us the tool would, ideally, replace legacy voting systems and help organizations operate more efficiently and lead their industry into the future.

That’s a tall order! But SBS embraced the challenge to build that software platform our client described. Real-Time Voting Software enables voting groups to securely conduct business during virtual meetings.

Built with a suite of extensive features including:

• Quick set up
• Custom dashboards
• Efficient management of multiple voting groups
• Credentialed access
• The ability for participants to vote from anywhere
• The ability to add motions live, in real time

Real-Time Voting Software also utilizes the most advanced data security monitoring available. Real-Time Voting Software engages virtual meeting attendees and drives participation through live voting and instant results.

It is the tool custom designed to allow member organizations to vote safely and officially using virtual meeting platforms.

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Have questions? Wonder if Real-Time Voting Software might be the right tool for your organization? Contact us any time with questions, we’re here to help!