Common Online/Webinar Issues

Published on: February 22, 2021

Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, more people than ever are online, working from home and having to attend virtual meetings and webinars via platforms such as Zoom and GoToWebinar. Many people who did not have prior technological abilities have found themselves having to learn how to operate online. What are common issues people have encountered while conducting meetings and attending webinars in this new “normal”? While it is certainly frustrating to navigate the online world of meetings and webinars, there is support out there. (insert pic #1)

There are several different platforms companies are using to conduct meetings and webinars, including Zoom, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex, and GoToWebinar/GoToMeeting. While there are differing opinions as to which platform is best, all platforms are bound to have common issues for operators.

What are the most common issues users have encountered?

Registration issues – Sometimes an issue can arise before the webinar or meeting even begins. One common issue is that attendees did not receive the confirmation or invite. Why?
- The invite or confirmation email went into your spam folder. Check your spam folder regularly to ensure important emails did not get placed there.
- Make sure the webinar/meeting host’s email address is in your “whitelist”, or safe sender list. How do you check that? Check out these links:
  Microsoft Outlook: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/add-recipients-of-my-email-messages-to-the-safe-senders-list-be1baea0-beab-4a30-b968-9004332336ce
  Google (Gmail): https://support.google.com/a/topic/9981578?hl=en&ref_topic=2683865
- Contact your organization’s IT department to make sure they do not have the meeting or webinar host’s domain blocked.
Sign-In Early – It is strongly recommended that you sign into your webinar/meeting platform at least 10 minutes early so that you can check your audio/video settings beforehand. Please follow the links listed below for troubleshooting on some of the most common platforms.
Audio issues (I can’t hear you!) – This is probably the most common issue attendees experience. There are a few things you can check:
- This may seem too simple, but did you check to make sure you do not have your computer sound on mute?
- Do you have external devices connected to your computer (such as USB flash drive/hard disk drive, etc.)? If so, try unplugging them.
- Close all unnecessary applications currently running on your computer, particularly apps that use your webcam and/or microphone (such as Facebook/Skype).
- Make sure your Internet connection is stable and sufficient. If you do not have sufficient connection that can cause your audio to drop in and out.
- Try a different browser. If you are having issues on Chrome, try running the platform on a different browser (i.e., Firefox, Internet Explorer).
- If you are experiencing an echo or feedback, try using headphones or ear buds instead of your computer’s loudspeakers. In addition, make sure your mic is muted. A common reason people hear an echo or reverb is because other attendees have their mic open, which causes the interference.
- Check your audio settings on the platform itself. Click on the audio settings on your platform and make sure the proper connection is clicked (i.e., computer audio or phone audio).
- If your computer audio simply will not work, try using the platform’s call-in phone number for your audio option.
Video issues – If you are experiencing slow or choppy video on your webinar or meeting, there could be several reasons why:
- Insufficient bandwidth – if your Internet connection isn’t strong enough, it is likely to cause problems when trying to play video or watch a webinar. Make sure you have a strong Internet connection. In order to test your Internet speed, search for your Internet provider and Internet speed test to be connected to their site to test the strength of your connection.
- Browser – if you experiencing certain video issues, try using a different browser.
- Programs running – make sure to close any software programs you may have running in your computer’s background. Some programs utilize a lot of bandwidth (such as YouTube) so make sure those programs are not running at the same time as your meeting or webinar.
- Downloads/Updates – Make sure your computer is not in the middle of downloading any files or updating itself. Updates and downloads utilize a lot of your computer’s power and could disrupt your video or audio connection.
- Turn off your virtual background – if you are using a virtual background, that can sometimes cause video issues on your end. It can also sometimes cause others to have trouble seeing you if it is glitchy.

When all else fails? You could always turn off your computer and turn it back on again…

Support links to the most commonly used platforms:
Zoom: https://zoom.us/docs/en-us/covid19.html
GoToMeeting: https://support.goto.com/meeting
GoToWebinar: https://support.goto.com/webinar/att-guide
Google Meet: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720?hl=en&ref_topic=7306097&visit_id=1612557737095-1809765401613613510&rd=1#top
Cisco Webex: https://help.webex.com/en-us/WBX000029048/Cisco-Webex-Audio-Help
Microsoft Teams: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/troubleshooting-6fa7c08a-6fd4-47a0-b275-90a5f60f1df9?ui=en-US&rs=en-US&ad=US

This article was published by RLS & Associates.