Everything we learned about video meetings in 2020
We pored over endless charts and conducted a survey to learn about people’s video meeting habits in 2020. The results were eye-opening, to say the least. Here are our favourite tasty tidbits of information after combing through the data.
As a video meetings company, we like to think we know quite a lot about people’s video call habits. But while doing a big old dig through some of our data (to be clear, nothing personal or sensitive), we unearthed some strange findings.
Below, you’ll find some of the most surprising, mind-expanding factoids from our recent data exploration. Enjoy!
Lunchtime’s the most popular time to start a meeting
It’s painful to hear but most meetings start between 12 and 1pm. Which means workers around the world are forced to consume lunch at their desk, risking fatal keyboard issues due to wayward crumbs. Be careful out there.
People love making video calls in… April?
We’ve no idea why but video meetings increased by 57% compared to the daily average on April 24, 28 and 30 – with April 28 as the busiest day of them all. Do you have a theory? Can you help us solve the mystery? Let us know.
New Year’s Day is a time to disconnect
The quietest day for video meetings over the last year was New Year’s Day, with a 99% decrease compared to the daily average. Was it due to hangovers? Time off work? Everyone dashing out to hit the New Year’s sales? The jury’s out.
Your meeting pals are probably checking their email
Obviously, you would never do this. But 66% of individuals surveyed said they multitasked on calls when they wouldn’t normally during in-person meetings. And 68% of these people said they checked emails during video meetings, while 25% admitted to texting. Shocking stuff.
People like to do things on the fly
Now that we’re all freed from the shackles of the office, 34% of one-on-one meetings are scheduled spontaneously. We reckon people are trying to create that ‘just popped by your desk’ feeling, despite being at home.
The world’s gone local
Before the pandemic, 46.3% of calls made from the UK were to people in other countries. After March 15, that figure dropped to 15.3% as people used video meetings to stay in touch with... well, everyone! It must have been down to that boom in virtual pub quizzes. Brits, eh?
The Philippines is in the lead
Our pals in the Philippines hosted the most international meetings, followed by Taiwan, Canada, the US, and Australia.
All those video calls take their toll on the planet
2020 was a record year for video calls. Sadly, the increased internet use had a big impact on carbon emissions. A recent report says that one hour of video conferencing or streaming emits between 150 and 1,000 grams of carbon dioxide.
That’s why we’ve made a commitment to become a sustainable company. In February 2021, we planted one million trees across protected sites in Kenya, Mozambique, and Madagascar – an area the size of 137 football pitches. And we’re going to keep finding ways to have a positive impact on the planet.
