Zoom has shared survey data from the past year, revealing what we get up to during meetings, and tackling tricky questions such as whether it’s acceptable to eat during meetings, and how many of us have had a pet or child walk into shot mid-call.
It also shared the average meeting time, a fairly respectable 54 minutes, and the most popular day of the week for meetings, which as it turns out, is Wednesday.
The data shows the breadth and widespread usage of Zoom, and with the ongoing adoption of hybrid and remote working policies, Zoom and other web conferencing services look set to be as essential heading into 2022.
Zoom Meeting Stats Revealed
The data, collected by Zoom itself, is a fascinating peak into a medium that most of us have adopted on a daily basis, and shows that we are far from alone. Zoom claims that its service has been used in nearly 200 countries and territories in the last year alone. In fact, at the last official count, it boasted 300 million users – a far cry from the 10 million is was attracting in December 2019, just before the global pandemic thrust it onto the world stage.
Average Zoom meeting length clocks in at 54 minutes.
We also found out how long the average team meeting is, at 54 minutes. With a lot of research being conducted into Zoom fatigue, and the potential negative effects on collaborating with colleagues via screen, meeting length has become a real conversation point. Under an hour seems reasonable, but it’s worth remembering that this is an average, so some of those surveyed would have far exceeded this!
The most popular day of the week for meeting was mid-week, with Wednesday taking top spot. As for the busiest days on Zoom, January 21st was the date that the most meetings tool place (and also happens to be National Hug Day), while it was September 21st for phone calls.
Our Zoom Habits
As we’ve adapted to the new technology, we’ve also had to adopt new protocols and etiquette, sometimes without much guidance. If you’ve ever attended a meeting from your bed, then the good news is that you’re not alone, as almost half of respondents (42%) claim to have done the same. A smaller number stated that they had joined meetings whilst walking or even out for a jog (21%), while just 11% have done so from public transport.
There has been a lot of debate about how to end a video meeting – just ending the call can sometimes seem a little rude, but it seems we have some consensus now, with the survey showing that 75% of us like to wave goodbye to our colleagues before hanging up.
75% of us wave goodbye before hanging up.
Most of us have been in meetings where a colleague has forgotten to unmute, and is enthusiastically telling us their ideas without being heard by anyone. 71% of people have said the phrase ‘You’re on mute’, which should make you feel better if that’s ever been you.
Unscheduled visitors in Zoom calls have been a source of social media hilarity over the past year and a half, and 43% of us have had a child turn up, while 36% have had their meetings interrupted by a pet.
43% of people have had a meeting gate crashed by a child.
Lastly, if you’ve ever felt shame that you have tidied the part of your room visible on a call, but not the rest of it, then don’t be so hard on yourself – 43% of people admitted to doing the same.
43% of people only tidy the part of their room visible on the call.
Choosing the Right Web Conferencing Software
There’s no denying that one of the ‘winners’ of the pandemic has been web conferencing software. While it’s not a new medium, it has seen a meteoric growth over the last two years, through necessity of people needing to communicate, both at work, and socially.
There are plenty of providers out there, and while Zoom is probably the most synonymous with video calling, there’s an entire industry built around it, and big names such as Microsoft Teams and Google Meet are competing fiercely for your business.
If you’re looking for a web conferencing service, you can check out our dedicated guide to the best. For an at-a-glance view, see our table of the key providers below:
| Price from The lowest starting price for a paid plan. The lowest price available for your business will depend on your needs. | User rating Average rating given by iOS and Android users in App Store and Google Play Store reviews | Best for | Pros | Cons | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
| RingCentral | Microsoft Teams | GoTo Meeting | Zoom | Webex | Zoho Meeting | Lifesize |
| 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.4 | 4.0 | 3.2 |
| Security | Microsoft 365 users | Sound and video quality | Beginners | Larger businesses | Value | Users that need hardware |
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