By Pete Eyre

It takes seconds to lose trust or interest in ANY app. If it asks for too much information, takes too long to load, doesn’t feel secure, or the experience simply isn’t what the user would expect. For maximum adoption of a Q&A and polling app by an audience, often using the app for the first time, the process of joining and contributing has to be as simple and frictionless as possible.

However… At the same time, control and data security are fundamental requirements for organisations adopting this tech. Minimising the chance of data breaches, uninvited access or online abuse are all now very real considerations and concerns.

So, how do you strike the right balance…?

This Q&A app market has matured to the point that using an engagement app in employee comms meetings or conferences is the norm. Gone are the gimmicks, they are a business tool that must deliver. This crucial balance of simplicity Vs security is something Meetoo have obsessed over and a reason many corporates and event intermediaries now partner with Meetoo. Here’s the most common questions customers ask us…

How do I stop unwanted attendees from viewing or worse disrupting my meeting in the app?  Meetoo creates a unique 9 digit ID to access a meeting, making guesswork or happening upon the wrong meeting next to impossible. There is also a clever security feature in the back end that reduces this risk further.

To add another layer of security, Microsoft single sign on can be utilised but this of course removes the anonymity.

What happens to personal data collected?

Sounds obvious, but one of the key benefits of an engagement app (and the default setting for Meetoo) is that contributions are TRULY anonymous. Not only does that elicit the most honest and uninhibited responses but it keeps things really simple. In cases where personal data must be collected it is secure and managed accordingly to GDPR guidelines. A cautionary tale… Last year Google cancelled a ’Town hall’ after identified employee contributions to it were leaked.

Will you EVER share my data?

No, you own your data, we just provide the means to collect and store it. Some free trials of similar products offer use of the product in return for you relinquishing the rights to your data. Given you don’t know what data you will collect yet, our clients generally want to avoid this.

Can others in my organisation see my meeting data and results?

Not if you don’t want them too. As an enterprise software platform, Meetoo has admin features to assign users access to specific accounts or even a specific meeting. No need to break security policies by sharing accounts or logins.

Is there a risk of trolling especially with anonymity?

When you give people a voice there is an inherent risk of receiving inappropriate contributions, however instances of this are extremely rare and can be eliminated. Meetoo has built in profanity filters, the ability to edit text responses on the fly, or to view and moderate every response before displaying back to participants. You choose the appropriate approach for your audience and meeting.

What is the risk of a data breach?

We regularly support ‘Pen tests’ (authorised cyber-attacks on our platform) as part of customers purchasing processes to provide assurances on security. However data breaches in any industry are most likely to be caused by human error and not the actual tech. Someone didn’t do something they should, or did do something they shouldn’t! Meetoo is also designed to minimise the risk of human error.

Can I see your security documentation?

YES, of course. You might also have some onerous looking forms to complete as part of your security and/or purchasing process. We’ve completed lots of these and will be able to help.

Our goal is to provide a platform our partners and customers can trust and that is flexible enough to meet their specific needs. We provide this, and they can then focus on it adding value to their meeting or event.

Got a different question…? Please do drop us a line.

 

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.