Why Zoom Might Offer Its Own Email & Calendar Services Soon
Zoom is reportedly exploring email and calendar options and that makes sense, considering the company's rapid rate of growth during 2020.
On the heels of its unprecedented success in 2020, Zoom has additional services in the works, with the company reportedly looking to provide individuals and businesses with email and calendar clients in the future. Here's the latest on Zoom's plans moving forward, as well as why it is likely considering expanding beyond video calls and meetings.
While most companies in the past year had to make sacrifices due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have turned to video-conferencing services, like Zoom, in order to communicate with each another remotely. This surge in activity and sales has led to unprecedented growth for Zoom. If the current reports are correct, then Zoom appears to be moving along a somewhat similar path to Google, considering the huge success of the search engine quickly propelled Google towards other businesses.
According to The Information, Zoom's development team is already working on a web-based email platform that's expected to reach a testing phase in 2021. A calendar and scheduling platform has also been discussed, though it may be created and released some time after the email service goes live. This would represent an important evolutionary step for a company like Zoom, and there's likely more to the decision than simply having the finances to now do so.
The decision behind Zoom expanding its online services is likely based on where the company wants to be in the next few years. Firstly, the company is likely intending to create its own suite of services, so that it offers more than just video calls. By expanding to include its own versions of popular web programs, it will be able to offer services that directly complement its video features and provide a more seamless experience, especially for businesses. With more services, Zoom can compete with Google and Microsoft's respective Workspace and Office suites. In addition, Zoom is likely looking to maintain its newfound momentum after restrictions from the pandemic have lifted and normal life, relatively speaking, resumes again. In other words, the company can maintain its user base even when they are no longer making video calls as often.
Those that enjoy Zoom as a platform will likely benefit from the additional services, due to the likelihood of high integration. Likewise, businesses might also consider the new features as a way to provide employees with a fuller suite that includes scheduling meetings, managing emails, and making video calls. Not to mention, any consumers that typically see Google as a tech monopoly might be relieved to see a new one looking to compete, even if it's only on emails and calendars.
Source: The Information