Board members can perform the majority of the governance process with general board meeting software. One of the key features is the ability of recording meetings and preparing detailed voting reports, and obtaining eSignatures. Some portals also provide video conferencing, which helps to keep meetings engaging for all stakeholders.
General board software should not just manage meetings but also facilitate document sharing and collaboration. This can increase director productivity and board engagement as both are crucial to good governance. It is vital to ensure the platform can handle a variety of file formats. Directors will be able to avoid having to manually forward attachments and emails, or make multiple copies of files.
The software should permit the use of annotations as well as highlighting tools. These tools can help highlight important portions of documents and ensure that everyone in attendance at a meeting understands the topic being discussed. It is also important that attendees use specific phrases in the documents to support their opinions or raise any concerns. This helps to avoid time spent during the meeting itself trying to clarify issues.
Software should be accessible in versions that are compatible with desktops, tablet, and mobile. This allows all board members to effortlessly access information and prepare for meetings regardless of the location they are in or what device they are using. Some solutions provide printer-friendly formats to those who prefer paper or cannot work with screens for lengthy durations of time.