Ten or more years ago, most business was conducted either via the telephone or in person. Business travelers were constantly on the go, either driving to nearby cities, flying around the country, or traversing the globe. The costs associated with business travel were astronomical, both in terms of actual travel expenses and in terms of employee downtime and unavailability. With the advent of the Internet and video conferencing, however, the face of business has changed dramatically.
Although conference calling has been available for years, there are times when a phone conversation simply isn't good enough. Video conferencing used to be prohibitively expensive, involving either meeting at a telecom company's facilities or setting up complicated systems in-house. Today, however, video conferencing via the Web is available to virtually every company, no matter what the company size or budget. Indeed, it provides amazing flexibility, enabling businesses to create instant meetings with clients or employees at other locations, as well as to hold large-scale events.
If you are in the market for teleconferencing solutions, there are a number of factors to consider when deciding which provider to use. Needless to say, you want to partner with a provider that has 24/7 customer service, that has competitive pricing, and that has a technologically advanced conference calling system. Beyond that, you should ensure that they have myriad tools to meet all of your video conferencing needs.
For example, you should be able to assign roles during web conferencing. There is a conference host, presenters, and participants. The video conferencing solution you choose should have the capability to switch roles, to expel disruptive participants, and to open or close the "doors" to the conference.
Another vital feature is document sharing. A sales team or a training team, for example, should be able to easily incorporate PowerPoint presentations into their web conferences. Similarly, collaborative work is enormously facilitated when Microsoft Word or Excel documents can be shared.
Application sharing can also be an integral component to successful video conferencing. You should consider a provider that enables an application to be viewed by everyone in the conference, and that - if desired - allows both the presenter and the attendees to remotely control the keyboard and mouse.
Another important feature is shared Web browsing. Whether for demonstration purposes, training endeavors, or regular meetings, it's important that everyone in attendance is literally on the same page. Video conferencing that incorporates shared Web browsing keeps everyone's attention on the matter at hand, and bypasses the need to communicate complicated URLs.
Whiteboard functionality is also extremely helpful in web conferencing. Just as a whiteboard facilitates mapping out ideas in an in-person meeting, it can serve the same purpose when used remotely. Taking notes, making key points, and brainstorming can easily become a routine part of Web-based meeting.
Perhaps one of the most exciting aspects of Web conferencing - and a critical function to consider when selecting a provider - is seamlessly integrated, multiparty video. Seeing all of the meeting participants in real time adds both breadth and depth to any online meeting. With the best providers, the host can control video settings ranging from the size, quality, and frame rate to who may or must view the video.
There's little doubt that video conferencing will continue its trajectory in replacing business travel. The right video conferencing provider can dramatically cut costs while increasing productivity - a definite win-win proposition!
There was a time when traveling was fun and affordable. With four-dollar-plus per gallon gas that's no longer the case. Add to that the appallingly weak dollar, and it's no surprise that prices are up across the board in the travel and hotel industries, no matter what the official inflation figures say. Business must go on, of course, and fortunately there are numerous new technologies that allow us to conduct business without the cost of travel. Video conferencing is one of them, and it makes ever more sense.
I remember times earlier on in my career when the company I worked for pretty much expected employees to drive to regional offices and clients if they were less than 300 miles or so away. Even with a gas guzzler, the 600-mile roundtrip cost less than $50 in gas, and if you decided to stay over, it was another $30 or so for a decent motel. That same roundtrip would now run over $150 in gas even with better gas mileage, and lower tier chain motels now routinely charge $60 to 80 per night. Go upscale a bit and it's $150 per night, $10 for a glass of wine, and $50 for dinner. If you pick up the tab for dinner with clients, it can really add up. No wonder most companies are far more conservative in approving business travel.
Now I am definitely not saying personal contact isn't important. Shaking hands, sharing a meal, or doing a round of Golf remain great ways to build trust, establish relationships, and close deals. But it is no longer the only way to do business, and in this day and age it's become an increasingly costly way of doing business. Today, there are so many other ways to connect and stay in touch without losing time away from the office and spending a king's ransom in the process.
All in all, it's a matter of picking the right productivity tools and staying clear of traps. Cell phones are wonderful ways of staying in touch at all times, but if we become slaves to them, productivity goes down the drain (and let's not even talk of Blackberry addiction!). Email remains a terrific means of communication, but unless you manage your address(es) carefully you either spend hours sifting through junk mail or risk losing important messages in all the various spam filters that sit between you and whoever you communicate with. Instant messaging is a great way to quickly get answers or resolve issues, but not if you let conversations drag on or let yourself get interrupted by buddies with too much time on their hands.
Then there is video conferencing, a tool that combines the warmth and immediacy of personal contact with the efficiency of electronic communication. You see the person on the other end, interaction is in real time, and yet you can do it all on your own computer or in a meeting room. A well-run video conference provides virtually all the benefits of personal meetings at a small fraction of the cost. What's more, video conferencing technology is now such that you can make presentations, sales pitches, conduct seminars, or have one-on-ones with spreadsheets and multimedia while seeing and interacting with your business partners or clients in real time.
With today's transportation and lodging costs it makes less and less sense to travel needlessly. Simply schedule a video conference, save, and get on with business.