Video conferencing is not a new concept. Many companies have been using it as a way of connecting with colleagues and customers across the globe; meaning businesses can grow internationally without always having to leave the office. However, many businesses assume it will be too expensive to video conference, and instead, spend time and resources they don’t need to, to travel to meet their clients regularly.
Related: Best video conferencing tech for your small business
What is video conferencing?
To understand the ‘why’ you have to understand the ‘what’. Video conferencing is used to connect two or more sites together via visual and audio transmissions. To put this in layman’s terms, this means you can see and talk to the other people on your computer without having to be in the same room. In the early years of video conferencing, you had simple analogue videophone communications, the connections were not great and it cost a lot of money to buy the equipment while also needing someone with the technical abilities to use it. Along came ISDN lines and the idea got slightly simpler.
As the years have gone on and with the introduction of fast speed broadband, it has made modern day video conferencing more accessible to more people. It has also opened up the market for a lot of different companies offering all types of video conferencing software from domestic to business owners, everyone seems to be getting in on the action. This is where the cost can come in. Each company offers you something different. If you are a business owner, you need more than your basic Skype software to communicate to customers and staff. If you want to be able to see more than one other person, be able to speak with whomever you need to whenever you need to, you need software to suit your needs.
Why use video conferencing?
Video conferencing opens up a whole world of possibilities for businesses and also for the domestic market. There are companies such as Skype, which allow families to stay in touch with loved ones in foreign countries and also to see each other which, when there are babies to meet, seeing them is key. Businesses, on the other hand, can utilise video conferencing to set up meetings with arms of the businesses that are located abroad or even if they are just across town.
A normal face-to-face business meeting consists of a lot of organisational headaches. First of all you have to make sure that everyone can take the time out of a busy day to travel to the meeting. Then there is the cost of the fuel. It is expected there are refreshments for all involved, which is added cost without even thinking about overnight stays for some if the meeting is a late one. A large company, with numerous sites all over the world, relies on solutions such as video conferencing.
How to chose a good video conferencing company
There are a lot of companies offering you the chance to connect up with people regardless of your location. You need first to decide what it is you need from video conferencing. You also need to decide what it will save you by taking meetings online on a regular basis. Companies such as Meeting Zone offer cloud-based options meaning you pay less while also getting much more flexibility in regards to your location.
In conclusion, video conferencing can be cheaper than a face-to-face meeting if you choose the correct software to suit your business needs. It saves your staff travel time which means they can get on with their job; it saves you hospitality costs that can be put back into the business. Anything that can help your business grow from any location has to be a positive in the long term.
