subject: The Advantage Of Video Conferencing [print this page] Are you sick of travelling between offices for meetings? Are you tired of hotel breakfasts and long drives to different offices? If you would rather be contributing to meetings from the comfort of your desk, then video conferencing is for you.
Video conferencing software is well established, it has become popular in recent years as it proves to be a perfect way of cutting company costs. The dealings of any business is near impossible without frequent travel, be it between offices, to suppliers or to clients and the bigger the company the more expensive the cost.
Investing in video conferencing saves on many costs. Hotel accommodation, mileage and food expenses are all often paid to travelling staff. A video conference allows staff to stay in the office, rather than travelling across the country for a half hour meeting. Brought together virtually, video conferencing also cuts companies carbon emissions, benefiting the environment as the once frequent travellers travel less.
Video conferencing technology integrates both video and voice to allow users to not only see each other, but to be able to talk and hear each other in real time.
So what other advantages does video conferencing bring? Meetings can be organised at short notice and you dont need to have a room free for it to take place in. Employees can work from home or a different office, yet maintain face to face contact with other members of the team.
Video conferencing can also be used for real time document sharing making it possible for businesses to present new information at any point during a meeting. The main disadvantage of video conferencing is the possibility of technical issues. Participants all need the correct software, hardware and good internet connectivity.
Whilst video conferencing has so far proved successful, it is doubtful that it will completely replace the traditional business meeting. The importance of human contact in relationship building should not be undermined, particularly at the start of an important business relationship. Nevertheless, few can afford to ignore the benefits and savings that come with the inclusion of video conferencing.
