Is video conferencing helpful for businesses?
Can you save time and money? I have been using video conferencing, but I guess I want to know what you think of it.
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Jul 25, 2019
So in our line of business, franchising, we need to hold multiple conference calls & online meetings daily, and we looked at a few options, had a not so good initial experience with one service (which shall remain nameless), but we researched a few options and signed up about 8 months ago with Callbridge. The tools, intelligence and custom branding it allows us, for a very affordable monthly fee, has made it easier and a more streamlined process to have our calls and web meetings. I especially liked how it gathers trends from the comments and interactions from our meeting participants, so I can learn more about what our potential franchisees and existing partners are asking without having to manually read through everything myself. So Callbridge has been a great fit for us, so I'd suggest you include it when evaluating software options for you.
Jun 14, 2019
Yes, video conferencing is definitely beneficial in any business. Video conferencing helps to increase productivity, it reduces travel expenses, makes communication effective and builds a good client relationship.
Mar 6, 2019
It can be a huge help for many businesses, depending on the type of business you have.
My wife is currently using video conferencing to see some of her patients and she says many of them are very happy with it, saving them travel time. We tried a few different services but so far, one not mentioned in the article is Hipaavideo.net. It has been the best of the fully HIPAA compliant services we've found so far. Good pricing, plenty of helpful features and her patients are very pleased.
Aug 23, 2018
We live in an era where individuals are connected by technology. With the advancements in communication technology we now have access to more sophisticated and effective methods of communication. People can interact with one another through electronic mediums and this has paved the way for corporations and businesses to connect better with partners and employees. There are a lot of ways in which meetings and conferences can take place with participants being at different locations at the same time. Technology has enabled us to seamlessly connect with people of our choice anytime anywhere in the world.
Video conferencing is a type of distance conferencing where two or more number of people can visually connect and interact with each other. This method has enabled businesses and organizations to hold meetings face to face with people without having the need to move to one particular location. ezTalks video conferencing helps you to video conference with people all over the world. It has a wide variety of video conferencing solutions for all your business needs. It is a very popular and powerful way to enable presentations, conferences and other audio video contents to be live streamed and accessible to all the members from different locations. In this article, we shall elaborate on the importance of video conferences for business.
Video conferencing is enabled by integrated software which ensures that you have a rich and quality experience. It enables you to connect to different users and have discussions with them at the same time. The software also has features for scheduling of meetings, screen sharing, email, chat functionality, voting analytics and a host of other tools which make it very convenient for corporations and organizations to carry meetings with multiple people and receive inputs from them also. Thus it helps people to hold conferences and meetings with one another with a real-time effect. You can also video conference people on cross platforms also. This is why video conferencing is important. Users and participants can talk to the person they are seeing on the screen or on a monitor in real time. In this article, we shall list the reasons why video conferencing is beneficial to business owners.
Aug 23, 2018
Yes, video conferencing is very helpful for businesses as you can collaborate with your remote team. You need not be there physically if you use video conference meeting. It cuts traveling time and cost. You can use some popular tools for video conferencing such as GoToMeeting, R-HUB TurboMeeting, GoMeetNow, WebEx, etc. for a hassle-free meeting experience.
Apr 10, 2018
Video conferencing is definitely a great technology helping many businesses, sectors, and industries worldwide in terms of reduced travel costs, improved efficiency, etc. Tools like R-HUB HD video conferencing servers, WebEx, GoToMeeting, etc. are used for conducting video conferencing.
Nov 12, 2013
Absolutely! When used properly, this method of communication is fantastic for building business relationships both within the company (if you have offsite workers) and with customers/clients. Treat a video conference just like a normal in-person meeting: dress appropriately, be conscious of what the camera is and isn't picking up at all times, and make sure that you know how to use the video conferencing software/interface like a pro--enough to help others in the meeting if they have audio/visual problems, too.
Nov 29, 2012
Hi Preston,
Video Conferencing is a great tool that I use it everyday! At my office we might have only 3 or 4 appointments at most on a given day, and instead of having someone at the receptionist desk, we set up a monitor and I video conference in from my desk in the marketing department. It's a huge money saver as we don't have enough reason to hire another person aside from just sitting at the front desk, but now we always have the ability to greet a guest. Also, our partners and clients who come in think it's an absolutely amazing display of technology!
We use video conferencing to keep meetings with other employees who work from home, conference others in for meetings so they can see the whiteboards, and Skype clients so they can speak to us face to face. Selling VoIP, Surveillance, and Video Conferencing equipment can come with quite a price tag, and a few of our customers have taken advantage of the reassurance video conferencing provides that we're not a webstore running out of someone's basement.
There are several positive answers from others on your question, and if anyone has other inquiries, this might help out: http://www.voipsupply.com/video-conferencing. It's our landing page for Video Conferencing with links to short articles our Video Conferencing Consultant, Andria Baunee, has written regarding knowledge base, buying advice, and tips and tricks.
Hope this helps!
Nov 26, 2012
Yes, I absolutely think video conferencing can help businesses. I actually work for a company that creates communication and collaboration with hosted Microsoft Lync Service and I've seen a lot of business benefit from better workplace productivity. I think it saves a lot of time and money when you don't have to meet clients face-to-face. Although in-person interactions are great, if it means a better bottom line, why not make the move to video conferencing? I think it's the way of the future. Think about how far we've come in technology. Can you imagine trying to write your thesis on a typewriter. Sheesh.
Nov 22, 2012
Yes, it will be invaluable for my business, I want to train 100,000 recent univ. grad. to become distributors /sales people bringing product direct from factory to retail shops. wide on line conferences.
Nov 23, 2012
Let's connect soon, I might have a solution through a company I work with. Interested let me know. We can help train multiple people at once and the cost is very affordable. Launching soon a broadcast system that can accept unlimited people as well as translates in 140 languages. If you want to know more, let me know. Thanks
Nov 21, 2012
A really "obvious comment": You need an excellent internet connexion. If not it's a pain. It shouldn't be only fast but stable.
Nov 23, 2012
If you can provide wifi connection with broadband speeds would that be fast enough? 5 MB of upload speed is all you need.
Nov 20, 2012
I think video conferencing is an excellent tool when used correctly. When marketing technology we tend to forget that a very important communication tool still interacting face-to-face with our customers. Unfortunately this isn't always an option, so a substitute like video conferencing is always a wonderful solution.
I've worked at a few companies that have always integrated video communication whether it was with customers or remote employees. This helped bring together the team or the customer and made the end result much more successful.
--
Sarah
http://www.gobee.com.au/
Nov 23, 2012
Yes, since I am not in the USA as much as before, meeting online works just as well and I don't have to travel and waste gas or time. All I do is hop on the computer where-ever I am at, connect to a broadband connection and then have my meeting. _ I love it and the best part is I can afford that small price of it. The other video conference systems I have seen are way too expensive for a small business like mine.
Nov 20, 2012
I have used video conferencing since the early 2000's when they wer clunky and unreliable. But I never gave up on it. My staff is dispersed throughout the country as well as my clients. It's not always feasible for me to travel. Video conferencing allows me to be there without being there. As we move further into the impersonal "social media" landscape (yes, I said that...everyone seems to be hiding behind Twitter handle, Facebook pages, etc...and email, video conferencing allows me to be more interpersonal. No technology is 100% reliable. But we're getting better versions each year. My personal choices are Skype and Google+ Hangouts. I'd much rather see people than look at slides on a screen share.
Nov 23, 2012
What if I knew of something that was more realiable and secure then Skype or Google? What if it was available for your use 24/7 with 4 hour blocks at a time and all you need to do is close meeting for another 4 hours. What if you could use this in your business? What if you can use over 20 + online tools that can be integrated with this system so when someone has an interest for your product or service on social media, they could click one button and if you are online you could meet with them right then?
Nov 20, 2012
Video conferencing has been the next big thing for the last 20 years, however, I think we are finally starting to see mass adoption.
Video calls can be as simple as a Skype call from your Smartphone or computer and as complex as an immersive experience where you have several screens and cameras to maximize eye contact.
The really simple calls are starting to displace some phone calls and the complex ones are avoiding some travel. We will always have phone calls and business travel but in many situations you can have a more productive meeting if video is enabled.
A trend I see is mixing the simple and complex calls where some executives in NY and London are reviewing the company strategy and then need to reach out to a mobile user using Facetime or Skype to consult on a specific matter.
In today's globalized world, the companies that use video have better communications (non-verbal cues are a high percentage of the message we transmit), make decisions faster (no need to meet in HQ to get approval from your boss) and have a happier workforce (less travel and better work-life balance if working from home is allowed).
However, although the technology enables a company to obtain these benefits, the most critical part is making sure the technology is embraced by the company, from the board to the intern that has just joined some days ago.
Disclaimer: I work in the video conferencing industry.
Nov 23, 2012
Yes, you can have it all. What if in this conference system you could use your phone instead of being attached to your desktop, you can actually be in a conference meeting using your phone and you can get 140 different languages translated during that conference with 1/2 second delay, could that create world wide or global reach. What if you could have over 20+ online tools that would help you manage every contact you have now or into the future plus give you time and it would not cost you a cent?
Nov 20, 2012
We have used Skype video to include a missing member in a face-to-face meeting, and it has worked fine. She could even see what others were writing on the white board.
But for regular meetings among dispersed professionals, we are much more likely to use a screen sharing service. I find looking at each other's mug shots twitching on the monitor is completely distracting, and unnecessary. And I cannot believe how unattractive people are--including myself--when photographed with a pinhole camera. Since nobody looks right at the camera, we all look downcast, squinty, or shifty-eyed. I quickly avert my eyes.
Much better to have voice contact, then share whatever docs we want via screen sharing. Started out using expensive ones like WebEx or GoToMeeting, but have switched to ones that cost about $20 per month, like StartMeeting. The person running the meeting can switch control of screen sharing to whomever needs to share docs next.
I'm describing meetings with people I already know. If I'm connecting with somebody for the first time, e.g., a marketing contact, then face-to-face via video is definitely worthwhile to establish eye contact and size each other up. But after that, all we want to do is share docs and hear each other talk.
And of course we use plain old conference calls for 80% of remote group meetings.
(Haven't yet used Google Hangouts, but the same concerns would control.)
Nov 23, 2012
Mike, I have also use Skype but I have found that all of the information is not private as most people think it is. I have consulted with companies that use this and I am shocked that they give that much power to a free service. Some of the discussions should be private. What if there was a conference room that could do that, a private meeting with a password. What if you could have the sharing capabilities to share not only files, but video, music? + much more. What if it was the same cost + more value?
Nov 20, 2012
For sales & customer service, absolutely. We've just stated doing webinars, but are also working on offering our customers live Q&As through Google Hangouts. They're free, good quality and a great way to add a bit of personality to your customer interaction.
If you're talking about internal meetings, we are all using Skype already, so video conferencing is simply an obvious thing to do when parts of the team aren't in the same place.
Nov 23, 2012
Marie tht is awesome. I have found Google Hangouts ok, but some people can't connect when there are a ton of people using it. I also have found it is not private. What if you could have set or suite of online next-generation tools that could help your business? What if, since you are going to do webinars an unlimited amount of people that can be part of this webinar and it would very affordable, a lot less then some of the big boys that are recognized in this space? What if you could ?
Nov 20, 2012
Just attended the Chief Supply Chain Officers’ (CSCO) Summit is an online virtual event, brought to you by SCM World. Better than any conference/show than I ever physically went to.
Nov 23, 2012
Ken, what technology were they using? Did you have pay to be part of this? Did you have to download something to your computer? Could you hear everyone, could everyone hear each other? Was it video or just a telephone conference? Let's connect would like to know what they used? Thanks
Jun 19, 2013
Hi Preston
Did not pay. Did not download. Voice and video were very clear. Worked well on my Toshiba laptop which is not "heavy duty".
...Ken
Nov 20, 2012
While there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings, video conferencing puts a voice to a face and allows a stronger relationship to be built. It also becomes extremely useful with software such as Cisco's Webex, where desktops can be shared for demonstration purposes. Just keep in mind that meeting members can take a screen shot of or record anything you share!
Nov 23, 2012
Carl- you are right face to face is the best- too bad we don't have technology like that of star-trek where we say "beam me up" and we are there. It is coming but I think further in the future. What if you could use a system that would not be as costly as Webex and have all these benefits and more? What if?
Nov 20, 2012
Having used VC for over a decade, I have gone from expensive systems costing tens of thousands, per office, to free technology from Skype and Google Hangouts. Not only does it help internal collaboration it also assists with customers and suppliers, especially with desktop sharing included in the Skype/Google offer.
All work together, any time, any place, any device.
Nov 23, 2012
How do you control Google Hangouts? I did a few public ones and I could not mute anyone. I like the system I am using that allows me to have up to 12 - going to 15 or more soon all on video. I thinkg G+ and Skype also are not secure, meaning you cant lock people out of the room or the information you share can be seen by others. I like our desktop share, plus I can do a whiteboard with documents and give control to everyone or just a select amount of people. I can also share video, music and more.
Nov 20, 2012
I use video conferencing everyday. All my staff are home based employees and being able to chat with individuals and as a group and explain new strategies has save me a lot of money. With all technology there are a few challenges, I find 90% of the time it is something simply.
Dec 12, 2012
Hi Preston we use skype as our main platform, but next year we will be using our own, after a few months of trial. Our biggest challenges is limited mobile access around Australia and switching between carriers for different states, I will send you an invite when the platform is in action if you would like.
Yes, I have heard of this from Microsoft, I know another company that is doing a very similar thing- When you can have video conferencing through all types of devices that is truly a game changer. It is part of the future and many small companies can now have this technology for a lot less- I love that.