Regardless of whether you want to have a conference with five people or a hundred, video conferencing can make meetings an absolute breeze. Sharing computer desktops and virtual whiteboards mean that video conferences can be as effective as face to face ones. The possibilities for training are also excellent using the latest technology.
Here are some more advantages to video conferencing.
* Cost. The overheads when running video conferencing are miniscule compared to the actual cost of physically delivering people from all sorts of locations to a specific destination. Taking into account the cost of travel itself, accommodation for those from out of town, meals etc should be enough to convince you. When you actually include the cost of lost man hours travelling then there is no contest in my mind.
* People tend to keep all their work on their home computer when based away from the office. Working in a video conference from home means that all of your important files are on hand when you want them. There is less likelihood of anything going wrong.
* Another major advantage of a video conference is the ease with which people outside of an organisation can join in. Say for example you are involved in building projects, the chances are that a different architect would be used for each project. If your meeting requires the presence of a non employed expert, it is far easier to organise if you are running a video conference rather than a meeting in the flesh.
* When you are running video conferences, it is easy to record important sections of the meetings. These types of videos could prove invaluable for training of staff and new people.
* Being able to see everyone on video is almost as good as seeing them face to face. It is far less impersonal than a simple telephone call for example. Having this facility available can speed up some of your business processes as well, and, as they say, time is money!
Even a simple comparison to a shared phone call should be enough to convince you that video conferencing makes more sense. Have a visual connection is invaluable, not only from a personal point of view but also to watch body language, which can tell you a lot.
As technology improves, then prices come down. You get better quality video conference for less money. Now is definitely the time to consider moving to video conferencing for your meetings.