Information moves rapidly in the business world, and videoconferencing is one of the best tools you can use to keep your company up to speed. Although the initial investment may concern business leaders, the returns are well worth the resources and time it takes to develop an efficient videoconferencing system.
There are several reasons to consider videoconferencing for your enterprise. The following points highlight videoconferencing benefits that are surely relevant to the growth of your business.
Cutting Costs
One of videoconferencing’s clearest benefits is that it allows you to conduct meetings remotely. Travel expenses and the time required to gather individuals for face-to-face meetings are more manageable with a reliable videoconferencing system.
Additionally, many professionals opt for freelancing and independent contract work instead of traditional salaried positions, so the need for office space has lessened. Furthermore, technology has advanced to where the hardware and software required are far more cost-effective and accessible than in years past.
Embracing remote employees can save you money by eliminating the need for a comprehensive onboarding process and can cater to independent professionals, who often represent the top talent in their fields. If you eliminate some of the typical travel and communication hurdles, it becomes much easier to retain high-level professionals at affordable rates.
Increased Productivity
Videoconferencing also makes it easier to keep everyone involved with a project on the same page. Distance is no longer a factor, so anyone who needs to be present for a meeting can join a videoconference easily.
Department leaders will find that videoconferencing makes it simpler to get approval from executives for action items. For example, if a project requires C-suite approval to move forward, you can make presentations and project-related decisions more easily with a videoconference. You can use a videoconference to demonstrate new products or services to your employees, partners, and customers at once in various locations, again saving time and money.
Improving Customer Relationships
Videoconferencing also helps improve relationships with customers. Employees can perform tech support and real-time service much more easily with a videoconference. An employee can remotely connect to a client’s system and fix an issue while on a videoconference with the client. This is an opportunity to enable faster troubleshooting, speedier resolutions to customer issues, and add a personal touch to customer interaction.
Collaboration
Today’s business world is focused on agility – the ability to quickly switch gears as priorities change, taking advantage of the modern flexibility many companies and employees value. Encouraging collaboration has several benefits, all of which videoconferencing can support. Employees feel more connected to their work and more engaged when they can see the reactions to their work.
Additionally, some departments and employees may have insights into projects that would otherwise go unnoticed with traditional business silos. It’s important to remember that there are countless file-sharing and project management tools that can easily complement a videoconferencing system, allowing employees to share files almost as fast as they can communicate.
Standard levels of collaboration are often culture-based protocols that vary from company to company. Videoconferencing allows flexibility in streamlining remote communication and project administration by incorporating traditional face-to-face interaction with digital file management. In order to make videoconferencing a successful part of your business strategy, it’s important to know what kind of hardware and software investments you’ll have to make.
Tools for Videoconferencing Success
You will essentially need all the makings of a typical computer, but also some audio and video equipment:
- Display devices. Visual monitors are necessary for every remote participant, and you may want to invest in a large display screen or projector for outfitting conference rooms.
- Audio devices. Ensure that everyone can hear one another with reliable microphones and speaker systems.
- Network connection. You’ll need to be able to host videoconferences on your network, so consult your IT department to ensure your network can handle the traffic.
- Videoconferencing platform. There are several free videoconferencing tools, including Google Hangouts and Skype. However, you’ll want to ensure the platform you choose is right for your company.
Do some internal brainstorming with the leaders of your organization to determine the best approach to videoconferencing for your business. Consider your options and make sure you invest in the proper support structure to keep your videoconferencing system stable and reliable whenever you need it.
