February 15, 2017
The 7 Benefits to Using Teleconferencing for Your Business
More and more companies are turning to video conferencing. It has been estimated that at least half of the workforce in the United States works remotely at least part of the time. As a consequence, many businesses are turning to teleconferencing techniques to get their work accomplished. By some estimates, as many as half of all conference rooms will be equipped with video conferencing technology by 2020. Here are some reasons that video and audio conferencing are good for business:
- Using teleconferencing will save you money. More and more businesses are now employing people all over the country. At the same time, the costs associated with travel are on the rise. That means it costs a lot to get everyone into the same space to have a meeting or conference. By contrast, using today’s AV software can allow workers in different areas to collaborate and work together. You can still have the benefit of face to face meetings, you can just do them over a teleconference vs. actually being in the same place at the same time.
- Using video conferencing is better for the environment. When you get everyone together on a video conference, you save all of that fuel that would be used flying or driving to an onsite meeting. New research shows that one hour of driving uses the same amount of energy as at least one thousand hours of video conferencing. This means when you use more teleconferencing techniques, you can lower your carbon footprint.
- You can connect workers in different cities and states. Research shows that at least 80% of American workers prefer telecommuting. By letting employees work from home, you can retain more of your workforce. Employee turnover is a big drain on many companies throughout the United States. By offering the chance to work remotely, you can do a lot to help working parents, for instance. Other businesses find they can save money on office space when they allow their employees to work remotely. Often using teleconferencing can make this possible.
- You can expand the pool of qualified people. When you have openings, you may find the perfect people for the job in your city or you may not. When you allow workers to telecommute and you use teleconferencing to keep everyone on track, you can hire people who are not located in your area. This widens your pool of people considerably. You can get the right person for the job even if that person lives states away.
- You can have more frequent meetings. If you have offices spread out among several cities or states, you may have periodic in person conferences. When you employ video conferencing, you can get everyone together on a more regular basis so that decisions can be made quicker. You can have staff produce computer presentations and get feedback on new policies and plans much faster. If you have decisions that have to be made right away, convening a video conference can be the way to do it.
- You keep your people feeling more connected. When you have regular video conferences, you keep people connected. This can be very helpful in developing and maintaining the relationships among your staff. There is something very helpful about being able to see the people that you work with. When you hire new people, these conferences can be very helpful in getting to know them, you can learn a lot about someone from their facial expressions and body language. Video conferencing can mimic in person meetings for fostering better communications among your staff.
- Teleconferencing can help your staff maintain a good work/life balance. Employees care about how their employer views their work/life balance. When you keep your workers traveling for in person meetings, it can start to weigh on them and impact their personal lives. The occasional business trip is one thing but making people travel all of the time for work can start to impact their lives and be very stressful. By using video conferencing to conduct meetings, you can let your workers stay in their homes while being more productive.
Video conferencing and teleconferencing have come a long way in the last few years. By using new technology, you can improve your bottom line and profit margin.