Collaboration is one of the most important factors to trade and corporate growth. Regardless of industry, managers are always looking for ways to bring their staff together to share ideas and relay vital information. The workplace meeting is the traditional avenue for this, but what can employers do when their employees are stationed in multiple, remote locations?
A great solution is the cloud-based video conference. Investopedia explains video conferencing as a platform allowing face-to-face communication between two or more parties without having to unite these parties in a single location. This is a boon for business, because it allows meetings to take place without the cost of travel or time lost from regular workday routine and duties.
Innumerable businesses now utilize online services for communication. According to Open PR, the forecast for continuing growth in the audiovisual communications market is strong through 2025. This has everything to do with the level of availability and accessibility of audio and video technology, as well as the fact that cloud-based telecommunication enables people to stay in touch despite time zones, distance and other factors that might otherwise limit trade and conversation.
Selecting the Right Service
It’s easy to see that digital telecommunications are useful to today’s corporations and small start-ups alike, but the best choices in tools and technology will vary for each. Selecting the right kinds of software and service for your company’s audiovisual needs is part of preparing for successful remote meetings. Having these programs in place and established with participants prior to engaging in the event takes much of the potential stress out of the equation.
For this to happen, will the facilities that host gatherings need to acquire new technological components? Will training be required by employees? Will the current network support the streaming or real-time content, and will the devices currently being used by the staff be able to handle the task? Should the system resides in your company’s cloud or out in the public? These are all things that should be considered when determining a company’s prerequisites for employing a hosting service. Information Age offers some suggestions as to how to figure out other important factors, such as typical usage, how much support might be required to implement a new system and whether the best decision is hard-drive or cloud storage for related information.
Knowing your company’s conference style and requirements can help in deciding between the many varieties of streaming video services. Regardless of what components of the digital conference are most important to your team, there is a program that is best suited to deliver them. Communications companies such as BlueJeans assist modern corporate entities with finding the business video conferencing solutions that fit their needs.
The Real Benefits of Real-Time
The reasons for choosing a real-time audiovisual service or program for conducting business are wide and varied. The Houston Chronicle offers readers a list of excellent motives for hosting and attending conferences, whether they are in person or in real-time via audiovisual means. Some of the reasons they tout the advantages of calls and virtual meet-ups in particular include:
- The obvious benefit of participation in these sessions, which is the savings involved. Time is saved and money along with other resources is conserved simply by electing to host gatherings over the internet rather than in person.
- More interested participants. When members of the team can see their presenter and interact directly with one another, they are more likely to pay attention, more likely to be mentally present and retain information, and more likely to contribute to the discussion. This makes forums more productive and keeps employees more informed about what’s happening at work.
- More immediate results. When a staff or management group can discuss issues in real time, decisions can be made more quickly and with greater confidence. This enables business to move along at a better clip and keeps output high and efficient.
- Easy to tailor to differing needs. Whether two people or an entire team need to collaborate, video conferencing is an ideal solution. Most programs allow users to add multiple remote parties at any point during the stream, and support a wide range of numbers of participants.
- Easier and more enjoyable sessions for participants. When people can communicate clearly with sight and sound, it’s easier to add humor, accompaniment like music and more to presentations. This makes the experience more pleasant for everyone involved, and allows participants to relax and focus on learning rather than keeping themselves mentally present.
Ultimately, the biggest reason for bringing live audiovisual platforms into the workplace is the same as the perk that convinces many people to use it in their daily lives. It’s a fast, convenient and fun way to converse, and that is never more welcome than in the workplace. The day’s technology certainly has a place in the modern office, and can help bring people together for industry regardless of location – a real asset to business in the twenty-first century.
