Web Conferencing Has Changed How Businesses Do Meetings

According to a survey arranged by Poly (formerly Polycom), professionals that have adopted web conferencing use it at least once a week for their meetings. In that same survey, 96 percent of respondents said that web conferencing improves productivity with remote teams. This meeting method has revolutionized the way people communicate, especially in a professional setting, and everyone benefits from the technology – including professionals, employers and potential clients.

Why is web conferencing a must have for businesses?

Remote workers aren’t going anywhere. In fact, a 2018 IWG survey determined the exact opposite. According to the survey, 70 percent of professionals around the world spend at least one day a week working remotely. Younger professionals are starting to expect remote work opportunities, and this trend isn’t likely to change either. To remain competitive, employers will need to adapt and ensure their teams are able to work together, even when they are working apart. Web conferencing makes this possible and keeps professionals connected, no matter where they are. Employers will need to accommodate remote employees more and more, and this is a proven solution on that front. Other reasons to consider web conferencing include:

1. Reduces travel expenses – Businesses may not be able to eliminate travel and its accompanying costs completely, but this meeting method can reduce the need for it. Teams can easily and remotely communicate with each other, with other company locations, with clients and with consultants. This doesn’t just save the company money in travel, it also makes the best use of its manpower, as professionals aren’t losing hours or days at the airport.

2. Preserves face to face communication – Much of the information that’s communicated during a conversation is nonverbal. Expert opinions vary on just how much of a conversation is delivered via body language and facial expressions, but the general agreement is that nonverbal cues are extremely important. They are important in helping people understand what’s being said, and they are important in facilitating cooperation. Keeping those nonverbal cues intact would be ideal for facilitating productive conversations.

Web conferencing makes it possible for remote team members to speak face to face, ensuring no important nonverbal information is left out. Your employees will have more meaningful and collaborative meetings as a result.

3. Expedites the meeting process – According to research published in the Harvard Business Review, meetings have increased in number and in duration during the past 50 years. The typical executive spends close to 23 hours a week in them, leaving little room for much else.

Web conferencing can reduce this time burden considerably, because there’s no need to schedule a room and wait for everyone to arrive. Meeting sessions can be started with a single click and finished just as quickly, so everyone can get in and out of the meeting without disrupting their day. Even if this only saves a few minutes per meeting, that claws back hundreds of hours among upper management. That’s time that could be better spent on important initiatives.

4. Encourages collaboration – The traditional meeting format is intimidating to a lot of people, as few enjoy speaking in front of a room full of peers. Because web conferencing sessions can be run without anyone leaving their desk, everyone can remain in their comfort zone throughout the meeting. This can help professionals feel more at ease when sharing their thoughts or concerns, and that could lead to the next big idea.

5. Simplifies media presentation – Everyone has been in a meeting where time is wasted fumbling with a laptop and getting everything connected, just so the presenter can show off an Excel document or concept drawing. Web conferencing software is designed for easy document and media presentation, so presenters can introduce as much material as they want without clogging the meeting up. Further, meeting participants can see any presented documents on their screen, so everyone can get an up-close look.

6. Boosts client relations – Face-to-face meetings are always appreciated by clients, as they help establish a closer professional relationship. Web conferencing can also be helpful for showing off a product prototype or giving a demo of an existing product to prospective customers.

7. Delivers more effective training – Remote training rooms are growing in popularity among employers, as it allows for a one-to-many approach during instruction. Web conferencing is a front-line solution for this form of training, and because it is done through face-to-face conversation, students will remember more of what they learn.

8. Allows for quick, impromptu meetings – Sometimes, a meeting has to be put together quickly and without advanced notice. Web conferencing is practical way to make that happen, when getting people to immediately disengage from their desks would be difficult to accomplish.

Web conferencing solidifies a company’s communications, ensuring teams can collaborate at the speed of modern business, and collaborate at a high level. Professionals can execute more effective meetings, get everyone involved and lead initiatives without leaving their desk.