Find the Best Video Conferencing System for Office Use

By Pha Lo
Updated: July 10, 2012

Video conferencing is an important tool that allows people to communicate face to face when in different locations. This type of technology can cut down tremendously on the costs of travel without losing the personal contact necessary to move business.

Whether the main function of a business’ video conferencing system is to give presentations, distribute information to remote employees or meet with clients, there are some criteria to consider in procuring the best system thatwill justify the expenditures on this type of technology.

Here are some tips for finding the best video conferencing system for office use:

Assess Needs:
Appoint a designated project manager or project team to assess long-term video conferencing needs. Consider the desired functionalities. Features range from basic, such as voice and data communications between two parties in different locations, to more advanced capabilities such as call monitoring and recording, hi-definition features and interactive chat. Another need to assess is the scale of a desired system, or how many users the business anticipates having for a video conferencing system.

Seek vendors:
Once needs are assessed, approach vendors for personalized quotes. Vendors offer surveys that will generate a price range based on scale and features requirements. Seek vendors with a proven track record for quality services and customer satisfaction. When reviewing terms from different vendors, research implementation and customer support policies.

Quality and Technology:
Video conferencing systems are big investments and should be considered with respect to long-term growth with any business. Businesses should consider how their video conferencing needs might grow with regard to scale and future technologies. Choose a system with good scalability and a vendor invested in innovation as features are continually improved. Today’s system goes beyond talking to include interaction and post-call tools that assess the impact of a conference. These may include polling, surveys and testing. Businesses should consider a growth course for their web conferencing needs and make decisions accordingly.

Integration:
As video is becoming an increasingly important part of daily communications, video conferencing systems for the business should allow for full integration with data on the desktop. Engage remote employees, sales representatives out in the force and anyone else who needs to feel connected to central information with an interactive and integrated video conferencing system.

The needs for a video conferencing system can be highly unique to each individual office. Assess requirements and acquire the desired functionalities according to specific goals.