Signs you need Video Conferencing

By Charron Conley
Updated: February 15, 2011

Today, Video Conferencing systems can go way beyond anything imagined by companies. More and more companies, both large and small, are looking into these systems as a necessary resource. One of the reasons why so many businesses are using this now is because it helps them save time and money. With a focus on increasing productivity and cost reduction, and a general reluctance to travel, have all contributed to a intensified awareness of the essentialness of video conferencing. Video Conferencing brings work back to the office instead of taking it elsewhere. This allows access to important people, tools, and resources that would normally take time and money to get to. If a company does not yet have Video Conferencing, it is really only a matter of time until they do. Here a few signs that Video conferencing is a must-have immediate next step:

Ready to Go Beyond Web Conferencing

There are many services out there like Internet chatting services such as Messenger or Skype for regular communication; however this is not Video conferencing. When a company is dealing with many top tier clients, then video conferencing provides a more comprehensive solution. The distinction lies in the fact that video conferencing allows several people to talk all at once. In contrast, Skype and similar programs usually allow just one-on-one conversations. Video conferencing is an ideal solution for businesses that need to talk to several people all at once.

Meetings with Mobile or Remote Employees

A second reason you may need Video conferencing is to bring remote employees together for meetings. If a company has many remote employees it can be very costly to get everyone together with travel expenses. It is necessary to bring employees together for numerous reason; comradery, data collaboration, and to examine documents. Video Conferencing also has the ability to share files and information easily.

Advanced Better Communication is Needed

Another sign you may see that means you need Video Conferencing would be that you want to have the best communication possible. Enhanced communications leads to better decisions and improved results from those decisions. Video conferencing seems to be picking up where the telephone and email have left off. Conferencing and teamwork tools can help company’s quickly resolve issues, help with customer demands and stay on top of competitors. So, the predicament is not whether or not to invest in conferencing and collaboration, but rather which types of Video Conferencing features make the most sense for your company.

Equipment

Finally, you may have some of the equipment for Video Conferencing already. This puts one foot in the door with installation; especially if a company already has a conference room set up for Video Conferencing but wants to add desktops. However, to set up a new Video Conferencing system, special hardware installation is necessary. If there is already an office, any quiet room will suffice to host the camera. If an office is being built for a new company, consider making one room a conference room only. A high-speed Internet access is essential for video conferencing because of how the data must be sent. Again, most larger offices are already equipped with high speed internet and are ready for installation on that level.