It is true that face-to-face meetings and presentations are sometimes necessary, but there can be no doubt that the world is becoming more virtually connected.
Solutions can be provided over a public cloud-based system or a private cloud that sits on your private network; offering complete data privacy.
So, what are the benefits of virtual meetings and how can you take advantage of them?
Reduced environmental impact
I have already mentioned less travelling and smaller rooms in part 1, and these have environmental benefits in terms of lower emissions. There is also a saving of paper that comes with less printing, of plastic with less water bottles handed out, less food waste from food not eaten at meetings?. Also, from a PR point of view, going greener is no bad thing!
More personable
Traditional teleconferencing has its advantages, but virtual meetings over video offer a face-to-face element. Seeing a face and looking someone in the eye is far better for fostering good rapport. Email is good, phone is better, face-to-face is best. These days, face-to-face can be done from multiple, remote locations.
Increased flexibility
Employees can take advantage of having more flexibility. Travelling to a meeting involves planning where you need to be and when/how you need to travel to get there. Being able to attend a meeting remotely means that employees can enjoy the flexibility of attending from anywhere, freeing up time to spend on other productive activities. This flexibility also allows a reduction in pressure for those employees with out-of-work commitments by allowing them to be part of the team without having as much of an impact on their personal lives.
Focus on people
Instead of having annual or bi-annual meetings organised to get large groups of employees together, more regular, smaller group meetings can be held. This allows employees to build relationships and provides an opportunity to engage with everyone in the meeting more frequently.
More inclusivity
Remote employees can often feel like they are not as much a part of the team as those who are office based. Office based employees have more time together to get to know each other. Field based employees don?t have the same opportunity. With virtual meetings, they can have more ??face-to-face?? interactions with colleagues.
In short
The advantages of virtual meeting technology go far beyond what I have written in these two parts. Every business has unique needs, but every business can take advantage of the technology to help the environment, increase engagement and be more cost effective.
Ask yourself how you can take advantage of virtual meeting technology. Or?. ask me!