Being able to do business involves effective communication, and with what is happening in the economy, video conferencing is the best solution for keeping people connected. Audio conferencing lets people from different locations interact by telephone through an audio conference bridge, which is referred to as a conference call.
In the last few years, improvements in technology have changed the way of where and how people communicate and conduct business. One advancement in technology that people are enjoying for their business and personal lives is video conferencing. Video conferencing enables people from separate locations to hold virtual meetings as if they were at the same place.
What is Video Conferencing?
Video describes online meetings that take place over the internet by connecting to a mobile meeting app in meeting rooms with personal devices like laptops or smartphones with webcams.
Audio conferencing use to be convenient, but traditional phone calls come with there issues of noise, loss of signals, and inability to concentrate on the conversation because of lack of visual aids. But video conferencing added the ability to hear and see participants, which allows for more engagement. Below are some advantages that make video conferencing better than a traditional phone call:
- Increased productivity – Video conferencing calls eliminates the feeling that a conference call is going on and on. Typically, meetings through video conferencing can save time and are more productive because people can share documents, etc. through the call.
- Improved communication – video conferencing helps with restoring visual cues that can be missing in long-distance communication. For example, eye contact usually enables us to understand the meaning of the message from a speaker that, through audio-only, the meaning might get lost.
- Conferencing quality – The pros and cons of video conferencing strongly depend on network quality. Depending on the technology, there can still be issues with audio and video clarity, but as technology continues to advance, so does deliver clear, reliable audio and video quality.
- Visual aids – audio conferencing can still help with saving people time and preventing travel, but video conferencing provides the benefit of visual aids. Seeing visual aids can help with keeping people focused on the purpose of a meeting. Slideshow or whiteboards can be used along with a video conference to keep people’s attention.
- Fewer errors with clear communication – video conferencing can help eliminate miscommunication that often occurs during exchanges of ideas between team members. Audio calls can leave different interpretations of what the message is being said, and the purpose of essential points might be misinterpreted. Video conferencing offers the visual aspect where you can see people’s body language and facial expressions and helps with reducing confusion or misunderstanding facts.
More benefits of video conferencing include:
- Audio and video technology save businesses significant amounts of money. Businesses can now save on travel and accommodations expenses. Studies have also suggested that employee’s productivity is higher because of the reduced need for travel.
- Conferencing technology is versatile and mobile. Conveniently anyone can access it from any part of the office, which makes it extremely important in times when a split decision is needed, or meetings need to be rescheduled or moved. Also, there is not the need for meetings to be cancelled because of strikes, traffic jams, or delayed flights, which helps improve the efficiency in the business.
- A video conference can help with easier decision making because it eliminates the need to have physical meetings, meaning if there is a time limit for a decision to be made, someone could even make decisions while on vacation.
- Conferencing also saves companies money because they can reduce office space requirements. The need to have a huge office space is eliminated because staff can work from home. With employees working from home, businesses spend less on transport allowance as well.
- Employees or guest speakers can attend meetings when they are physically unable to. For example, in areas where there might be safety, or legal restrictions, interactive communication, and sessions can still happen due to video conferencing.
- Making use of the latest technology helps with setting businesses apart from their competition and shows potential clients that your business is growing with the latest trends and practices.
- Audio and video conferring is a reliable service that allows for operation 24 hours a day. Through the video conferencing apps, your information is secure, and members of your team are sent their own security code, which ensures the correct people are on the call and that the meeting goes on uninterrupted.
Final Thoughts
Audio conferencing calls are slowly losing ground in the workforce as more and more people become familiar with using video conferencing. Video conferencing is benefiting businesses by helping with reducing operating costs and being able to communicate with employees no matter people’s location clearly. Video conferencing involves more technology than the traditional phone call. People like to have a visual aid and interaction, which is proven to help with keeping a meeting or call productive and improving the moods of employees, especially if everyone is working from home.
Today’s world is driven by technology, and the ability to conduct meetings in real-time while social distancing has become critical for businesses success. Using video conferencing helps with enhancing your business while reducing operational costs. The way the world is today, it makes sense for businesses, no matter their size, to invest in audio-video conferencing technology.
