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WebConferencing – Summary Update
From a commercial standpoint it all seemed to start a while back with Video Conferencing which was exorbitantly expensive and favoured by large corporations and academia. Now, whilst relatively speaking, a little more affordable that world is evolving into something called Telepresence and promoted by serious “blue chip” providers such as Cisco and Vidyo.
That need to differentiate is necessitated by the fact that a newer kid on the block called Web & Desktop Conferencing has moved in at a more affordable price, enabled by the all proliferating world of Broadband Internet, and generating a revolution in uptake offering Audio, Web and an altogether more attainable variety of affordable Video Conferencing solutions.
Audio Conferencing: also known as Teleconferencing offers a widely available solution from a range of providers offering multi-participant voice meetings over Landline, Mobile and Internet connections, or even a combination of both. Some of these services are chargeable, on top of the telephone service connection charges which might apply, some are arguably “no cost”.......... Skype being a well known such service with millions of users worldwide online at any time but with limited features when compared to some other solutions.
Audio Conferencing offers an effective solution to “virtual” meetings and is a comfortable & low-tech application that business is becoming accustomed to using.
Web & Video Conferencing: a newer phenomena currently pushed forward and increasingly driven by the need to cut operating costs, the need to work smarter & more efficiently, and the undoubted need to embrace a green working culture.
Web Conferencing offers audio & video presentation for those participating. It enhances the online meeting by integrating work tools and allowing users to collaborate online, sharing each other’s desktop resources and applications in ways that ensure a high Return on Investment.
Face to Face Meetings will always be an important element of business culture, and will continue to be so, but the drivers offered by Web & Video Conferencing mean that we can use the technology to achieve so much more. As is always the case improvements in technology will continue and improved quality will drive things forward. Where we are today allows us to consider the particular strength of Web & Video Conferencing as an enabler to uptake and success.
It’s generally understood that we retain some 20% of what we hear.... offering something of a low return from effort put into organising an Audio Conferencing type service. Now, it may be that we retain also some 20% of what we see. However, combine the two and the retension levels increase to something in excess of 50%. Add audience participation & interaction into the equation you reach retension levels even higher. This is where Web & Video Conferencing offers measurable success.
By adding Web Conference techniques to the accepted success of Audio & TeleConferencing you should be able to measure the increased return. Try adding some polling or survey questions, or ask participants to show what they mean on an integrated whiteboard, or by sharing the resources of their desktop. Meeting interaction can be used to measure participant attentiveness and to judge when a meeting needs a break. Thought needs to be put into planning a successful meeting and, of course, user etiquette is a major consideration.
If you’re already using Audio or TeleConferencing it may well be worth a trial of Web Conferencing to see what could be achieved. The results will vary depending on who your audience is and what the subject matter might be. Now it’s just a matter of finding the right WebConferencing tool that will satisfy your requirements, and that’s just where we can help.
Mango IT can carry out a Needs Appraisal and report back with a Cost Benefits Analysis. This can ideally be done online at a time to suit. Surely it’s at least worth talking to a company that aims to be objective in its recommendations, based on a proven knowledge of the current market place.
Contact us to arrange an online demo and to take up our offer of an introductory needs appraisal with cost-benefits analysis
