Invest to save: Companies should invest in #videoconferencing so that they can decrease travel budgets and increase employee productivity. Well we have heard this before and we have also heard about companies offering snake oil and saspharilla that will cure all with a small investment well that leads to bigger investments.
Video Conferencing has long been the expensive toy for the Fortune 500 executives. Left to fancy boardrooms and global companies with a price tag to match. However the game has changed.
Freeware like #skype and #facetime and lower cost hardware solutions (camera, software, codec, display etc...) have become more common. Now with price points in the thousands of dollars for the hardware and neatly bundles with services some come down as low as a few hundred dollars per month. Less than the cost of one business trip.
Most businesses have internet access, displays can be found at any big box retailers from a few hundred dollars, all you need is either a services bundle whereas one uses their PC, Mac, tablet or smart phone to have business class (not freeware unstable, choppy quality) video conferences with the opportunity to show presentations. Such services start at around $139 a month and up and allows several participants from anywhere to meet in Hi-Def.
For companies wanting the services and hardware solutions can be had for $3-6000 range with everything needed. Neatly bundled again they run from a few hundred dollars a month. The biggest challenge for a business is "work habit". Yes you are used to traveling, staying at hotels, dinner, drinks, golf...and so are your managers. It takes time to change work habits. and at a cost... the investment in the video conferencing solution coupled with the time to adopt. Some companies like easymeeting.net offer user training to help show the benefits of video and how toe while others charge for it. Easymeeting out of Mystic does not charge extra for it.
So... the time to invest to save... is now. Try video conferencing it can change your world, save you money and increase productivity. I know I have meetings every day with Sweden, Norway, USA, UK and Spain.
