Especially since the economy remains fragile and rather slow to recover, one of the best things businesses can do right now is learn how to save money and cut back on unneeded expenses. One of the easiest ways to do this is by turning to the use of video conferencing instead of sending people all over the country and the world for important business meetings. Part of the appeal of this money saver is also the fact that the cost of the technology and equipment has dropped to a point where almost every type of business can afford some type of business video conferencing solution. Here are the top ways that this can save your business some cash.
Saves Money; Helps the Environment:
More and more businesses are becoming earth and environmentally friendly today than ever before. You will be pleased to know that a number of recent surveys have shown using video conferencing can help not only save money but also lower your carbon footprint, as reported recently in a Tree Hugger blog. Businesses that add a tele-presence to their mix of communications systems can actually cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 5.5 million metric tons between now and 2020. It will also result in a potential economy wide financial savings of nearly $19 billion.
Of course, how much of a return your business will see depends on a number of factors, especially its size. The reports conclude that a business with $1 billion in annual revenue, implementing four tele-presence rooms could see a financial return on their investment in as little as 15 months. They will also reduce emissions by an estimated 2,271 metric tons over five years.
Cutting Travel Expenses:
One of the first big benefits that most businesses will realize by implementing video conferencing systems is a reduction in their travel expenses, according to Business Review USA. No longer will you need to be sending your employees all over the country or even around the globe. They can all stay exactly where they are and work from home. Not only this, but you may even see a noticeable increase in productivity with less of your employees away from the office.
This will also give you the chance to better interact with other companies already employing this same strategy. This might even lead to more networking opportunities and the chance to do more business in terms of joint ventures or partnership projects, according to Clear One.
Internationalizes Business:
Possibly you have been interested in expanding your business on a global scale but are not sure exactly how to do this? Using video conferencing solutions from companies such as BlueJeans.com could be a great way to collaborate with clients, customers, and potential business partners around the world. These technologies enable you to significantly improve your communications, so use this to communicate in new ways and with different people and organizations.
Increases Teamwork:
The most obvious way in which video conferencing can enhance teamwork and cooperation is if your business has a number of different branches, offices, or other locations. This sort of connects to saving on travel costs, since you would no longer need to really move people around. In fact, with the right equipment you can have employees collaborating on documents, and other projects in real time. There is software that makes all of this a piece of cake.
Employees can also connect with each other in an effort to resolve problems and issues. Many times, an issue that could derail or slow the progress on a particular project to a halt can be avoid by simply getting together in the video room and working through whatever seems to be holding things back. Not only that, but it is also great for everyone to get to see each other and working together on a regular basis with other offices and locations can really help to build a framework of teamwork and togetherness.
Job Interviews through Video:
Many companies have even started conducting job interviews through video conferencing. Imagine no longer being tied to a specific location or office. This is the promise of video conferencing; with the idea that now you can simply focus on finding and hiring the best talent. In fact, the newly hired employee might even be able to do their job remotely, getting on conferences as needed and collaborating with other team members.
This technology could even lead to a true revolution in work. Imagine a company now being able to best and most talented individual on a task-by-task or project basis. This is basically the modern day equivalent of freelancing. Of course, the candidate would need to have their own facilities to connect to your conferencing equipment, but as the costs continue dropping this should become even more common.
Remote Client Meetings:
Many times, the client doesn’t want to travel, either. Giving them the option of using a videoconference could be a great idea. This might even help you to gain clients, if they know up front that there would be no real need for additional travel and that everything can be handled remotely.
