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I see that video and web conferencing technology is gaining a stronger eco-friendly profile. I discussed how the technology is helping lower carbon emissions in a blog a while ago and some interesting data has recently come across my desk at MegaMeeting showing what environmental impact it can have in the business world.
It’s no secret that video conferencing can help businesses save money and operate more efficiently, whether it’s cutting down on travel expenses or allowing remote employees to interact with colleagues and clients more effectively.
But I think the matter of video and web conferencing technology’s green credentials is just as important. According to the European Telecommunications Network Operators Association, if 20% of business travel in the EU were replaced by video conferencing, 25 million tonnes of carbon dioxide would be saved annually.
I also read that a monthly 70-mile business trip in a car can generate over 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide. A trans-Atlantic flight produces over four times as much. As companies the world over look to improve their eco-friendly credentials, greater use of video and web technology seems to me to be an obvious step.
Some people say, “What about face-to-face contact”? Well, I’m not lobbying for a complete ban – being in the same room needs to happen, obviously, but I’d argue that, as long as you’re using the right technology, video and web conferencing actually allows more face-to-face time, and at a much reduced cost, both to businesses and the environment.
Want to know more about web conferencing technology that can help your business be more eco-friendly? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
The press is swamped with stories of the hopes, aspirations and grades of students at the moment – it must be exam result time. Going to university is an expensive business nowadays, but web and video conferencing could help cut down costs.
It was reported in the news recently that high schools in Detroit have unveiled a new college counselling suite that allows students to use video and web conferencing technology to find out about where they want to study.
Using video conferencing technology, students can take virtual campus tours, speak face to face with college representatives and attend interviews without leaving their home towns and cities.
It struck me immediately that video and web conferencing technology could play the same role in this country, allowing students to save money on travel costs when looking at prospective universities. It could also free up the time of representatives from the universities currently required to chaperone and take part in visits.
This type of cost reduction seems pertinent at time when competition for places is the fiercest for a decade, leaving some unfortunate students with no offers nothing to show for their expenditure on open day visits.
Of course, there are clear lessons here for the private sector. Cost savings on travel, training and more can be made by using technology whose features include secure multi-user video capacity, multi-feature presentation functionality (interactive whiteboard, HD video, etc.) and 24-hour support.
Interested in superior video and web conferencing technology for your company? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
I read an interesting article on Skype in a copy of the Guardian left at the MegaMeeting office this week. It discusses the unheralded growth of Skype and its role in changing the way we speak to each other.
I think there are obvious parallels between Skype and the impact of web and video conferencing technology on the way businesses communicate.
Skype’s move to trademark its name in Europe has incurred the wrath and the lawyers of Rupert Murdoch, who is arguing that the name resembles too closely that of BSkyB. Harsh? Well, it certainly seems so, but then the Guardian isn’t exactly Murdoch’s greatest fan.
More importantly, I learnt that Skype users have made a total of 250 billion minutes of calls since it was founded in August 2003. The days of extortionately priced long-distance calls on fuzzy lines are fast disappearing – all you need is an internet connection, a laptop, a microphone, and if possible, a webcam.
Using video and web conferencing can be just as simple, especially if you use the high-standard technology we offer at MegaMeeting, and it is affecting expenditure on business travel in the same way.
There are important differences between the two technologies – for instance, MegaMeeting video and web conferencing is a multi-user business communication service which is supported 24 hours a day– but the basic principles of online communication are the same.
I think just as Skype has changed the way we chat forever, online video conferencing is set to revolutionise the way we do business.
Interested in superior video and web conferencing technology for your company? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
I read a great article this week in the Guardian, entitled “Why bother dressing?”, about the rise in the number of people working remotely and, more specifically, from home. With employees, employers and clients all still needing to communicate, I think the ramifications for the use of video and web conferencing technology are clear.
According to the article, home working, which is also known as teleworking or telecommuting, is a growing market. Companies as diverse as banks, call centres, law firms and PR agencies are all increasingly allowing their staff to do it, part time at least.
The article describes how BT is a pioneer in the field of home working: 10,000 of its 65,000 flexible workers do not come into the office. Interestingly, the company claims to see greater productivity from its home workers, while making savings on costs relating to recruitment, instruction and downtime.
Overall, according to the official Labour Force Survey, there were 691,000 home workers in Britain in 2009, compared to 582,000 in 2006. With this number expected to continue to rise, I think demand for online conferences, online training and online meetings will only increase.
Of course, it will be vital that video and web conferencing technology is compatible and easy to use. It will have to work with PCs and Macs, and without downloads. MegaMeeting web conferencing products provide all these benefits.
Naturally, when you use video and web conferencing, you’ll have to be dressed, and dressed smartly. But for the rest of the time, you may be able to heed the article’s advice.
Interested in superior video and web conferencing for your office and home workers? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
I was at a business networking meeting in Sussex the other day and we were given a presentation on how to improve our public speaking skills. It was all good advice – speak clearly, address the entire room, prepare some notes, etc. – and it got me thinking about tips on giving online presentations.
So, building on the pointers on using web conferencing technology in previous blogs – on hosting an online conference and preparing for an online conference – here are some MegaMeeting tips on giving a presentation online.
- Research your audience. This may sound obvious, but take the time to be sure of who you will be speaking to and their level of knowledge and understanding.
- Prepare your audience. Make copies of your notes or slides available to your audience. This cuts down on unnecessary note taking and allows a greater focus on your message.
- First impressions count. The first minute of your presentation is vital – you have to connect with your audience. So, introduce yourself and the structure of your presentation clearly.
- Focus on the key message. It is important that you decide on a key message and structure the delivery of your presentation around it.
- Finish with a flourish. Sign off your presentation with a memorable statement or visual. This will help your audience remember your presentation and your key message.
Interested in superior video and web conferencing for your company? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
Yet more evidence of the potential of video and web conferencing as a cost-cutting tool. I was at a seminar on social media and its role in the corporate world recently and one of the speakers mentioned how he was working with a public sector client to develop their social media as a means of cutting costs.
He explained how the impact of the recent emergency budget was forcing him to rethink his work in implementing innovative strategies for his client. One of the new proposals that he is putting forward is greater use of online communication as a means of cutting back on travel expenditure. I think it’s clear where video and web conferencing fits in.
He also made a good point about corporate communication in general. According to him, a new era of business communication is here. How companies use the internet and websites is changing: it’s not just about presenting information any more, it’s about interacting.
Video and web conferencing is very much part of the technological shift. Today’s workforce is a mobile one and remote managing, e-learning and hot desking are all becoming increasingly common. Web conferencing is very much a facilitator of this change.
Also, more and more people entering the business world consider communication over the internet as the norm and I think it is clear to see the impact this attitude will have on the way we do business. I’d be interested to know your thoughts.
Want to know more about video and web conferencing technology that can help save your business money? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
Lately, I’ve been talking a lot about how video and web conferencing can save businesses money and I’ve cited several examples of how it is cutting corporate costs. This week, I thought I’d focus on another aspect of this technology: its eco-friendly credentials.
Video and web conferencing technology not only offers businesses an excellent opportunity to reduce expenditure, but also a means for decreasing their carbon footprint.
Of course, the benefits of web conferencing are directly related to cutting down on travel costs, both financial and environmental. I think that the combination of rising awareness of climate change and the actions responsible for it, coupled with the shift in the global financial landscape in recent years has helped put the issue of greener business practices in the spotlight.
Being greener and using web conferencing technology has more than just the immediate benefit of reducing outlay in expensive, and often fruitless, business flights. There are other advantages: while the new government might yet change the goalposts and such moves are only at an early stage, at present it is possible for businesses to receive tax breaks for meeting eco-friendly criteria.
Face-to-face meetings are still important, but there is a lot of room for businesses to cut down on unnecessary formality and travel with web conferencing. In the end, I think it boils down to being more practical. And of course, it’s a greener business practice, which is good PR in our more eco-aware world.
Want to know more about web conferencing technology that can help your business be more eco-friendly? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
More news on how video and web conferencing can save money this week. As we are reminded daily, the new government is making huge cuts in order to reduce the national deficit. Well, I think video and web conferencing represents a less painful way of helping to achieve this goal.
Local government officials in Sutton are showing the way. I read an article the other day about a pilot programme in which local magistrates are using video and web conferencing in their work.
The system in Sutton uses a secure video conferencing connection to link the police station and the court. The magistrate oversees the process from the court, while the accused and barristers for both sides use specially adapted rooms to present their cases.
The results so far have been impressive and the cost savings that can be achieved through the use of video and web conferencing technology are clear to see, the obvious ones being reduced expenditure on staff, admin and transport. I don’t think it is overstating the case to say that it could save millions if adopted nationally.
And, what works for the public sector works for the private sector. I think that, with a slew of austerity measures on their way, businesses should be alert to ways of managing their budgets more efficiently.
Want to know more about video and web conferencing technology can help save your business money? Contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
More news on how web and video conferencing is being increasingly rolled out as a cost-saving tool.
I was sifting through reports from last week’s SmartGov Live conference and exhibition held at ExCeL in London, when I came across comments from Kent Connects’ interim strategic director Jeff Wallbank. He hopes to use video conferencing to connect Kent Fire and Rescue Service and Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service as part of the government’s Public Sector Network initiative.
The use of video conferencing was reported as part of Wallbank’s campaign to get central government and local authorities to collaborate more efficiently, which also includes greater use of voiceover internet protocol.
The recent budget has put a question mark against the future of this public sector initiative and others, but I hope that the government can recognise the cost-saving potential of using web and video conferencing technology.
We all know the public sector has to make huge savings and I think introducing more web and video conferencing would help it to achieve this goal. By the same token, private companies should be looking at online conferencing tools to achieve similar efficiencies.
So, you heard it here first: for less pain and more savings, make sure your business is using web and video conferencing technology.
To find out more about a superior video and web conferencing product that can save your business money, contact Katherine at MegaMeeting on 0844 967 0358 or +44 (0) 1273 900710.
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