Audio, Video and Web Conferencing

In terms of internet technology there has been a dramatic growth through the penetration of higher bandwidth through cable modem and DSL's. Online communication using audio and video is a very viable option for businesses whether they are small scale or large scale. If we take some previous records into count in early 2000 the web conferencing business was just worth half a billion dollar industry and ever since it has been rising consistently with a 30% growth. Today it stands at an enormous figure because of the cost cuts and savings a business can have.

How does audio, video and web conferencing save money for business?

Business travel means expenditure in the form of air tickets and hotel accommodations and the other benefits which tag along. It could be anywhere in the world and the cost to support one business executive could run high enough. However the whole concept of business travel is for giving that personal touch for customers. Today web conferencing is able to give the personal touch without the business executives having to travel miles across.

Benefits of web conferencing:

Other than time and cost cutting there are several other benefits that web conferencing brings along.

Employees can handle their time more efficiently and productively. Internal and external communication for them improves because they do not need the turn around time to "get back" on queries as they are right in their office

Provides the option of expanding the business to anywhere in the world and not yet spend exorbitant amounts f money in setting up costs.

Online training to HR recruiting and marketing can be facilitated through web conferencing.

Web conferencing is a great business tool to have. Even though it can never replace the conventional face to face meetings it is still an effective way to bridge those gaps. Businesses that pursue web conferencing need to consider the fundamentals of web conferencing. Many leading providers today offer the state of the art facilities and in order to choose a quality product that is flawless, it should be an easy to use service that a busy and harried business executive can use. The learning curve should be minimal and there should 24/7 customer support service to support the conferencing facilities.

Author is consultant for audio conferencing service and video conferencing service offering companies.

Improvements in Web Conferencing Reduce the Costs For All Businesses

If you're the one responsible for organising your company's conferences, you'll know that cost is a big factor in deciding which option to go for. In a perfect world, everyone will attend your conference in one place and at one time. Unfortunately, it can be frighteningly expensive to fly delegates in, put them up in hotels and pay for the other expenses associated with getting people to attend a conference.

You may have noticed the average cost of business-class tickets increasing of late, and one of the big reasons is thanks to advanced web technology. I'm talking about web conferencing, or video conferencing, which allows delegates to conference virtually thus saving the need to travel to a physical event. As cost becomes an ever greater factor in deciding which conference option to choose, many companies are now turning to web conferencing as a viable alternative.

The advances in video conferencing mean that multiple delegates can now watch real-time streaming of a video event. This has brought the corporate community much closer as a result. As well, the pricing of this technology has proven to be much more affordable for small to midsize businesses looking to cut costs on conventions, meetings and everything associated with long
distance travel.

With the expanding scope of web conferencing technology, audio and video can now be delivered via a broadband or high-speed connection to anyone, anywhere in the world just by having a web browser. As a result, meetings can be held and recorded so that remote staff in different time zones, who might not be able to attend the conference, can replay it at a more convenient time. Delegates are now able to use a whole host of new tools in a conference, such as present materials or collaborate on documents. This process has allowed people to work across borders far more quickly and easily than before.

In Australia alone, video conferencing software such as WebEx is used by over 11,000 businesses. The reduced travel this has allowed will have reduced the amount of carbon emitted by thousands of tonnes. Some of the more common users of WebEx software are in the finance and IT sections, and they use it for marketing and training purposes.

Kinobo is an online retailer of computer electronics and software. We supply customers with webcams, microphones, headsets and other video conferencing equipment. We also offer a free trial of Microsoft Live Meeting web based video conferencing.