Hosted Video Conferencing

Get With the Online Video Conferencing Program

Good hosted video conferencing services can't make you taller, but they are a great solution to your company's communication problems.  Online video conferencing is a valuable tool that provides a creative and cost-effective way to communicate coast to coast.

But to utilize this this awesome virtual conferencing provider tool, you have to understand it.  It's important to know what you want to get out of your conferencing tools in order to select the right ones for you. 

Each video conferencing system is different and you don't want to spend the money on one with all the bells and whistles if your company would be better suited by something Plain Jane and cheaper to boot.

First, you need to decide if you'd like to stick with audio conferencing (a new twist on the old phone conference) or if you're more into real-time, face to face interaction (definitely the most high-tech option but not so good if you're prone to bad hair days).

Conferencing Provider

If you've decided that hosted video conferencing is the way to go, good for you.  You will just need to chose a virtual conferencing provider. Online video conferencing is as convenient as picking up the telephone with more features than you can shake a stick at. 

You can schedule them ahead of time or on the fly and most services will allow you to host reservationless meetings, so that once you decide your meeting is necessary, you won't have to wait until a meeting "room" becomes available.

There are a variety of benefits online video conferencing, including the following:
 
 Saving Money: No more drastic airfares and paying a per diem for slacker employees to eat lobster and drink champagne while merrily charging it to the company account (not that anyone that works for your company would do such a thing).

 Increased Productivity: Video conferencing gives you the opportunity to keep said slacker employees where you can keep an eye on them.  They're much less likely to do a conga line on company time this way.

 Accessible Employees: A great excuse for calling a company-wide meeting with no notice necessary.  Can you say "pop quiz"?

 Group Training: Computer video conferencing may be a necessity after half the company fails your pop quiz.  Accomplished with video conferencing, training will be convenient and cost-effective.

After you decide why you need online video conferencing, you'll need to decide what kind to get.  Here's some of the different basic types of conferencing systems available in the market, divided into four creatively-named categories.
 
Communicate This

For companies that need only one step up from a telephone, basic communications conferencing systems allow you to talk to other groups, view them via webcam, and record your meetings for future reference.

Works Well with Others

Good for companies where group work is a necessity, this type of video conferencing service allows the same functions as the basic communication services, but throws file sharing and project collaboration into the mix.

Easily Manageable

Taking the "Works Well with Others" category to the next step, this type of conferencing system is great for tracking big projects and keeping everyone on task.  It's tougher to slip under the radar when everyone knows who is responsible for what.

In-House Trained

If human resources has been begging you to let them use an online conferencing medium to train their new employees, you might want to let them. 

How would you like to give the same spiel on employee benefits to every new guy that comes through those doors?  Your HR people could probably quote that in their sleep.

No matter which type of hosted video conferencing that your company decides to use, give yourself a pat on the back for getting this far.  You've come up with a way, not only to save time and money and increase productivity, but to put fear back into your employees as well.

Click Here for Internet Based "Live Video Systems"

Web video conferencing is here now. 
      Bruce Chandler

 Computer video conferencing