Great article!
As economic conditions become less favorable, and travel costs continue to rise, using audio, web and video conferencing as an alternative to travel will become more common in the workplace. To your surprise I'm sure, a recent forecast by American Express indicates that this year we’ll see continued increases in rates across air, hotel, car rental and corporate meetings and events. Unfortunately, we’re talking about rate increases into the high double digits. There is something to be said for face to face meetings; however they tend to be costly and inconvenient.
Last time I travelled, I spent over an hour and a half in the security line in ATL and almost missed my returning flight (the last flight of the day, of course). You have to admit that face to face meetings are stressful and costly. By the time you drive to the airport, go through security, wait to board your flight, be lucky enough to sit next to the only screaming child on the flight the one time you’ve forgotten your noise cancelling headphones, arrive in your destination city, find the rental car service (now my feet are hurting and I’m beginning to
‘perspire’ from lugging my bags through 2 airports), get lost en route to your meeting because you thought you knew where you were going, kick yourself for not bringing your GPS, then arrive at your wonderful face to face meeting, cranky, sweaty, stressed and make-up running, you’re so done! That’s not always the greatest first impression,
and it’s only the first half of the trip!
I do think there is value that comes from an in-person meeting, which can enhance a relationship beyond a simple phone call. Being able to read body language, looking a person directly in the eye, watching non-verbal signals can have a tremendous impact on a client relationship and certainly on a sale. But when it comes down to the cost/benefits, it’s hard to advocate face to face meetings anymore, when the cost of a web meeting is a tiny fraction of the cost of travelling (
not to mention the stress noted above).
The technology of a web conference is really pretty attractive, too. If you haven’t attended one, it’s well worth it. The company I work for (
RollCall Business Conferencing) is sponsoring free trial accounts for OfficeArrow members, so next time you or your boss is planning a face to face meeting, consider a web meeting or teleconference. It’s often times more effective, usually less stressful (depending on who is on the call), and always far less costly. If anyone has any questions about RollCall, conferencing in general, web meetings or webinars, contact me and I’ll do my best to help or find the right answer for you.
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