Conference calls aren’t something most people look forward to. Sure, it’s better than having to attend a meeting in person, but you still need to set aside time in your day to listen to people speak about something you are only slightly interested in. Even if the meeting is important to business proceedings, the experience of calling itself entails people attempting to speak over one another, confusion regarding whose turn it is, a lack of knowledge about who is even participating, and the awkwardness that comes from a lack of eye contact.
What can solve many of these problems, though, is video conferencing. When everyone can see each other while still enjoying the benefits of being remote, it removes a significant amount of awkwardness and makes the meeting more personal. If your company is not already using video conference calling, here are a few reasons why it’s time to start:
It connects people across distances
Let’s start with one of the obvious, more general benefits that video chatting shares with its audio counterpart: it connects people across distances, no matter how large. Do you have a client in Taiwan? That’s not a problem. Instead of spending thousands of dollars and dozens of hours on travel time, you simply need to find a time that works for you both. Do you have team members that live in another state? No worries—you can communicate with each other within seconds.
Conference calling dramatically reduces commute times, too. If you need to speak with someone across town, why bother driving through traffic when you only need their attention for five minutes? This way, the only time taken from anyone’s day is the same five minutes, and multiple people can listen in.
It’s better for distributed teams
The workforce is growing increasingly remote. If your business is located in a small town and you are struggling to find talent for a position that doesn’t technically require the individual to be on-site, why not open up the opportunity to the entire world? Your small company in Minnesota could hire a software developer in Thailand. Navigating timezones would be the only issue. You could update each other about projects, deadlines, expectations, and developments via video calling; and it would be similar to having them in-office.
It’s as close as face-to-face as technology permits
Video chat is as close to talking to someone face-to-face that technology allows, so if you’re due for a business meeting, video conference calling is the way to go. Your team will likely not be very effective if they can only hear each other—have you ever paced around your house while taking a personal call? You get antsy because you do not have eye contact that you are accustomed to. Face-to-face conversation comes with additional visual cues that are helpful for communicating clearly. If you do not have the right technology, though, you may need a video conferencing solution.
It helps you accomplish more
Video calling helps you accomplish more than standard calling does. Tom Keiser, CIO of Zendesk, notes that his company’s meetings “tend to consist of not only internal members but also partners and/or customers. As CIO/CTO, I’m responsible for security, operations, data centers—a lot of key areas that matter to customers… in sales, face-to-face is important in the beginning [of a relationship].” He elaborates that once a relationship is established, the goal is no longer getting familiar with one another, but getting things done. Video is advantageous here because “it’s easy to just put together a call and get face-to-face, making sure customers get their questions and issues addressed.” This kind of interaction “drives better communication, creates trust, and builds stronger relationships.”
Audio conference calls carry an air of mystery, so to speak, that leaves people feeling confused or held at arm’s length. Video, however, enables you to look someone in the eye and read their body language. You will are more likely to close a deal comfortably if you trust each other.
It allows visuals
Video calling allows you to show not only your face but also your environment and personal screen. A significant amount of the population are visual learner, and their minds are likely to stray if their eyes do not have anything to follow. Including visual aids during presentations can make a world of difference: charts, graphs, videos, photos, and other media give people more information to work with. Not only will they learn better, but changing up the focus of attention will help keep everyone engaged and participating.
Video calling is more advantageous to your business than traditional conference calls. It’s as close as you can get to an in-person meeting without having everybody in the same space, so when will your company start using video conferencing?
