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If you’re new to video conferencing, here are a few questions to help you identify major issues at the workplace, as well how video conferencing can help resolve them:
- Have a high turn-over rate in the business?
- Having problems managing remote staff?
- Are your travel expenses draining a significant portion of your profit?
- Is employee productivity at an all-time low?
Traditional Workplace Culture
It used to be that paid leaves, medical coverage, and other perks along with a sizable salary was enough to keep high-skill talents loyal to their companies for many, many years down the road. That used to be enough for staying late at the office for meetings, missing family birthdays and get-togethers in order not to miss a single deadline, and basically working 60 plus hours a week to stay on top of the endless office politics and cutthroat competition.
Video Conferencing Solutions
That kind of work culture still exists. But over the past few years, talents— especially exceptional ones—have finally found a way to take the power back from big corporations. One of the many advantages of video conferencing solutions from Blue Jeans, a big name in cloud-based video software, is making face-to-face communication possible. It’s a big boon for talents who realize they can go after clients themselves and cultivate their own network. Online calls, for instance, are free and cost-effective. The technology is easy to set up and the HD video clarity makes adds a punch to the face to face contact. Users feel like off-site colleagues are right there with them, instead of working from across the Atlantic.
The Rise of the Freelance Economy
Last year, News reported that freelancers in Australia had reached 4.1 million or 32 percent of the country’s workforce. With the promise of flexibility, higher income, and more time, employees are hanging up their corporate hats to work as contractors, consultants, and freelancers. By relying on video conferencing tools, talents are able to find work that satisfies them. Some have even earned as much—if not more—than what they previously did at their corporate jobs. Money, while a important, isn’t the only motivator, though. The ability to set their own hours, to work as much or as little as they want, and to spend a lot of time with their family, are also chief reasons for why freelancers aren’t in a mad scramble to get back to the corporate world.
Improving Employee Retention
Companies that understand what’s at stake are now finding ways to provide flexibility to employees. Staff who need to relocate or want to work offsite are offered work-from-home arrangements. Those who don’t want to lose long-term employees find that such solutions go a long way to improving employee satisfaction levels. By ensuring that their employees are content and happy, they lower the risk of employee turnover and improve retention.
Supervising Remote Teams
Video conferencing also provides companies with a low-cost and effective way of managing offsite staff. By encouraging teams to use video conferencing, it helps make remote members feel that much closer to the rest of the team. Isolation can put a damper on a remote employee, lowering engagement, and affecting performance and productivity. Checking in with your staff via video conference calls helps promote employee engagement and loyalty. One reason for this is the face to face element of video. People are much more inclined to feel closer to people they see over those they communicate with via email, calls or chats. It also eliminates friction between teams. Face to face contact also improves understanding, says the Business Insider, encouraging positive and friendly relationships among your staff.
Collaborative Features Boost Productivity
Users can also share content—images, word files, and videos—during a conference call, making it ideal for collaborative work. Teams that need to accomplish campaigns can easily work on every page of a presentation, talking about changes or sending feedback or comments to one another privately or through a thread, during the call. For disparately located teams, the technology allows them to bridge the gap and work as a team to beat deadlines and deliver results. That makes video conferencing one of the best tools around for bringing offsite teams together.
Shrinking Travel Costs
By using video conferencing for online meetings, conferences, and trainings, companies are able to save up on a lot of travel expenses, along with travel-related ones like venue fees for trainings, employee accommodations, meals, fares, travel allowance and more. With those savings, companies can look forward to earning more while spending a whole lot less. Less travel for employees also meant productivity gains for companies. By reducing commuting hours, employees were able to perform better, sans commuting stress and problems.
With so many benefits, video conferencing is a real asset for businesses. It won’t be long before every company out there declares it an indispensable part of their communication strategy. They will. They will.