Crossing the entire city to a meeting that could be resolved with a simple phone call. Surely you’ve been through situations like this that could very well have been replaced by a long-distance meeting.
The fact is that commuting time and even spending on fuel or tickets are more than enough to raise an alert in companies: what if the meeting were held by videoconference? It’s a smart way to reduce costs and increase productivity.
Why hold remote meetings?
Technology is a tool that must be used in any company. Let’s face it, you don’t always have to be physically present to debate an issue. When the agenda is organized, participation via the internet, in an appropriate environment, fulfills exactly the same function, at a much lower cost.
Take, for example, a company with branches in other cities, for example. Put the costs of fuel, airfare and hours of work lost on the way at the end of your pencil. Certainly, this is a considerable amount and could very well be invested in videoconferencing.
Connected meeting rooms: what should they look like?
If you’ve done the math and realized that it’s a good deal to switch from face-to-face meetings to remote meetings, then you should be prepared for that. It’s not enough to just sit in front of a PC with a camera and open a program like Skype. The results may be lacking.
It is necessary to think about an infrastructure that is suitable for this type of meeting . Therefore, your meeting room should be adapted with audio and video capabilities for professional presentations. Remember: the comfort of the participants is of paramount importance so that they pay attention to the content, no matter how interesting it is.
What items should I consider in a video conference room?
Start with comfortable chairs and a large table that can fit a good number of participants. On the technical side, your room will need a screen of at least 40 inches to which PCs and smartphones can be connected. Opt for SmartTVs as they allow Wi-Fi connection.
Many attendees will need to connect their own laptops to the screen to give presentations. Therefore, have HDMI and DVI cables as well as adapters on hand so that there is no problem of incompatibility. Ultimately, a saving pen drive must be in place to copy the content.
Two other elements will be essential for productive meetings via videoconference: good sound and a quality camera . Low resolution images or muffled sound are two factors that discourage participants from paying attention to what they see.
Finally, consider online services specific to video conferencing. The Hangouts , the Webex , the GoToMeeting and Skype are among the most known and used by the majority of Brazilian companies.
A good project makes all the difference
It is neither difficult nor very expensive to set up an infrastructure like this in each of its branches. The amount saved in airline tickets for a month, for example, is more than enough to justify your company’s planning and investment in this type of structure.
While it’s possible to set up all of this yourself, we recommend that you consider a professional design for setting up a video conferencing room. In this case, factors such as the acoustics and lighting of the place will be taken into account and the result may be even better than you think.
Weekly meetings, trainings, conversations with clients and whatever else you need will continue to be part of your routine, but at a much lower cost. And best of all: the time saved by avoiding travel can be devoted to better planning, preparation for meetings and customer service.
