Loading...Collaboration across physical distances can be challenging through conventional methods. Phone conversations introduce more problems than they solve, and email is too slow for real-time back-and-forth. Instant messaging can work in real time, but it still lacks the capacity to communicate ideas visually except for graphics and photos.
All of these limitations slow productivity down and lead to lost opportunities, especially in the information technology field. But talking to people is necessary for business, Jennifer Adams wrote for No Jitter. The trick is to eliminate excuses and make meetings more efficient.
Solve Problems
Virtual conferencing for IT can help break through otherwise intimidating communication barriers. The Blue Jeans Network and other cloud-based services are leading the industry with innovative solutions to common problems that many companies face.
Nowadays, it’s easy to set up a virtual room even if the participants are not using the same hardware or conferencing platform. With a cloud-based conferencing service, individuals can join a discussion through simply the power of their Internet browser. No additional gateway hardware is needed.
With the capability of live streaming, participants can show the audience exactly what they are talking about instead of walking them through it over the phone or typing out long explanations. In addition, the best conferencing solutions allow for video insertion, screen displays and instant messaging during a live event.
With so many options to communicate ideas during a web chat, participants can use the medium that best suits the subject. If a white board is needed, then the moderator can make that the main focus of the live stream, and they can switch through the main presenters by using a dashboard. That’s quite the significant improvement over Google Hangouts’ motion detector.
Clearer Communication
Because high-speed internet is more readily available around the world, these platforms make collaboration easier and more accessible. The visual element can cut down on confusion and reduce the need for participants to repeat things or explain them multiple times.
Another great thing about using a central, cloud-based conferencing solution is that the administrator can record the conversation. This makes it possible to review the information discussed and cut the recording into clips that can be re-purposed for marketing or training.
Depending on the market an IT company is focused on, there many be several social media channels its customers and prospects frequent. After all, video is fast becoming the most shared content type on the Internet.
Increase Sales
IT professionals have an advantage over most people because they have the aptitude and interest to be early adopters of technology. Making the leap from internal communications via conferences to marketing is easy and inexpensive thanks to cloud-based solutions.
Setting up a webinar to promote IT services is a great opportunity to engage with a target audience and answer their questions in real time. Companies can add logos to the screen and hyperlinks to landing pages. All this can increase brand loyalty and improve conversion rates.
With the right service, administrators can analyze relevant metrics during and after a meeting. These measures can help tell a company whether a conference was a success or needs to be improved. There is no need to guess with real numbers.
Mobile World
Most people carry a smartphone with them wherever they go. Landlines for home use are a distant memory for the current generation. It’s easy to see smartphones will be the primary communications access point for a workforce becoming more mobile every day.
Eventually, virtual reality goggles may become the top entry point for these audiovisual internet chats, but in the meantime, smartphones are the hub for everything mobile. From conferencing apps to integrations with IM platforms and social media channels, everything is being built around cellphones.
IT professionals can use this trend to their advantage. They no longer have to be tied to a workstation or stuck in a conference room while they are talking to remote colleagues. If they need to walk to another room to access a piece of equipment during a presentation, it’s possible to do while staying connected with a cellphone.
Think Faster
Of course, being mobile for online conversations also can save IT departments time and money while increasing productivity. There is no need to travel to work sites to visit customers, and in many cases commuting is unnecessary. Some corporations are conducting their annual group discussions virtually, Tom Braithwaite of The Financial Times reports.
Companies can become more agile through virtual meetings because their teams can work faster and more efficiently. Less noise and better focus can lead to more creativity.
Not everyone works best in the same environment. Cloud-based solutions can allow individuals to find the place and medium in which to be happiest and most productive. Thanks to technology, traditional work hours and days are no longer a necessity for most companies.