Small Businesses Can Save Money on Airline Tickets: Think Teleconferencing
As the cost of airfare soars in response to the ever-rising price of fuel, many small businesses may be forced to find alternative ways to communicate with their distant clients, prospective customers, and remote partners.
Due to advances in technology and green consciousness, teleconferencing is becoming a popular business travel alternative among small and mid-sized businesses. Some of this technology is not as expensive as you may think and bringing it into your company can dramatically enhance the way you do business- not to mention save you precious time and money in the long-run.
Here is a quick rundown of the different options:
Audio Teleconferencing:
This is a popular choice for many small businesses since it does not require a lot of additional equipment- only a telephone for each person involved in the conference call. Some companies also opt for a VOIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) line which allows them to use their Internet connection to communicate over the phone.
There are several ways to customize your audio telecommunication to fit the needs of your business, including the number of participants you can have on your call, and the availability of pass codes, secure access, local or toll free call in numbers, and operator assistance.
Video Teleconferencing:
This technology is similar to audio teleconferencing, except in this case video is added. It is best suited for distance lectures, brainstorming sessions, or conferences that require visual presentation.
The choice of which video conferencing equipment and tools you will need will depend on the needs of your business, but the main components of a typical video conferencing setup include a conferencing phone, video cameras and television screens, and web access.
There are several companies offering video conferencing solutions including: IVCi, Polycom, Sony, VCON, Smart Technologies, and RADvision.
Web Conferencing
As the name suggests, web conferencing is conducted via the Internet and can incorporate many different features that cannot be supported with video or audio conferencing, such as streaming video or audio, application sharing, text slides, white boards, polling, web tours, and PowerPoint presentations.
For web conferences, all parties involved will need a computer, a video camera or webcam, a microphone, a set of speakers and a high speed Internet connection.
You will also need a video conferencing system. There are two forms of video conferencing systems- either a dedicated system or one that is run from a desktop. A dedicated system is generally used for conventions or technologically advanced conferences. They typically require expensive equipment and considerable training to set it up.
With the desktop version, however, the equipment is basic and can easily and relatively inexpensively be upgraded. Web conferencing software is available for download as part of any modern instant messenger package. There are also several higher-end software packages that work with specific video conferencing services, such as WebEx and WiredRed.
As with the other two conferencing options, there are are many different features offered through a wide-range of providers. Knowing which solution is best for you will depend on the needs of your business.
As the price of business travel increases many small business owners may find that it is just cheaper and easier to do business from home.
