Many companies who have yet to make the move to include Video Conferencing in their office tend to be in one of two categories:
1.They see Video Conferencing as being extremely high tech, and worry that it will require upgraded Internet and need a tech guru to run it.
Or:
2.They see Video Conferencing as being very low tech, with jerky video, grainy picture, and frequent breakdowns.
We’re happy to say that neither of these myths are true of modern Video Conferencing for business.
Video Conferencing is easy to use – it’s just like using your TV – and is easy to set up.And with high definition video and sound provided by many Video Conferencing solutions – it will be “just like being there”.
Most high-end Video Conferencing solutions won’t require you to upgrade your Internet, as long as you already have a business-level subscription in place.
For Video Conferencing with our company, Vesta Networks, Video Conferencing requires 1Mbps of data – well within most business’s Internet subscription plans.If you’re experiencing higher than normal volume on your network, the video will automatically compensate, however the compensation is still of excellent quality.For instance, at 384 Kbps, you’re still seeing Cable TV quality video – light-years better than anything you’ll get at the consumer level.
So as you can see, Video Conferencing, though high tech, is now extremely easy to use, and is accessible to companies of all sizes and types.Users get crystal clear audio and video, with the ability to set up conferences at the push of a button.
In our last blog post, we talked about how quickly Video Conferencing can show a return on investment.
In this post, we wanted to tell you about a neat download we’re providing – an ROI calculator! It’s a great tool to see exactly how much money your company can save with Video Conferencing.
This calculator is set up as an Excel spreadsheet. When you open it, you can edit a wide variety of variables, including:
- Number of people who travel a month
- Their airfare, car rental, hotel costs, meals, and much more
- The salary of individuals traveling
- The lost productivity from traveling
You can then apply these variables to a few different Video Conferencing solutions. The calculator automatically calculates how quickly you’ll see return on investment – and we think you’ll be quite impressed with the result!
Go ahead and give the calculator a try by clicking HERE.
There are lots of great benefits to Video Conferencing, but to me, the most compelling reason companies need to look seriously at making the switch is return on investment.
Video Conferencing allows companies to meet with each other in high definition in real-time, seamlessly! We’ve heard from many of our clients about the huge reductions in travel costs – and the big improvements in overall communication across the company.
Think about it for just a moment – think of how much these things add up:
- Thousands of dollars spent on air travel, car rentals, hotels, and meals.
- Dozens of hours in lost productivity waiting at airports and on airplanes.
- Not to mention the big impact that constant traveling has on family life!
Here’s a quick “thumbnail” chart that shows you exactly how quickly your Video Conferencing investment can show a return:
With some of our potential clients, Video Conferencing sounds like it could be very technical – after all, you’re talking about high quality, high definition video that can stream anywhere across the world!
Their concern is this: “I’m not a techie – I used to find my VCR pretty tricky – so how am I going to be able to work Video Conferencing?”
We’re glad to say that Video Conferencing really is easy – as easy as setting up a regular telephone conference call.
Rather than talk about how easy it is, we wanted to show you a video of how simple it is to set up.Nothing complicated here – just hook up a few cables and you’re all set!
If you wanted to see the Video Conferencing in action, then go ahead and check out our prior blog post, which gives a “tongue-in-cheek” demonstration of video’s capabilities.
We hear this question quite often from our potential clients, and we completely understand why! While many people understand the broad concept of Video Conferencing, there’s question marks on exactly how it works.
Is it very technical? Or is it more like making a regular phone call? How do you navigate video conferencing? How do you connect with other people?
Rather than write about it, we’ve found the best way to demonstrate exactly how Video Conferencing with Vesta works is by showing you!
So go ahead and check out this “tongue-in-cheek” video below. It gives a great, visual demonstration of the ease of Video Conferencing – and it even has a little story!
In the aftermath of the G20 summit in Toronto, it would be so easy to write a blog on how video-conferencing could have been an efficient and highly cost-effective alternative to the 1$ billion cost that was racked up by the Canadian government this past weekend.
The most sophisticated of video-conferencing systems could have been deployed at about $1 million per location. And even if an extreme upper end of $3 million per location were used, some simple math suggests that a $20 million (20 leaders at $1 million each) to $60 million (and just so you don’t get too scared by the price, High Definition Desktop video is now available for as low as $3500!) price-tag is far less than was realized over this 2 day event. High Definition video with 3D pods would have had a similar communication effect as to being in the same room. Break-away sessions of one on one could have been achieved as well.
But, and this is a big BUT, I was formally convinced this morning that getting these leaders together in Canada was the right thing to do! As I dropped my $1.50 into the Globe and Mail newspaper box at 6:30 am this morning (the Toronto Star newspaper deliveryman was late again) I was joined by a young man who was scanning the headlines of his just purchased Toronto Sun. As he grumbled the words “if I were running the police department, I would have thrown all those protesters into jail for the next 10 years (where he got the idea that the police had this kind of authority is beyond me)”, I responded with a forced smirk and made a bee-line for my car….and it was in my 3 minute car-ride home that the conflict I had been feeling over whether holding the summit in Toronto was the right thing to do, finally crystallized into an overwhelming YES IT WAS!!
Am I a proponent of the violence and silliness displayed by the protesters; absolutely not, quite the contrary in fact. But what this gathering told me is that as Canadians we are the luckiest people in the world. We live in remarkable harmony and prosperity and a gentle reminder of that fact had just played out in front of the entire country to witness.
Sure, many streets of Toronto became hijacked by a small minority of outsiders (many outside of Canada), anarchists without cause, other than the sole purpose of creating trouble. And as so often happens, its the minority who wreck it for the majority. No matter how hard I want to think that remote collaboration services like teleconferencing, web-conferencing and video-conferencing will always provide cost savings and productivity gains, they will never replace the feeling of national pride that I now feel as a result of getting these leaders together for a good old-fashioned face-to-face!!
I had to head to downtown Toronto yesterday in order to pick up some video-conferencing equipment (the irony of this will be evident in a moment). The trip is 30 minutes by car when the traffic is flowing well, perhaps 60 minutes in rush hour. I’ve gotten to the point whereby my trips to the bowels of Toronto are timed outside the rush, which generally means its okay to go downtown around 10 am, but I try to get the heck out by 2 pm, otherwise it can back up quickly.
The plan was working swimmingly as I checked my watch at 2:10 pm, hopped in the car and meandered my way up to Bloor (avoiding the construction at Avenue Rd.), east to the Don Valley HWY. and onto the ramp to head north. Swimmingly, until I curved around the first bend and came to a dead stop. 20 minutes later, amid the sounds of sirens and flashing lights, I noticed a police officer in the distance, waving motorist to remove themselves off the Don Valley and shepherding them onto Bayview (a parallel road heading north).
I’ll spare you the details of grinding teeth and boredom of the next 2 hours of drive time! Suffice to say, urban traffic is becoming unbearable. When we started Vesta Networks 8 years ago, many of our teleconferencing clients were embracing the technology in order to bring people together across Canada and across the globe (they still do that) but those same customers are now using the technology to bring people together across town!! With the rise in the quality of High Definition video-conferencing, with the price point becoming remarkably affordable ($3000 for an all-in-one desktop, small boardroom unit) and the ease of operation (plug and play concept), its no wonder that more and more office workers are embracing home offices. Bricks and mortar thinking for housing employees is rapidly going out of style and we are truly on the leading edge of innovative and exciting collaboration services.
And the first thing I did when I got home, was to plug in the new HD video conferencing unit and made a call to a colleague in downtown Toronto. Seeing is believing!!
Ahhhhh, you could hear the sigh of satisfaction within the walls of Vesta last week! How many times have any of us worked hard to do the right thing, treating our customers with speedy service and a hint of a smile! We do those things because we believe in them, always mindful that it’s easy to loose a client as a result of a misstep. We’re all busy, many of us lining up our next meeting (or our next remote collaboration meeting!) going to meetings or doing the necessary follow-up from a meeting. Everyone at Vesta Networks would like to thank James Walker, Founder of Gyft, a company that provides marketing, web development and social media services to organizations across Canada. James is a recent client of Vesta and in his decision to join Vesta he took the time to write of his experience. It’s not all peaches and cream (although he does give us a great review) and I hope you will enjoy the read of James blog at the following link: http://www.gyft.to/blog/2010/05/good-business-case-study-vesta-networks/
Vesta Networks is now offering HD Video Conferencing! We have formed a spectacular relationship with LifeSize (a Logitech company) a world leader in manufacturing video end points. As a result of this relationship, we would love to invite you to a one-hour ‘Room in Action’ session that we are conducting with LifeSize in Toronto on June 16th.
HD Video Conferencing is growing rapidly as companies across Canada and around the world adopt video solutions to accelerate business collaboration, increase productivity, and lower travel costs. All vitally important in this difficult economy, when doing more with your existing resources is paramount. But how do you decide what Video Conferencing solution is best for you? Do you understand what features are the most important for your needs? Are you afraid of making a mistake?
At this interactive 60 minute session you will have a chance to ‘see’ video in action with a live demonstration of the LifeSize Communications video product line. We’ll bring other participants into the meeting from around the globe and you will be able to experience the power of an HD Video Conferencing meeting! It will be an informative and fun event in a relaxed atmosphere with a small group of 10 people.
If you are thinking about purchasing HD Video Conferencing solutions now or in the future,please call our support team at 1.866.281.9191 to get registered. As well, please following the URL obtain additional details. http://www.vestanetworks.com/video/videoemailroot/VestaVideo.html
Widely used in business circles, teleconferencingtogether with weband video conferencing is now a popular communication tool among charities, non–profit organizations and government agencies. In regions where it is too difficult for residents to travel to public meetings, municipal and government agencies in various countries have set up teleconference centres to facilitate public participation in legislative meetings and town hall gatherings.
Where severe winter weather makes it prohibitive for residents to travel, agencies are turning to audio conferencing to ensure public involvement in legislative issues is a reality. Audio conference centres are set up and designated hours set aside for constituents to voice their concerns to participating candidates and government officials.
Teleconferencingserviceshas also opened the way for those with physical disabilities and the elderly to be able to voice concerns or issues with local municipal leaders and get immediate feedback without leaving the confines of their homes. This versatile and effective communication tool is also being utilized by community colleges. Audio and video conferencing of lectures and tutorials are set up to reach students in remote locations.
The time saving capabilities that come with teleconferencinghave made it an outstanding communication tool for almost all sectors of society. Agencies can speak simultaneously to a number of operatives in remote locations resulting in projects being fast tracked and scheduling simplified.
All in all, teleconferencing together with the benefits of web and video conferencing has changed the face of communication and continues to open up new avenues of access and relief for many people.
