The videoconferencing industry is growing at an unprecedented rate. Experts from IDC reports predict it will be worth $6.2 billion within the next four years.
Why is videoconferencing becoming so popular? A number of global factors are driving the trend. It is one of the many ways that cloud technology is improving scalability for many businesses.
The Rise of Remote Teams
Telecommuting has transformed the global workforce. A full 20% of all employees are currently part of a remote team and employers expect that figure to rise by 26% over the next couple years.
The rise of remote teams has driven the need for new technology solutions to improve borderless collaboration. A conference call for the IT sector with software like Blue Jeans is one of the most effective ways for remote teams to communicate in real-time.
Improve Training Efficiency
Training new employees can be a very costly and time-consuming process. It is especially arduous to train employees one-on-one. Video conferencing technology allows team leaders to train multiple employees simultaneously. This significantly reduces the cost involved.
Shave travel costs
United States businesses alone spend approximately $274 billion on travel every year. A large portion of this budget is allocated to internal meetings. It is not only costly for organizations to reimburse employee travel expenses, but they also must make do without key employees while they are on the road.
Cloud-based videoconferencing can eliminate many business travel expenses. Employees and clients can engage with each other in real time without a meeting to meet in person.
Providing Better Transparency
Leaders need a detailed understanding of all issues that affect their teams. Unfortunately, a lot of problems can fall through the cracks when they rely too heavily on email and other text based messaging systems. Even instant messaging can be difficult, because employees cannot stall when asked for updates or important information.
Cloud-based video conferencing forces team members to be more transparent. They have a more difficult time hiding problems while engaging with leaders face-to-face. Improving transparency by using video conferencing software makes it easier to identify problems early on and take necessary corrective action before they spiral out of control.
Keep More Detailed Meeting Minutes
Keeping detailed records of meetings is important for a variety of reasons. It’s important for leadership to reflect on important points of discussion. Corporations, S corps, some LLCs and many other organizations are legally obligated to have extensive notes of every meeting.
Cloud-based video conferencing tools such as Blue Jeans make the process much simpler. Rather than delegating irresponsibility to a minutes secretary, you can simply archive the conversation. Video conferencing technology also enables brands to capture nonverbal cues that would be otherwise missed.
Improve Customer Service
Customer service plays a crucial role in modern business models. According to the American Express Survey, 78% of customers have canceled at least one transaction due to poor customer service.
At the same time, providing exceptional customer service is becoming more difficult than ever. Growing customer bases, globalization and increased pressure to cut costs has forced many brands to trim their customer service teams. They often require customers to engage with them through automated services, which rarely provide a decent experience.
Videoconferencing technology has proven to be a remarkable solution for customer service problems. Brands can engage with customers virtually, thereby providing them with a much more personalized response.
As more brands encounter problems with customer satisfaction, they are likely to invest more heavily in cloud videoconferencing technology.