Globalisation of the world’s major economies has meant that business is now conducted across land borders and time differences without ever needing to cease. Businesses have outlets scattered across the globe, often with their headquarters in one location and the manufacturing of their products in another, thousands of miles away. To help maintain communications between such locations, technology has had to develop along with the globalisation of the world’s economy.
One of the technological innovations that has helped to conduct a new way of doing business is teleconferencing. Teleconferencing is basically the exchange of real time information between people who are not physically in the same location. Teleconferencing enables companies to hold meetings with multiple players in multiple locations without bringing everyone to the same table.
Along with the diversity of locations that many businesses operate within, we are also witnessing a new culture of work, of working from home. Companies are allowing more flexible working hours, especially for women who want to be at home with children, enabling a more sustainable family network and a better work-life balance to exist. Teleconferencing helps to facilitate such working practices.
Not only can internal company meetings be held by teleconferencing technology, but also meetings between companies, customer briefs, training sessions and workshops can all be conducted via the same technology. By not limiting the meeting to one physical location, many more people can be invited to join in from remote locations and it is more likely that people can make the time for the meeting. Another advantage of teleconferencing is that it reduces the need for space, i.e. real estate that is often very expensive.
One of the primary advantages of technology such as teleconferencing is that it helps to reduce businesses’ energy use and therefore their carbon footprint. By holding meetings via teleconferencing, the need to travel is reduced, therefore cutting costs for companies and their carbon footprint by reducing the amount of pollutants that enter the environment. Not only are travel expenses such as airfares expensive, so too are other costs such a hotel rooms, meals and car rentals.
The Carbon Disclosure Project commissioned a study called, ‘The Telepresence Revolution’, looking at large companies in the US and the UK and their use of telepresence (i.e. teleconferencing) technology [1]. The study found that if businesses use technology such as teleconferencing, they could cut CO2 emissions by nearly 5.5 million metric tons in total [1]. This amounts to removing more than 1 million passenger vehicles from the road for a year [1]. The study also argues that by 2020, it could achieve financial benefits of almost $19 billion.
Ozone Conferencing
Ozone Conferencing is a UK based company that provides multiple national and international telecommunication services including audio conferencing, web conferencing, phone translators and conference recording. Their customer service lines are manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
There is no need to book the audio conferencing and there is a flat rate across Europe. Web conferencing allows you to give presentations from the convenience of your desk. The company will also provide an interpreter if needed and you have the ability to record and playback your conference call. Ozone Conferencing argue that their call rates are on average 30-40% cheaper than competitors.
Meeting Zone
Meeting Zone is another company that provides conference calls and web conferencing. Here you have the option of self managed conference calls or ones which are managed by an operator to help give you piece of mind in more complex and high volume conference calls. Web conferencing allows you to share your computer screen with up to 200 people, making online presentation accessible to a wide range of people across the globe.
all-call.com
all-call.com claim to provide the UK’s lowest cost conference service with calls charged at 5p per minute with your network provider.
Skype
Skype is an online service provider that enables you to talk face to face with other Skype users free of charge anywhere in the world. You can also call people on their mobiles or landlines from 1.2p per minute. To talk free to fellow Skype users, all you need to do is to download the Skype application and install it on your computer and you are set to go. For more information visit www.skype.com.
Innovative technology such as teleconferencing provides companies with an ever-important means of reducing costs. By reducing their carbon footprint, companies can also portray a more environmentally friendly image to the general public and their customers. We are moving towards a low-carbon economy and companies, which invest wisely in technologies such as teleconferencing, will be better placed to succeed.
References
[1] The Carbon Disclosure Project (2010) [Online]. Available at www.cdproject.net/en-US/WhatWeDoCDPNewsArticlePages/telepresence-can-
Further Information
Ozone Conferencing – www.ozoneconferencing.com
Meeting Zone – www.meetingzone.com
All Call – www.all-call.co.uk
Pic – http://www.xteb.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/teleconference.jpg
