Over the last few years many businesses have struggled due to the financial problems business as a whole has encountered. This has made saving money more important than even with many budgets being cut. This has included travel budgets.
As well as the economy leading to less business travel, in some areas transport costs have also risen. The increasing price of oil has been a major factor in making a high amount of travel unaffordable, and this is a trend that is not likely to change.
There are other advantages apart from cost that businesses have for cutting employee travel. It also saves on time, and being more productive makes a business more money in the long run. It is more environmentally friendly too, something that has become more important to many in recent years.
Although there are positives of not travelling, there are also negatives. Travel may be necessary for meetings, so there could be less company get-togethers to discuss business and forward planning. This can mean a lack of planning that eventually leads to a less profitable business. Depending on the geographic location of customers, travelling less can mean not meeting customers as regularly, potentially damaging customer relationships. It can also prevent a business from going out and generating additional work.
So, while there are positives of cutting down on travel, there are also negatives that can impact profitability. There is, however, one way of not travelling but preventing many of these potential problems. The solution could be Video Conferencing.
More businesses are utilising video conferencing as a way of travelling less while still being able to communicate with fellow employees and customers. It can replace holding business meetings in person. For example, if employees need to meet with a customer, they can each use a video conferencing suite for audio/visual communication with each other. They will each be filmed, with their voices recorded, and this can be transmitted across to the video conferencing suite on the other end. There, they will be seen on monitors or large video screens, and heard through microphones. This all takes place instantaneously, meaning no delays. If video conferencing can be utilised there will be many situations where in-person meetings will no longer be required.
Video conferencing is not a cheap option. However, it can save money once travel savings are taken into consideration. Not only that, but due to the travel time saved, it can also lead to better employee productivity. Travelling can take up a lot of time, especially when travelling abroad. If travelling by air there is the time travelling to and from the airport at both ends, the time spent at the airport checking in, boarding and collecting luggage, and the flight time itself. There is also the likelihood of having to stay overnight, possibly the night before and after the meeting. This can be a lot of hassle for one meeting. It can take three days for a three hours meeting. This would only take three hours if using video conferencing instead.
There are always going to be times when face-to-face meetings with clients and staff are necessary. However, with video conferencing technology, this can be reduced while still allowing meetings to take place and seeing facial expressions and body language. This can save businesses money and increase productivity.
Andrew Marshall ©
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