Posts Tagged ‘Productivity’
Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010
Over the years the number of conference calls being held has exploded. It is not hard to imagine why since conference calling saves a company money and time. But can there be such a thing as too many conference calls?
Let’s face it. If you work for a company that has integrated conference calls into their culture then you have had those days. Days where you are jumping from one conference call to another with little break in between. Such is the nature of conference calling. You can simply sit at your desk and attend meeting after meeting without leaving your desk. A conference call saves you the travel time, even if it is down the hall to a conference room, so you can schedule an audio conference back to back with another audio conference and stay on schedule. One of the reasons companies have adopted conference calls is because they are increasing your productivity without you realizing it. You can attend more meetings in a day if they are via a conference call and you are saving any travel expenses as well. But for you the increase in productivity translates into more work. Not only can’t you get anything done while you are in a meeting whether it is a conference call or in person meeting, but inevitably you get more work to do while in the meeting as well.
So maybe conference calls are too convenient and too easy to use and too inexpensive because if you are on too many conference calls you can’t get anything done. So even though you have saved all this travel time you now are so loaded with work to do and no time to do it you are struggling and tomorrow there is another slate of conference calls to attend. Even as a conference call service provider I have to admit that you can have too many conference calls. But let’s face it. A conference call is easier to deal with than an in person meeting and after all you just need to say no. Time management is something everyone can improve on and using your time wisely is all about using all your time as effectively as possible. And without conference calls time spent travelling to meetings would be completely wasted. Conference calls are great, just try to tone it down a bit.
Tags: Company Money, Conference Call, Conference Call Service, Conference Call Service Provider, Conference Calling, Conference Calls, Culture, Desk, Face, Imagine, Little Break, Nature, Productivity, Slate, Time Management, Travel Expenses, Travel Time
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Tuesday, February 9th, 2010
Washington, DC has received a record amount of snowfall this winter and there is more on the way. Places like Boston and Chicago are used to getting lots of snow and dealing with it. Washington, DC not so much. The government and private businesses in the area have been forced to shut down their offices while they try to clean up after the storm. For most businesses, taking days off for a weather emergency is just not that practical. Conference calls provide the means to continue to conduct business during a weather emergency.
The benefits of conference calls are evident when the weather is good and people can travel to work and attend face to face meetings. You get the benefits of saving time, money and increasing your productivity whenever you do a conference call. But when you have no choice to do an in person meeting, a conference call can really save the day. I have no doubt that all conference call service companies have seen a rise in usage over the past week due to the weather emergencies experienced from the recent winter storms. Zip Conferencing certainly has seen more conference calls being conducted. Conference calls provide the much needed link for companies to continue to conduct regular business during these types of situations.
The best thing to do for your company is to be ready for a weather emergency by enlisting a conference call service and having conference call capability in case of emergency. Most conference call service companies like Zip Conferencing offer their services on a Pay As You Go basis which means that you will not pay for the service unless you use it. That way you can have the conference call information on hand and when the emergency happens you are ready. Certainly using conference calls in your every day business helps at all times and would help you be even more ready if an emergency happens, but even if you only use the conference call service during an emergency it is worth doing.
So, don’t worry about the weather. You can do a conference call even during the worst weather emergency mother nature has to offer. Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!
Tags: Boston, Capability, Conference Call Service, No Doubt, Private Businesses, Productivity, Saving Time, Snowfall, Time Money, Washington Dc, Weather Emergencies, Weather Emergency, Winter Storms
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Monday, December 28th, 2009
Certainly all meetings can’t be virtual. Sometimes you just have to get face to face with your customer, prospect or employee. A conference call does offer, however, a compelling alternative under any circumstances. It is easy to see where you can save money and increase your productivity using a conference call or web conference instead of travelling to the location and having a meeting. But now more than ever the conference call versus travelling argument is getting even stronger.
With the recent attempted terrorist attack on the flight landing in Detroit, the security at the airports has gotten tighter and the experience during the flight more uncomfortable. Now you have to arrive at the airport three or four hours before your flight because the line at security will be that much worse. And once you get on the plane the new regulations require you to remain in your seat in the final hour of the flight and even some of the entertainment options on the flights have been curtailed. You have to REALLY need to get where you are going and be ready to put up with the added inconveniences the new regulations will bring. And again, for some meetings there is no choice. You just have to be there in person no matter what. But I think this latest round of travel inconveniences will make more and more people look into alternatives like the conference call or a web conference because it is not just about the money anymore.
A conference call and a web conference can provide you all the tools you would have in a regular conference room setting without having to travel to the location. You can freely speak together on the conference call and share any documents, presentations and even a video feed with the people at the other end. All for a fraction of the cost of getting there in person and without any of the hassle. So the next time you are requested to attend a meeting in another city or country think of the alternatives and ask yourself if it is REALLY necessary to be there in person or will a conference call do the same thing.
www.zipconferencing.com
Tags: Airports, Alterna, Circumstances, Conference Call, Entertainment Options, Final Hour, Flights, Fraction, Hassle, Inconveniences, Landing In Detroit, Money, People, Productivity, Terrorist Attack, Tools, Travel, Travelling, Video Feed, Web Conference
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Friday, November 20th, 2009
Just to help make the point that conference calls and now more than ever, web conferencing can help any business save money and be more productive I have decided to talk about another industry who you would not think uses conference calls. Certainly when you think of agriculture you think of a farmer who raises a crop or livestock and then sells to a market. What use could agriculture possibly have with conference calls and web conferencing?
Well you would be surprised. Agriculture is just another business, a big business in fact, that is always looking for ways to reduce cost and improve productivity so naturally they use conference calls. The market that buys the crops or livestock is having conference calls with the farmers it buys from to keep them informed of prices and stock levels and other market factors. By having one conference call with all of their suppliers they are saving time from calling each farmer individually. The farmers are able to speak amongst themselves and share tips on how to better manage their farms. If the farmers belong to a cooperative, the cooperative is using conference calls to better communicate between all of the farmers in the cooperative and share information. And up the supply chain the distributors are able to talk to all of the markets and give them information on demand and pricing and so forth. The level of communication in the entire supply chain has improved with the use of conference calls.
And all of the vendors that touch this industry have also found that conference calls and web conferencing are helping them communicate with their audience faster and more effectively. The companies that make farming equipment are holding regular seminars on the latest equipment and its uses. The companies that make the feed for the animals and the seed for the crops are holding conference calls with the farmers to discuss the availability of their goods, pricing and effective uses. And all of this communication via conference call and web conferences is saving everyone a lot of time and money. Farms by their nature are spread out over vast areas and it is very difficult and time consuming to have personal meetings with each farmer. The use of conference calls and web conferences in agriculture is a natural fit!
www.zipconferencing.com
Tags: Agriculture, Animals, Audience, Commu, Conference Call, Crops, Farmers, Farming Equipment, Level Of Communication, Livestock, Market Factors, Money, Productivity, Saving Time, Seminars, Share Information, Share Tips, Stock Levels, Supply Chain, Web Conferencing
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Thursday, November 19th, 2009
There is a lot of talk surrounding healthcare these days, so I thought I would point out some of the many applications for conference calls in the Healthcare industry. Although healthcare is a largely one on one experience ina local surrounding, the healthcare industry is actually a large user of audio conferencing and web conferencing. Just like any other business, the Healthcare industry tackles many of the same issues on a daily basis as any other industry and is always looking for ways to reduce costs and improve productivity.
For physicians, using a conference call is mainly done as a participant. Doctors regularly are being trained on the latest techniques and therapies to assist their patients and many times these trainings are done remotely using audio conferencing and web conferencing. Not only are the doctors incented to attend these training seminars, but the companies that are vendors in this industry are also incented to conduct the training seminar. Pharmaceutical companies for instance need to promote their drugs and what better way then to hold a free seminar for doctors that describes the drug, its uses, efficacy and side effects. That way the doctors are getting the information first hand from the experts on the drug. And by conducting the training seminar using a conference call and a web conference, the drug company is able to reach more doctors in less time and much more cost effectively than if they attempted an in person meeting. In addition, the drug companies have found that getting a doctor to attend a remote meeting via a conference call is easier than trying to get them to take the time to meet at a location. Even as a participant, the doctors benefit from attending the seminar via a conference call by reducing their cost and increasing their productivity.
Another user of conference calls and web conferencing you may not expect are the hospitals. Many times hospitals are regional in nature and have affiliations with other hospital location in an area. The administration offices are often shared to reduce their overhead. So, you have a business that has multiple locations where employees need to share information and meet on a regular basis. The perfect scenario for the use of conference calls and web conferencing. Similarly, physician and nurse staffing organizations exist that supply personnel to hospitals and healthcare clinics across a regional area and also need to communicate with their employees via conference calls. And another maybe obvious example is when there is a company that owns multiple walk in healthcare clinics across an area. These are basically small outlets for healthcare that are part of the same company spread across a region. Like any other business, the managers of the locations are in need of regular communication with headquarters and are big users of conference calls and web conferencing.
Yes, like most industries, the Healthcare industry finds many benefits by using conference calls and web conferencing.
www.zipconferencing.com
Tags: Affiliations, Applications, Audio Conferencing, Conference Call, Daily Basis, Doctors, Drugs, Efficacy, Free Seminar, Healthcare Industry, Hospitals, Nature, Participant, Pharmaceutical Companies, Physicians, Productivity, Training Seminar, Training Seminars, Web Conference, Web Conferencing
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