The mass adoption of web conferencing hasn’t really happened yet, but it is surely well along the adoption path lifecycle. Don’t get me wrong, web conferencing is growing like a weed and is today almost a $1B business in North America. But when you look at the sheer number of conference calls going on today and the number of them that contain a web conferencing element to them it is a drop in the bucket. What we ahve seen in the industry so far is the adoption of web conferencing for the killer applications and those users love it and use it extensively. That segment continues to grow as more and more people discover that they can conduct online seminars, sales presentations and training sessions remotely using web conferencing services. What hasn’t quite happened yet is the use of the web conferencing element on an everyday conference call. Conference call moderators don’t think “Maybe I should start a web conference with this conference call just in case we want to share something.”
This use of web conferencing as an integrated part of the conference call is the next step in getting web conferencing to be a part of the online meeting experience. The technology certainly is there. Web conferencing is easy to use and can actually enhance the conference call without even sharing any visuals. When you have a web conference up and with it an integrated audio conference call you can actually see the participants talking and know who is talking and as a moderator you can control the audio element of the call through online controls in the web conference. And the pricing is certainly there. Most web conferencing service providers today offer an unlimited seat package. That means there is no additional cost to having a web conference up during every conference call.
If you happen to have a web conference up during every conference call someone might share something they otherwise would not be able to since they can share the visual element that was missing before. Have you ever been in a meeting room that does not have a white board or flip chart for use? Most have them there because during any meeting it is sometimes much easier to explain something using visual cues than simply trying to talk through the issue. And the same hold true for the virtual meeting room on a conference call. If the capability exists to share something visually and participants are used to having those tools available, they will begin to use the tools more often. This will encourage more participation from the people attending the conference call and improve the communication in the meeting.
So, what are you waiting for? Try using web conferencing with every conference call and see if it doesn’t start a better conversation in your next meeting. www.zipconferencing.com