Depending on the tools that you use, video conferencing allows large numbers (and small numbers too) of people to communicate at the same time and share information, ideas and generally collaborate, irrespective of their location. It is possible to share computer desktops and view whiteboards, much as you would in a normal business conference. This without the cost of hosting one in the real world of course!

Some of the more significant advantages to video conferencing are as follows:-

* Cost. The overheads when running video conferencing are miniscule compared to the actual cost of physically delivering people from all sorts of locations to a specific destination. Taking into account the cost of travel itself, accommodation for those from out of town, meals etc should be enough to convince you. When you actually include the cost of lost man hours travelling then there is no contest in my mind.

* Easy access to information is also a great benefit to video conferences. Most people will have all of their business contacts and information available on their computers. So, if they work from home for the day, everything that they need will be to hand.

* In the event that you need to call on any third parties for one off conference visits, you will find it far easier and cheaper to do so with a video conference, rather than dragging them to an office of hotel.

* There are side benefits such as ongoing staff training with video conferences. It is possible to record meetings and use them to help staff improve their skills. You can also train new staff more quickly with this kind of material.

* Business decisions can be made more quickly using video conferences. The time saving mentioned previously also helps with this regard. If you need to meet deadlines then having meetings using video conferencing can be a great advantage.

Even a simple comparison to a shared phone call should be enough to convince you that video conferencing makes more sense. Have a visual connection is invaluable, not only from a personal point of view but also to watch body language, which can tell you a lot.

As technology improves, then prices come down. You get better quality video conference for less money. Now is definitely the time to consider moving to video conferencing for your meetings.

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