The work from home culture is becoming far more commonplace. Global upheavals, namely COVID-19, have swiftly and urgently brought about the need for tools to cater to remote working.

With many businesses now on a steep web conferencing and collaboration learning curve, let’s take a look at how web conferencing will offer business not just short-term but long-term benefits.

The Benefits

Keep Your Staff and Customers Safe

COVID-19 has enforced social distancing and self-isolation to protect ourselves and others. Web conferencing provides a way to stay in touch with work colleagues and loved ones, enabling those vital connections that are paramount to our work productivity and personal wellbeing.

Web conferencing also comes to the fore in specific industries such as healthcare. The ability for doctors and allied health professionals to provide consultations via web conferencing allows for patient reviews and removes the need for additional trips to a busy surgery or practise. Read more about Unified Communications for healthcare here

Keep Your Workforce Productive

Web conferencing allows you to work from a home office and still meet with your boss, staff or clients over the web. This can reduce commuting time, cut down on office costs and increase productivity. For example, a staff member who has a sick child might be able to make a big meeting even if he or she has to stay home for the day.

Reduce Your Travel Costs

Traveling, whether domestic or international, always has a financial impact on your business. Constantly having to pay for air tickets, hotel accommodations and parking tolls can exhaust funds and resources. Also, when a vital person in your business has to travel, you are left shorthanded, possibly for days.

Web conferencing reduces the need for travel. Personal or face-to-face meetings can be conducted through the web, with participants dialing in from locations around the world. Flight cancellations, airport delays, traffic jams, and other transportation issues will no longer be reasons or excuses for missing out on meetings and conferences.

The Cons

It would be fair to say that the advantages of web conferencing outweigh any disadvantages, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Not all software is free, but there are increasingly more sophisticated free offerings that can be used to get a remote workforce up and running quickly

  • Web conferencing quality can vary depending on the speed of the respective parties’ internet connections
  • It is more informal than a face-to-face meeting
  • It requires suitable hardware and adequate training to use
  • There can be costs associated with maintaining and keeping up with new technology.

Web Conferencing Features to Look for

Web conferencing allows a company to effectively combine the advantages of a typical phone conversation and a live video feed. You can also conduct chats via instant messaging (IM) during the web conference. This means you can type, text and communicate verbally to other attendees. With your internet connection, you can also access any necessary files right on your desktop and share them with others attending the conference in real-time. Other features may include:

  • Personal cloud meeting rooms
  • Screen and file share
  • Phone dial-in
  • Group task management

Work From Home With Arrow

Arrow is partnered with the world’s leading cloud communication and IT providers, giving you access to the very best cloud conferencing platforms and solutions. Our exclusive and premium partnerships include industry leaders Logitech, Avaya, 8×8, Mitel, and Fuze.

We have a suite of products and solutions that will ensure a smooth transition to a remote workforce. Call us today to discuss your remote working needs.