Can small businesses benefit from video conferencing?

It’s cheaper than travel, allowing most meetings to be cut to size if they’re less important and don’t require the full attention of a physical meet while still warranting a face to face conversation. They increase efficiency by contributing in a simple and cost-effective manner to the goals of many companies: increasing and introducing more social collaboration among their employees.

But while video conferencing carries a seemingly long laundry list of benefits for corporations and larger companies, the big question here is: can it also help small companies? After all, back in the 80s, the only proper video conference solution cost a quarter million US dollars, according to Method Shop. It’s been three decades since then, however, and video calls are the best way to speak to your relatives back in the countryside if you don’t have time to make the trip. In that sense, they can do so much more for your company.

The truth is that there’s a lot that a video call can do for small to medium enterprises, starting first and foremost with the whole topic about time and money.

Web Conferencing Saves Time and Money

There are several ways in which that little digital window into other people’s computer screens and office spaces can save you time and money. The biggest perk, of course, is how travel time is cut back and away. Surprisingly – or unsurprisingly, depending on your expectations – this is more of a perk among small companies than it is among larger ones.

Small businesses have to send more of their workforce on business trips on a more regular basis, because whereas larger enterprises have established bases around the world and generally have more loyal and consistent clients, a small business needs to pull every string it can to get clients.

However, that doesn’t mean every meeting a client schedules with as a small company needs to be done in person. If you can offer them a high-quality call through a premium conferencing system for IT companies– a service like Blue Jeans, for example, allowing cross-communication between platforms and devices – then you could cut down on your subsequent meeting costs and make it much easier for them to talk to you as well. It becomes a win-win situation.

It Improves Employee Socialisation

Companies work best when their employees are functioning as a team. As a result, that team works best when it’s properly socializing. While it’s not wise to date a co-worker, it is wise to try and become friends with them. Often, that sort of connection can help a company, especially a small one, do much better and serve its clients much more faithfully.

It’s not just a question of being better acquainted with one another when the lights go out and everyone’s headed out for a beer. It’s about improving relations at work, during work, and for work-related purposes. Implementing conference technology as a way to communicate and hold meetings can promote company collaboration and even turn your purely professional team into a group of skilled mates.

Business collaboration is a huge thing among small companies and large companies alike. As CIO points out, companies are getting more competitive by the minute, and it’s do or die for companies that are still struggling with whether or not they should innovate. Utilizing web conferencing is a great first step to improving both the social aspect and the collaborative aspect of social collaboration, and creating a business culture that, no matter where it exists, is all-inclusive and appreciative of every single one of its members.

Eventually, you can implement platforms that expand on the practice of business collaboration, creating a social dashboard that allows your employees to communicate on a friendly basis about their personal matters, while separately discussing work-related matters, posting updates on projects, and commenting on each other’s progress. This is especially effective among younger workers, who work better with more feedback, rather than with less.

Keeping the Personal Life Close

Funnily enough, a major benefit of company-integrated video conferencing is the fact that, when you do have to be on the road, using the company’s premium service to make the odd call or two to your family is a much better option of staying connected during the times when you absolutely have to head off on a business trip, versus a free VOIP service that offers a lower quality call.

There are plenty of other reasons to consider implementing video conferences into your company, outside of the ones listed above. But between saving money and time, improving collaboration and efficiency, and helping your co-workers and employees stay close to each other and their families, there’s plenty of reason right there to go for video calls.