Teleconferencing Introduction
Audio Teleconferencing
Video/Web Teleconferencing
Teleconferencing Pricing
Choosing the Right Service
Get Teleconferencing Quotes
For some companies, chatting on the phone just isn’t enough. They need visual interaction to demonstrate products, create design plans, or just stimulate communication. If this is the case with your company, video or Web conferencing might be right for you.
Videoconferences have been taking place for decades now. In the past, meetings were often highlighted by extended periods of downtime during which the Phoenix people stared at the Boston people while they waited for the Chicago people to reappear on the screen. Thankfully, technological advances have been made, and it’s now possible to hold a videoconference without too much fear of one party cutting out midway. Just as with audio teleconferencing services, you’ll find more than one option for videoconferences. You can choose a service in which an operator is present and ready to assist you, or you can go it alone and run the meeting entirely on your end. It’s important to realize though that a last minute videoconference only works if you already have the equipment. It’s also important to admit it to yourself if you can’t work said equipment, because even companies that are set up for videoconferencing at all times might need to bring in an IT person to get things going. If you’re interested in putting video equipment in place for long-term use, many services will help you choose the pieces that best suit your company’s needs.
Web conferencing combines audio and visual elements while opening up the seemingly endless capabilities of the Internet to you. During a Web conference you can interact face-to-face in real time with people all over the world just as you could with a videoconference. However, there are a few added elements that separate Web teleconferencing services from the others. While engaging in a meeting, you can share documents, draw or write on common whiteboards, view PowerPoint presentations, send public or private instant messages, and collectively view information from the moderator’s desk. Web teleconferencing is not for everybody, but it’s highly effective for creative or design meetings and for conferences that encourage “hands on” input from all parties involved. Web teleconferencing services have also found their way into the educational system, allowing students to fully engage in a topic while listening to an expert who is located half-way across the country.