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Feel like you're spending most of your life combating the UK's transport system to get from one meeting to the next? Well maybe it's time you had a serious rethink about the way you do business Yet despite the difficulties getting from point A to point B business meetings are still regarded as a key component of the working day. Consequently there's a tendency for salesmen and women to wear their air miles and travel tickets like a badge of pride, proving their commitment to the cause. That's all very well and admirable but just wait until their travel expenses come in.
Maybe then it is time to then consider the alternatives. Products and services exist which will allow you to transform not only how you conduct your meetings, but also change the working culture of your office.
Whereas in the past the complicated nature of conferencing technology has often dissuaded firms from investigating further, nowadays it's as user-friendly and cost effective as it is going to get.
Meetingzone is one company offering audio, and webconferencing facilities, which, they claim, can revolutionise the world of the meeting. For around 12p per minute per line, you can dial up your 24-hour virtual conference room and, for a little more, can allow someone to see your computer screen wherever in the world they are.
"Through these facilities you can do pretty much 90% of what you could in a face-to-face meeting. Though large companies are quite familiar with the technology, it's the smaller growing businesses which can benefit because they don't have to waste valuable man-hours and expenses trudging from place to place. They can demonstrate their product, manage their sales team, or get the message to their staff all from the same venue," says CEO Tim Duffy. Another man who believes passionately in using technology to change the way we work is Noel Edmonds. Though most people would be familiar with him as one of the UK's most popular broadcasters, he is a strong advocate of video communications and, in June of this year, founded face2face the world's first network of publicly accessible Video Meeting rooms. With 300 sites across the UK and more opening all the time, Edmonds believes 2003 will be the year video really takes off.
"Where in the past firms would have invested £10,000 for the technology, for as little as £50 any business can now make use of videoconferencing to their advantage. Our aim is to move it out of the boardroom and, with training and familiarization, people in organisation of all sizes can actually make use of it," he says.
Edmonds makes a compelling case for his new venture, and it's hard not to argue particularly if you've spent a day trapped on the 10.35 from Euston to Manchester. But, along with the cost and time savings, he is also keen to emphasise the massive change facing the working culture of the UK claiming the clever businesses will recognize this sooner rather than later.
"We've heard a lot about work/life balance and legislation is come down pretty tough on employers who force their staff onto trains to traipse up and down the country where there's no need, not to mention the environmental impact of all these journeys. Soon businesses are going to have to think of videoconferencing technology in the same way as they do email. When I speak at the opening of our new venues I tell firms if they don't take up these benefits they'll be out of business in two or thee year's time."
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