In the past few years, video conferencing technology has become steadily more advanced and popular, in the past few months, however, this popularity has skyrocketed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Applications like Zoom, Skype, and Microsoft Teams have allowed companies and corporations to continue their day to day operations despite the fact that the majority of employees now need to work from home. That being said, human interactions are complex affairs so in this article we will be going over the benefits of video conferencing vs face-to-face meetings.
Sanitary
Even once the pandemic is behind us, additional sanitary precautions are likely to linger for some time. What better way to prevent the potential spread of any new or existing virus that simply not being in direct contact with co-workers and clients? Even when offices reopen and lockdown parameters are lifted, many employees around the world are pushing to maintain the new norm of remote working as it allows them to keep their family safe from any potential illness as well as simply being more convenient in general.
Reduced cost
One of the main benefits that companies and businesses are typically attracted to is the fact that these video conference calls can actually save money. Not only does communicating from home help save employees money on gas and food, but it allows a company to cut down on their office space and, in turn, cut down on rent and utility bills. Rent and utility bills are often a huge cost that the company has to pay for, and since they currently cannot be used anyway, it makes sense to simply cut down on the space and save money while also allowing employees to work from home.
Cut out travel
Geographic location and reachability are a huge factor not only when it comes to clients, but also regarding potential employees. In the past companies would have to fly out to meet clients or settle for hiring nearby talent if they did not want to take on the cost of relocating someone. This is now in the past, with the use of virtual conference calls, client meetings can easily be handled from anywhere, and corporations can vastly expand their talent pool, allowing them to truly find the best person for the job instead of having to settle for whoever is close by.
Better for the environment
In addition to less travel benefiting a company financially, less travel also means fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere, making you more environmentally friendly overall. Now when it comes to fewer carbon emissions, everything adds up, less plane travel helps, less power used in offices helps, and most importantly employees no longer needing to drive an hour or more to and from work 5 days a week will make a huge difference. If more companies adopted the remote working policy, we would also see far less traffic on the roads, this means car journeys would also be shorter, in turn making even less pollution. Everyone individually can make small steps to a cleaner environment, but large companies and corporations can make an even bigger difference by making very simple changes that benefit everyone in the long run.
Plenty of tools available
Last but certainly not least, the sheer amount of tools that are available to make your life easier when working remotely are staggering. Since remote working is by no means a new concept and has been used by freelancers, consultants, and executives for years now, there are plenty of features available that you can take advantage of.
For example, one of the most useful tools for virtual conference calls is the ability to set a virtual background. This background can be used to hide sensitive information, prevent distractions caused by people or pets walking around behind you, or even help you maintain a professional appearance if your home office is untidy. There are plenty of backgrounds for zoom from Hello Backgrounds and in the day of remote work, they are practically a necessity for both staying professional, and even adding some humor to a meeting depending on what you choose to go with.
Other useful features include things like screen sharing which allows you to easily share information and virtual whiteboards that can be used to effectively discuss ideas and topics at will.