Video Conferencing Goes Mainstream

Though video web conferencing may still be a novelty for some people, it is fast gaining a bigger mainstream following. For the most part, enterprises increasingly use it to replace costly travel (in terms of both time and money) to branch offices, clients, and prospects.

Video web conferencing has also gained a following in the academe—especially in the face of a workforce that seeks to arm itself with more knowledge to gain a competitive edge.

6 Reasons Why Video web Conferencing Is Becoming More Popular

Following are six factors that have brought video web conferencing a wider share of the communications technology market:

1. Prices of broadband web access fall, while bandwidth speeds increase.

This means that it is becoming cheaper to get video web conferencing even as the technology that powers it improves.

Video web conferencing is more effective when users have broadband access (DSL, Cable, T1s) to the Internet. Moreover, higher quality broadband makes for a better experience. So, as more homes and businesses in the US switch from dial-up connections to broadband, a greater share of the market is tuned into video web conferencing.

Broadband penetration in the US among home users has already hit 60%—a majority. More importantly, workplace broadband usage has passed 85%, which means majority of businesses are already equipped to run high quality video web conferencing.

2. Oil and transportation prices rise, making business travel more expensive.

Businesses will now think twice before allocating diminishing budgets to travel. Video web conferencing presents an excellent alternative since it enables meetings sans costly car or plane trips.

It also provides a cost-efficient way of servicing clients and keeping them happy in an increasingly competitive global marketplace. It can even be used to meet new prospects!

3. Prices of video web conferencing services fall, making it more accessible.

Video web conferencing services cost so much less than they did when the technology was still new that even small businesses find it affordable. Furthermore, even bigger enterprises find the higher return on investment that video web conferencing offers very attractive.

Monthly service fees for video web conferencing are now so low that even families and individuals find it a cheap alternative to long-distance phone calls.

What’s more, video web conferencing services are so scalable that a company can opt to purchase their own internal system, doing without an external provider.

4. Hardware becomes less expensive and more powerful.

A webcam can cost as little as $10 and even sophisticated ones are affordable. This makes good quality video web conferencing accessible to a greater number of people. A greater number of digital cameras now also have webcam capabilities. Plus, headsets with built-in microphones, already affordable to begin with, are also becoming more sophisticated.

5. Businesses are known to improve productivity with video web conferencing.

Video web conferencing reduces the total time spent on a meeting because it can be set up in minutes. Further, it allows participants to get back to their work faster, improving productivity and minimizing lost opportunities.

6. Schools and universities employ video web conferencing to educate a new generation.

Education has always been an important impetus to the spread of technology—and vice versa. Now that the academe is using web conferencing more and more, a vast majority of students is becoming more comfortable with this mode of communication and interaction.

As the next generation enters the workforce, they will take with them the video web conferencing experience, making its use even more widespread than it is today.