Using Web Conferencing for Staff Training

Imagine you are CEO of a small software company in Belgium, and you have just successfully sold warehouse-management software to a firm in Seattle. Your next task is to train the Seattle firm's team in the use of your software.

To do that, you will have to send a couple of staff members to Seattle. That means two round-trip, business-class plane tickets, four- or five-star hotel rooms for a few days, taxis, and some nice meals. The cost can be many thousands of dollars. Who pays? Either the customer, in which case it will significantly increase the cost of the software; or you do, in which case profits take a beating. The organization required for such a training session is also significant. Secretaries have to book planes and hotel rooms. The timing must be carefully coordinated as once an event is booked, there is no turning back. If the trainer is sick, he will probably still have to board the plane because it is too complicated to cancel.

Costs don't end just with the flights. There are hidden costs for the software company. Trainers may perform other roles -- indeed, they could be among the most-productive programmers or managers in the company, and sending them to Seattle means losing their invaluable input for days. Not to mention the jet lag that follows.

Web conferencing is becoming a popular solution to this problem, and it has led to a new word: "webinar" -- a web-based seminar. The savings offered by on-line training is significant, and there are fringe benefits such as enabling you to train people at more then one location and use trainers who might not otherwise be available. Training courses can be recorded, so they can then be replayed by the customer or those providing the training. The organization is far simpler -- and cancellation, should it be required, has less of a downside, so staff can be more flexible when arranging the web-training event. The savings involved in time, cost, and organization mean that, where necessary, it is possible to extend web-training and devote more time to repeat lessons or maintain contact with trainees over a longer period of time.

Using web conferencing for training is different from a face-to-face approach, and you need to take that into account. If you invite too many people to attend the conference, then there will not be enough time to answer everyone's questions. If you are dealing with highly-specific issues (as opposed to an overview), then you may find that some kind of personal contact is still necessary.

Overall, the benefits of web-based training are so great that this has become a major growth area in the field of web conferencing.

Learn Web Conferencing Etiquette

While web-conferencing performs the same basic function as physical meetings, there are critical differences. It is important to be aware of the distinctive etiquette of holding a web conference. Broadly speaking, web-conferencing etiquette can be divided into things you do before the meeting (preparation) and manners or rules of behavior during the meeting.

Before the meeting.

Test your web-conferencing software, and make sure all participants are able to run it. Unfamiliar software will normally have teething problems -- and if you don't test it beforehand, your meeting is likely be spent figuring out minor issues.

Consider the setting. Even in a web meeting, there are things behind you, noises being made, people moving in and out, blinding sunlight from the window, or strange pictures of optical illusions hanging on your wall. Make sure that the location from which you are transmitting will enable both you and those watching you to participate in the meeting without distractions and that nobody will disturb you during the meeting. Unlike regular meetings, web conferences may be less obvious to outsiders, so interruption may be likely.

Check any files that you are planning to transmit. Will they display on other people's machines? Could they contain viruses? Do they hold secret information that you don't want transmitted out of the building?

Prepare an agenda as well as a list of those attending the meeting and send them to the participants so everybody knows what you are going to be doing and who will be there during the meeting.

During the Meeting.

If you are the meeting's organizer or coordinator, you need to be online at least ten minutes before the meeting starts so that people can connect to you and ask any questions. Start on time and, if possible, introduce everyone at the start of the meeting. As with regular meeting, remember to turn off your cell phone.

Dress for a meeting. Don't assume that you are absolved from looking the part because images are relayed through a camera. When you speak, look into the camera. This gives a better impression than a side view of the speaker. Avoid excessive use of your hands or off-camera motion. Don't put your face too close to the camera.

It might be worth muting your microphone while you are not speaking to prevent noise from distracting other participants, but remember to switch it on before you speak. Avoid off-topic activities during the web conference as this will prevent you from following what is happening and irritate other participants. If you are typing or engaging in any noise-inducing activity while other people speak, you definitely want to mute your microphone. Eating and drinking during web conferences is inadvisable, especially if you haven't muted your microphone. You don't want people distracted by the sound of you chomping.

If you're addressing a question to someone, make sure you say their name so that everyone knows to whom the question is being addressed.

Even more than in regular office meetings, those attending a web conference can all too easily tune out and start doing other things. Therefore, it is essential to adhere to etiquette and to ensure that meetings are conducted with the appropriate gravitas.

Why Web Conference? The Benefits of Web Conferencing

In the current recession, many traditional businesses are struggling to survive, but one sector is flourishing: the Internet. That's because moving activities to the Web can cut costs significantly while making your business more efficient at the same time.

Web conferencing is an important part of the process in which modern business is moving on-line. Instead of flying people around the globe at great expense and length of time -- or even driving across town -- they can meet without leaving the office. Conferencing can occur more frequently than in the past, it can happen at a fraction of the cost, scheduling is easier, and there is no loss of valuable time in airports and traffic jams.

While executives may miss their perks, the rest of the staff can benefit: lower-level conferences between staffs in different companies are far easier to arrange and can take place without anyone leaving the building (or even his cubicle). Collaboration becomes easier and more effective. The files you need are no longer in another country, city, or building -- and you can access them immediately. Just think of all the suppliers and customers with whom you interact and how much simpler life would be if you could meet them more frequently -- and record the meeting.

Still, web conferencing doesn't have to be with other companies. Staff can meet without ever leaving their homes. Companies could give everyone a day to work at home and still hold conferences in which all those at home participate. The kid's sick? Well, mom can still take part in a conference without leaving the house (even though junior may bounce around in the background).

Finally, there is an environmental payoff. A company's carbon footprint will be significantly reduced as well while the firm saves money.

Web Conferencing Makes Global Training More Cost Effective

With the technology options available today, students can earn a college degree without actually stepping into a physical classroom, individuals can visually and audibly interact with a boss while working on the other side of the world and organizations can train new employees or even volunteers without requiring the trainer be in the same location. All of these things are made possible by offering seminars through Web conferencing.

Any organization that needs to train individuals who may be spread across the country or even the world can face exorbitant costs in delivering a physical person to train on location. While there are some scenarios where this in-person training is a must, it is no longer the norm throughout most industries. These organizations can now use robust Web conferencing solutions to get the job done while still protecting the bottom line.

There can be certain aspects of Web conferencing that seem daunting to the trainer. If only audio is in place and the trainer or facilitator cannot see the faces of participants, they may feel pressured to figure out how to keep attendees engaged. Without the benefit of gauging reactions to information, a trainer may also easily push ahead into new information before an acceptable level of understanding is reached.

To be sure the trainer can deliver an optimal training experience for all involved, there are a few things to keep in mind when developing a Web conference training session. Let’s take a look at these considerations and what they mean for the organization.

The Training Platform – it is important to understand what you need from the Web conferencing solution before you implement the one you will use for training. Do you want your trainees to be able to interact with you and with each other? Do you want to be able to see them? Will you allow questions throughout the Web conference or will you allow time at the end? Do attendees need specific software on their desktop in order to participate? By answering these questions and more, your organization can select the platform that best fits your training needs.

Preparation – if you do not prepare your attendees for how to participate in the training and what to expect from the experience, you will waste a considerable amount of time on the day of training via the Web conference. It is quite possible online training through Web conferencing technology is a new thing for them and proper preparation is a must. Send clear instructions for logging on; provide a link for testing the compatibility of the browser; provide technical specifications for the Web conferencing system; send out a copy of the presentation; and encourage attendees to sign on early if technical support is needed.

Technical Assistance – anytime new technology is used in a new way, a need arises for technical assistance. If you are not ready to provide that assistance by having a staff member available to provide help, you will find yourself splitting time between facilitating and trying to solve the problem, which can severely affect the quality and continuity of the training.

Keep it Interactive – people often get bored if they must just sit and listen. If you design the conference to be interactive and engaging, your attendees will find themselves more drawn into the material and gaining more benefit from the experience. Invite questions from your attendees; provide activities to be done that make use of the training material; encourage interaction between the attendees – even if they cannot see each other.

As this world continues to become more global, the demand for Web conferencing solutions will continue to grow. They will only deliver benefit to the organization, however, if they are implemented properly. By following these few tips for training via Web conferencing solutions, your trainers will be equipped to deliver a quality, virtual experience.

If Made a Priority, Conferencing Can Deliver Measurable Benefits

The conferencing market is growing rapidly throughout the world. The global recession is certainly lending to this trend as companies are finding it more and more difficult to fit travel costs into their budgets. At the same time, conferencing solutions are becoming more reliable and more reasonably priced and therefore, a more viable option for the small business.

According to Frost & Sullivan's new report, Asia Pacific Hosted Web Conferencing Services Markets, there was significant growth of 37.6 percent over 2006 in the Asia Pacific market for hosted Web conferencing. The three major areas driving this growth included emerging markets, local vendors and the SMB segments throughout this region.

Wainhouse Research has also been paying attention to the conferencing industry, noticing the growth and measuring the value that it delivers to customers. When solutions are flexible and scalable, companies are more likely to implement the conferencing platform and make its use a priority in their communications strategy.

"Our annual survey of North American users of conferencing services reveals that the overwhelming majority (89.1%) believe there is personal value in an integrated audio and Web conferencing service vs. two independent providers," said Andy Nilssen, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research, in a company statement.

"The simplicity of being able to initiate a single conference with audio and Web capabilities combined with the ability to visually present audio control elevates the elegance of the entire virtual meeting experience."

When implemented properly, the goal of Unified Communications - which includes conferencing - is to reduce the time, cost and frustration associated with unnecessary delays that can occur in decision making processes. By bringing together the necessary tools of communication, users can make decisions on how best to communicate with each other and drive business decisions according to company strategy instead of communication capability.

Industry research suggests regular business travelers spend eleven days a year on avoidable or unnecessary travel. With access to a viable alternative that drives fluent communications and proficient decision making, unnecessary travel costs can be cut and business initiatives can stay on track.

Business professionals who have access to high definition web conferencing or high quality audio conferencing are able to save their companies money, time and carbon emissions as they have access to a quality alterative to face-to-face meetings and conferences.

Once these business professionals have access to this technology, it is up to the company to enforce its use. The organization cannot benefit from cost savings if it does not incorporate the technology into the way it does business. Once it is a priority, it can become the norm.

Five Ways Audio and Web Conferencing Helps Small Businesses

Small businesses are flocking to audio and Web conferencing for many reasons and they are all about money. Choosing audio and Web conferencing over traditional methods helps small businesses by helping them save money and more of it. Here’s how:

Travel

Audio and Web conferencing services let small businesspeople cut out travel expenses. In some cases, they can do away with travel altogether. There is no reason to spend hundred on air fare and hotel rooms when the same tasks can be accomplished right from your office computer.

Time

The old adage, “time is money,” has never been more true. Technology has saved us time in so many ways. Audio and Web conferencing is just another example of how technology allows us to do more. Time spent traveling is unfruitful and wasteful. That time can be better used to develop closer client relationships, provide better customer service to existing customers and develop more leads.

Printed Marketing Materials

There is no longer a need to create expensive marketing pamphlets and proposals. PowerPoint presentations are much cheaper to produce and can be presented via Web conferencing. Marketing this way saves trees and saves your budget.

Shorter Sales Cycles

Audio and Web conferencing shortens the sales cycle dramatically. Deals that once took several phone calls, letters and visits to accomplish can now be completed in one fell swoop through Web conferencing. Salespeople can instantly show prospects a product demonstration, invite decision makers into the conference and close the deal on the spot. All the extra time can be used to general more leads, contact more prospects and close more sales.

Webinars

Some small businesses are actually using Web conferencing itself to make money. They hold educational webinars for paying participants. Webinars can also be used to create leads by attracting the type of customer a salesperson is seeking. The relationships developed from these events can create more leads and develop more sales.

Interactive Web Conferencing

Web conferencing is a growing alternative for business people looking to save expenses and time. It allows users to communicate interactively via shared desktops, document sharing, instant messaging and voice. These features let you collaborate with others easily rather than working on many back and forth emails and phone calls. It is far more efficient to get everyone together in one room through web conferencing.

Web conferencing is as easy to use as any web site. The intuitive interface means you only need to point and click to invite attendees, interact on a project and save the meeting for later reference. 24/7 customer support ensures your meetings always go smoothly.

Before you invest in a web conference service provider, make sure you will actually get a reasonable return on your investment. The best way to do this is to use a provider that charges per use instead of by the month. This way you have a solid return on your investment and you can even allocate the expense to each project.

Make sure you choose a web conferencing provider that can meet all your needs. Many have more than one popular name-brand platform for you to host your meeting. If you get a service with excellent customer support, you will get a free tutorial or even a live walk through with a customer service agent. This is very important to minimizing the learning curve and ensuring you are up and running as soon as possible.

Remote Product Support with Audio and Web Conferencing

Small businesses cannot afford unhappy customers. Growing and turning a profit requires that you continue to maintain satisfied existing customers while acquiring new ones. To accomplish this, you need an efficient, affordable and fast customer support system in place that benefits both your customer service support personnel and your customers. You are probably already using audio and Web conferencing for business contacts around the world, but have you considered what these services can do for your customer support operations?

Most companies maintain customer service agents through a call centers, instant messaging and email. While these are useful avenues, you can save a lot by switching to audio and Web conferencing for the majority of your customer service support questions. Audio conferencing is much more affordable than call centers and Web conferencing offers the benefits of sharing documents and applications with clients while providing instant messaging or voice communications at the same time.

By switching to Internet-based conferencing solutions for customer support, you are no longer limited geographically for your customer service hiring needs. Many companies outsourced customer service to foreign countries, only to learn that their customers detested speaking with individuals with poor English skills. By instead using a combination of audio and Web conferencing, combined with native English speakers where the prevailing wage is lower, you can accomplish the same savings without sacrificing customer service.

Another problem with telephone support and instant messaging is the inability to show customers visually how to fix a problem. When you use an audio conferencing service that also offers Web conferencing, you can easily turn the phone call into a Web conference and show customers how to resolve their product questions. This leads to quicker problem resolutions and few onsite customer support calls. Together these conferencing tools will save your business time and money allowing you to service more customers in less time and a lower cost.

When to Use Audio Conferencing

Think about the last three conferences you attended. How far did you have to travel for those? How much did it cost your organization? If it was in your office at your desktop computer, you are already on the right track. If you had to travel miles to get to the presentation, there is room for improvement.

In today’s business environment, audio and Web conferencing just makes good sense. There is little excuse for spending hundreds of dollars for travel when that money could go towards growing the business. That said, there are still some decisions to make about how you will communicate with coworkers and clients in remote locations.

With all the communication options out there, it may be hard to decide what type of communication is best for a given business situation. You may have some documents to share that are self-explanatory. To share them, you only need to send out an email with an attachment. But what if recipients are likely to have questions? What is the best way to handle it? Should you choose an audio conference or a Web conference?

This can be a matter of preference or convenience. If you want to go over a document in detail, a Web conference may be best so that all parties are looking at the same part of the document at the same time. However, if you just want to provide a question and answer period, an audio conference makes more sense. This is because audio conferencing is cheaper than Web conferencing and therefore should be utilized whenever possible.

Audio conferencing is also perfect for quick team meetings. When team members are scattered geographically, weekly team meetings help keep members unified, connected and focused. Each member can discuss accomplishments and goals in a virtual meeting, ensuring everyone stays on the same track to a shared goal.

Quick Start Web Conferencing

When you have settled on your web conferencing provider, take a minute to look at the provider’s free tutorial to familiarize yourself with all of the provider’s features. Some providers will even call you to walk you through your first conference and be sure you understand the system.

Ease of Use

In the tutorial, you will see just how easy web conferencing can be. The internet has accelerated the development of communications to the point where the speed will amaze you. These fast communications allow programs to run over the internet instead of on your PC, making communicating even easier. Nothing to download. Nothing to update.

Customer Service

You will also learn about the customer service your provider offers. 24/7 help gives you the confidence to go ahead with your first web conference because you know there is always someone there to help. Even very computer savvy individuals sometimes have difficulty learning a new system, so having someone available is important.

Flexibility

Finally, you will learn how flexible and simple web conferencing is with reservationless conferences. You can meet with anyone, anywhere, anytime for as long as you wish. You can place calls to others and route them into the web conference whenever you need to, making it easy to call in someone for a quick question in the middle of a meeting.

Your tutorial will show you everything you need to know and get you up and on your first web conference in just a few short minutes.