Barriers Still Exist to Web Conferencing Deployments

  

  

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Productivity improvements continue to be a key focus for companies of all sizes and segments as the economy demands efficiency in order to be profitable. This productivity is much more realistically accomplished when geographically dispersed organizations can gain face-time with partners and colleagues without the need to travel.

To address this issue, an increasing number of companies are turning to Web conferencing solutions. According to numerous studies conducted by IntelliCom Analytics, the business appeal of remote conferencing and collaboration applications continues to rise.

Analysis from these studies of more than 3,000 decision makers reveals that that affordability and ease of use continue to be the biggest two selection criteria for organizations seeking to adopt Web conferencing solutions.

Web conferencing and collaboration technology has advanced far beyond traditional fixed room systems and now includes software-enabled laptop and single-user desktop units. Even with a new ease of accessibility and implementation, there is still a common perception throughout the global market that such solutions are of high cost and are difficult to use, blocking rapid adoption.

In fact, nearly 40 percent of all companies participating in this survey cited budget concerns as their number one barrier to Web conferencing deployments. The second most significant barrier appeared to be cultural issues as one out of five decision makers indicated that collaboration did not fit for the way they currently do business.

Even with these apparent barriers for some companies, the adoption of conferencing solutions is continuing to grow. In a recent Frost & Sullivan report, it was determined that more than half of respondents believe using conferencing tools –whether audio or Web – is an effective alternative to making in-person office visits.

As this technology continues to evolve, companies of all sizes are finding that this approach to collaboration and face-to-face communications are an efficient way to drive business while also controlling costs.

Whether a company needs to set up scheduled conferences or use the technology on-the-fly, Web conferencing delivers the communication method necessary for multi-state or multi-national location communications when simplicity and flexibility are a must have.

Not every company culture will be ready to utilize Web conferencing as a primary source of business communications. In fact, some may have to slowly introduce the concept in order to ensure adoption and use within the organization.

At the same time, some organizations may be operating a branch in a location where Web conferencing goes against cultural norms. Certain obstacles may always exist, but even small changes in communication strategy can drive improved productivity that can be measured in the bottom line.