In the last post we talked about the difference in the world since the Internet has reached such staggering heights of popularity. No longer are companies shackled by the boundaries of physical distance; web conferencing - along with a variety of other web-based programs - allows companies to operate most efficiently and utilize all that is available to them in terms of modern technology. There are many benefits that web conferencing brings to the table and among them are the two that we discussed in the previous post - the ability to save time and money; two hallmarks of doing successful business.

Some additional benefits of web conferencing include:

Having the ability to meet the demands of clients quickly. Ultimately customer service is the foundation of any successful business. Anything that a business can do to make their clients happy is worthy of pursuit and web conferencing is one of the best tools towards that end. If a vendor and client are physically separated from each other then it’s more important than ever to make sure that you are able to address whatever issues arise.

Allowing you to stand out against the competition. Let’s face it; there’s a lot of competition out there and clients have the option of working with anyone and everyone around the world; there are no longer any boundaries to doing business. And with such a huge playing field, it’s important to be able to stand up against those who may be competing for the same business. Web conferencing shows a commitment to technology and the dedication to go above and beyond to always being available to their clients.

Taking management to the next level. In business, projects happen every day. The ability to manage those projects easily and effectively is priceless. Web conferencing allows all parties to stay engaged and involved; able to tackle the details of whatever project is on the table.

Popularity: 13% [?]

The world - once seemingly large in scope - has grown decidedly smaller with the growing popularity of the Internet. Now, people can connect with each other in a matter of seconds - no matter where in the world they happen to be at the time. The Internet has broken down boundaries of all kinds and, with them, the many reasons why it would have been difficult to do business with companies that were not in your general vicinity. Web conferencing for instance, is just one of the ways in which companies are able to leverage the power of the Internet to bring business within their reach.

So what is web conferencing? In short, web conferencing is a manner of meeting online. Instead of the traditional conference room and the table around which peers gathered, professionals are just as likely to “gather” through web conferencing - dialing into a virtual meeting room where a leader heads an exchange of information. Consider the many things that web conferencing can do for any company - large or small:

Saving Time - Web conferencing harnesses the benefits of the Internet in the form of instant gratification. Those who need to meet about particular issues can do so instantly or within the time period that it takes to invite people to log onto your conference. There is much to be said for being able to tackle issues immediately - even in light of the distance that may separate the parties involved. Success is often achieved in the details and web conferencing allows companies to address the details with efficiency.

Saving Money - Every business is concerned with saving money, especially right now. Web conferencing eliminates the need for travel. While companies may be comfortable doing business with someone a world away they most likely will not be comfortable with committing to the travel budget necessary to meet with them in person on a regular basis. Web conferencing allows companies to conduct business while watching their wallets.

More to come about web conferencing in the next post…

Popularity: 14% [?]

When it comes to making the most out of your situation at work, the tools make the most difference. We have always made the best use of the tools available to us at the time. Technology has continued to evolve to the point that we are able to communicate more effectively and handle whatever projects come our way with increased efficiency and speed. For the best results when it comes to communicating these days more and more companies are using web conferencing as a matter of course.

Web conferencing takes communication to the next level allowing a multitude of parties to meet online and conduct seminars and meetings that they would otherwise hold in a traditional conference room. I chose web conferencing because it made the most sense for our small company that was trying to keep up with clients all over the world. We didn’t have the travel budget to visit clients in person but we still needed to demonstrate the personal customer service that we had promised them. Web conferencing allows us to meet our clients’ needs no matter where they are in the world and we are able to step up to the plate in the way in which we promised. Some of the many benefits provided to us through web conferencing include:

• The ability to respond quickly to clients’ needs. Whatever comes up can be handled easily and conveniently through web conferencing. In this way the clients know that we are able to be responsive and we are able to avoid the costs associated with travel.

• Web conferencing gives us the freedom to reach out to clients around the world. We don’t have to confine our new business pitches to the immediate area; we are just as easily able to meet the needs of clients that are thousands of miles away.

Popularity: 12% [?]

There’s not much that companies won’t do right not to try to save some money. The economy is stifling and there is so much that has to be done in order to keep our doors open and our employees working – in addition to the day to day business at hand. Anywhere we can save a penny or two is a benefit to our bottom line and web conferencing is one of the ways in which companies are saving money.

Web conferencing is – like its name suggests – a conference situation that happens over the web. It allows participants to interact with each other in a meeting-type format without having to actually be in the same physical space. Participants can hear each other – and sometimes see each other as in video conference – and exchange information including accessing documents live over the internet. The benefits of web conferencing are extraordinary in this day and age as we work to keep in contact with vendors, clients, and co-workers that are sometimes many states – and even countries – away. There needs to be a way to manage the distance and web conferencing offers that management tool. The ways in which web conferencing can save money include:

• Saving on travel expenses. When it’s absolutely essential to meet with people but it’s not cost-effective to travel for such a meeting, web conferencing can save the day. Participants simply login and they are able to meet virtually without any travel expenses incurred.

• Averts mistakes. Errors cost money and when projects are being worked on by team members who are not in the same office, communication can become critical for averting crisis. Web conferencing allows you to stay in touch on a regular basis and coordinate project details.

• Keep clients. Customer service is inordinately important in any business but especially when your customer happens to be some distance away. Checking in using web conferencing allows you show your commitment and can wind up saving you accounts – and money.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Are you an expert in your field? If you know that you have extraordinary expertise in what you do – and it’s something that you promote to your customers and your potential customers – why not make a bigger splash with a webinar? The fact of the matter is that every businessperson is looking to sell something. When you approach potential clients you are promoting your product and service – but ultimately what you are selling is yourself. You continue to sell yourself for as long as you have that customer; proving again and again that you are capable of servicing them to their expectations. Whatever your expertise you could be reaching a much broader – and potentially lucrative – audience through the use of webinars.

Webinars are online seminars that generally have a moderator who presents a program. Guests are invited to attend the webinar during a particular time during which the host delivers the information that is intended for the program. Webinars are typically free for guests and are a great tool for promotion purposes. Through a webinar, companies can:

• Impart their expertise about a particular topic or a variety of topics. If you know an industry inside and out then share that information with your webinar attendees.

• Show their generosity for sharing the information. When you offer a webinar at no cost you are offering visitors value above and beyond your products and services. If the webinar is good and attendees receive valuable information they will always remember you.

• Put your name out there again and again. By hosting ongoing scheduled seminars on interesting topics people will be begin to look for these opportunities and may even share the existence of these webinars with others.

• Establish your company as an expert in your field. The more you lead webinars the more that people will associate you with being experts in the field.

Popularity: 17% [?]

You know that a project has gotten completely out of hand when there are far too many chefs in the kitchen and no real direction. This was what happened with one of the projects that we were working on for a client. The issue was this: the project itself was huge in scope and the players participating in executing the project were all over the country. This was a challenge to say the least; and the problem was compounded by the fact that there were a lot of people that felt as though they were leading the pack. Yet with all of these leaders we still had no clear direction and time was ticking by very quickly. It was clear that we needed a better way to communicate and that’s when we turned to web conferencing.

Web conferencing is a way in which we can all get online and communicate with each other in real time – we can hear each other, discuss topics, and access the same documents so that we can all have our say at the same time. Web conferencing is especially beneficial for dealing with people all over the country because it eliminates the need for travel and yet allows everyone to participate in a “meeting” regardless of their location. Web conferencing has given us a world of benefits including:

• The ability to get on the same page. There’s nothing worse than thinking you are going in one direction only to find out everyone else is going in another. We needed the ability to check in daily regarding our project status and web conferencing allowed us to do that.

• The ability to delegate with no misunderstanding. Too often one person was under the impression that they were in charge of one component of the project while another was under the very same impression. Web conferencing allows us to meet all at once and discuss exactly who is doing what so that our roles are clearly assigned.

• The ability to voice issues as they arise. Our standing meeting allows us to have a forum to raise concerns as they occur so that we they don’t spiral out of control and we can work steadily towards success.

Popularity: 16% [?]

In the last post I talked about how our company – an advertising agency – had begun to use webinars in a creative and fun way. Initially our desire had been to give our audience something of value – an audience that consisted of existing clients and potential new business – at an affordable cost to us. We decided to create our own webinars and we chose to deliver messages regarding effective marketing on a budget because of the current economy. This was a great way to show people how important marketing and advertising still was to their company and that there were ways in which to tackle it affordably. To demonstrate our point we actually showcased some of our existing clients in order to show how they were getting through the economic crisis. This allowed us to market them as well as market our own strategies for effective advertising at a reduced cost. We hoped that this would position us in such a way that potential clients would not be intimidated to approach us for marketing help because they thought it would be too expensive.

A part of these webinars also included vignettes that showcased how we – as a company – were responding to the economic crisis at hand. They started out as fun but poignant pieces that showed our commitment as a company to lowering our operating costs; but over time – as our staff got more and more creative – they turned into hilarious pieces that our viewers were tuning in to see week after week. From our “campfire” to warm the office to our “recycled” ad campaign brainstorm session, one vignette was more hilarious than the next and before long we were all in competition with each other to write the funniest skit. Our viewers totally got in on the action by voting for their favorite pieces and commenting on our writing and acting abilities. But in the end the point was that they tuned in week after week; another great way in which we have found to use webinars.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Did you ever get so involved in a chapter book that you found it hard to tear yourself away from the next page? Or so engrossed in a television series that you waited all week for the next installment? Chances are you have experienced this many times over in your life. It says much for the story that we are that engaged; enough so that we can’t wait to see what comes next. This is what I wanted to capitalize on when I introduced webinars into my business.

We are in the advertising business and like many companies in our industry we have felt the brunt of the economy in a big way. Thankfully we haven’t lost any clients but advertising/marketing budgets have surely been reduced and there’s not a whole lot of new business on the horizon. We needed a way to stay engaged with our current clients and offer some value to potential new clients without breaking the bank on launching our own costly marketing campaign. Webinars were something that we had begun dabbling in with some of our clients and I thought that we could very easily use them to help in our own marketing.

We decided to launch our own webinar series about how companies – across all industries – are making it through the economic crisis with creative strategies. We visited our own clients and showcased their strategies in one webinar (a great way to promote them at the same time) and then moved onto another company in the next series. In between we would showcase little fun vignettes about what we were doing around the office to keep costs down – from brown bagging it for our lunches to turning off lights in our offices when we stepped out. Without really intending them to, these vignettes just got funnier and funnier and before we knew it we had our comedy webinar series going. More to come in next post…

Popularity: 17% [?]

When it comes to having success in business we all turn to the tools that afford us the greatest flexibility as well as value. For me, my most powerful tool is that of web conferencing; something that gives me the ability to be in several places at one time and still effective in all of my roles. As long as it’s been available web conferencing has been by my side and I’ve used it in many capacities.

Things are very different now than they were when I first started in this business. Today we are a company that is very much engaged in global commerce and we need to operate in this capacity. This means that we always have to be front and center for our clients, letting them know that we are available to them and that the distance between us is of no concern. For me, in particular, web conferencing has allowed me to function always at my best in giving my clients what they want and keeping me in the loop of the many projects that are happening around me at all times.

Web conferencing offers phenomenal value, giving me the most cost-effective method for staying in touch with my clients; but the way in which its cost-effectiveness really shines is in the fact that web conferencing can be used across the board and its value really rests with its versatility. Web conferencing has given me:

• The ability to pitch new clients face to face. It may not be cost-effective for me to fly to a potential new client to pitch my products and services, but web conferencing allows me to give my pitch a personal touch without actually having to physically be in front of them.

• The ability to check in with existing clients. A phone call is nice, an email is convenient, but web conferencing allows me to actually meet with my clients and demonstrate my commitment to their account.

• The ability to stay in the loop. Like everyone else I am constantly juggling a variety of projects. Web conferencing allows me to get in the loop and stay that way.

Popularity: 47% [?]

Those in the job market have experienced firsthand how big of a part the Internet plays in connecting potential employee with potential employer. The Internet has allowed us to reach out to people all over the world and, in so doing, expand the job market available to us. Employers also have received benefits from the online job search. They are able to post openings online where the position description can be read by a waiting audience and they can screen interested parties based upon the information they receive in a manner of moments.

Those companies that are looking to expand their team online have a variety of tools available to them including the use of webinars – a great way to educate potential employees about what your company does and how they might fit within your organization. Best of all, this information can be delivered to a multitude of people at the same time through web conferencing services – allowing you to reach your target audience with a broad stroke and quickly identify who may be most interested and best qualified.

Here’s how webinars can work in building your company’s team:

• You can post job listings on online job search engines where they will be read by millions of visitors. Those who send their resume or apply online can be screened by your organization based on your set criteria. Those who make it through the pre-screening can be sent an invitation to a webinar hosted by your company. Hold webinars once a week, once a month, or whenever makes the most sense for your recruiting needs.

• During your scheduled webinar - to which you have extended an invitation to those you want to “court” - you can present information about your company as well as the job opening and details that may go along with that.

• Those who are interested after hearing your presentation can be asked to move further in the process.

Web conferencing, including webinars, is a great way to reach a large audience and expand your recruiting search.

Popularity: 18% [?]