Save Big Bucks With Online Meetings

According to US News, Mark Fritch, owner of Fritch Custom Log Homes in Sandy, Ore., has a problem: The office of his engineer is dozens of miles from his own office. To have a face-to-face meeting with his engineer, Fritch says, “I can figure it’s going to take three or four hours out of my day and 50 miles of driving.” With today’s gas prices, traveling that far is also a drain on Fritch’s wallet. But Fritch has a solution that saves him time and money: He uses a Web-conferencing program to set up a virtual meeting with his engineer. It allows them to view on their individual computers all the documents and photos of their latest home-building project as if the materials were spread out in front of them on a table. Fritch says that holding virtual meetings, which he has done for the past three years, has substantially cut his travel costs. “When I look at dollars and cents, I’m saving time, I’m saving fuel – it’s a win,” Fritch says. Web-conferencing software is an example of how technology has made staying in the office–and saving on fuel costs–work for more and more business people. And the technology has become increasingly affordable for the small fry. A monthly subscription can be as low as $39/month. Less than the cost of filling up your SUV!

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5 Advantages of Online Meetings

Whether we like them or not, meetings are an essential activity of business life. It does not matter if you are a one-man/woman operation or work in a conglomerate, meetings with suppliers, colleagues, subordinates, and/or superiors are required.

In the old days, there were two ways to meet: Face-to-face or over the phone. Then there was video conferencing, but the other ways were still more practical, because they were far less expensive. Nowadays, however, thanks to technology, all one needs is a computer and access to the Internet to conduct an online meeting.

Online meetings have several advantages over the traditional methods.

1. Online meetings can be conducted with little advanced notice since the participants do not need to leave their workstations to meet.

2. Online meetings are cost-effective: You don’t have to reserve or prepare a meeting room. Neither you nor your participants need to travel outside of your office, thus no money is spent in order for the participants to attend the meeting.

3. Today’s online meeting vendors have powerful tools that enhance real time collaboration among the participants. For instance, you can transfer keyboard and mouse control to a participant to allow her/him to fully explain their points and call up documents as needed to assist in explanations. Participants are also equipped with chat facilities so that they can communicate with the other participants without disrupting the proceedings of the meeting.

4. Powerful moderator tools allow you to completely control the meeting. For example, mute functions can prevent hard charging participants from unnecessarily butting in on the discussion. As any facilitator knows, face-to-face meeting moderation is not so easily accomplished.

5. It is easy to record the meeting’s proceedings for future review, playback, and broadcast. There is no need for special recording and reproduction equipment.

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