Video conferencing is in great demand right now and as more and people search for a suitable package there are just as many providers jumping on board of this amazing tool.

Yes, I said amazing tool. Video conferencing comes with tonnes of features and advantages. But like every upside there is also a downside. My overall perception of video conferencing is great, but I want to share these pointers with you. This article will help you understand video conferencing before you take the step toward finding your suitable provider and package.

Traditional conferencing is done by every business or company with more than one employee. Its also known as a meeting or presentation. A small company of only two still get together and present plans, updates and movement within the company. On a larger scale this would involve the use of a venue with refreshments. This is very normal for a small to large company placed in one geographical location, maybe a couple of offices. On a much larger scale a company could have many offices across the globe. To organize a meeting on this scale there would be huge costs involved. Costs such as the venue, travel, accommodation, entertainment, refreshments and more. Even the planning can take many man hours.

This leads me to the main obvious advantage of using video conferencing. Costs can be cut for any business no matter how big they are. In fact the larger the company and meeting they higher the percent of costs cuts.

If cost is an issue to you and your company which I know it is, then using video conferencing will definitely make a major difference on your budget.

Further advantages are the way in which you can use your conferencing software. Video conferencing allows you to use it for multiple uses. The obvious is the purpose of what it was built for. Large or small live streaming video conferencing as close to that as a regular offline meeting. Another common use is online interviews. Companies hold online meetings with job applicants, this works particularly well in todays world as more people work from home for online companies. Advertising is another use for conferencing software. Many companies use this to gather people to advertise their company or products. Works really well as many vendors allow you to brand your room. Distant learning is also a major use. A company sets up and runs programs from their conference room to enable distant and group learning on their products and services.

Video conferencing advantages definitely outweigh the disadvantages. Using online video conferencing really helps with time management, flexibility, and collaboration. Being able to join a conference room anytime night or day from anywhere in the world for a business update is phenomenal. Conference for business or pleasure from your place of work, when out or from the comfort of your home.

Like I said there are disadvantages but I believe they will not stop this beast of a global tool from progressing. The main disadvantage is that feeling of personal touch. The in room gathering creates a buzz and work flow is part social which is really good. Also you don’t know if all attendees are taking it in and listening behind their screen. They may be distracted or multitasking which is not good. Another small disadvantage is eye contact. To truly engage your audience you need eye contact and using conferencing software you tend to lose this. You can train yourself and develop skills over time, but you will find that you are looking at the screen while conducting the conference, your attendees will see you looking to one side or down. This can be overcome if you learn to focus on your camera. Even if you can adjust to conducting at least 80 to 90 percent of the conference in this manner it will help. Another disadvantage which can be overcome simply by choosing the correct provider. If you choose a conference package which requires a download and install you are going to face problems. This can cause you and your guests all kinds of compatibility issues and will get messy. Right from the offset you should find a provider who streams your room from a server, this will ensure that anybody with an internet connection can join at the click of a button.

As you can see the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages. If your looking for video conferencing software but are unsure, simply take it from me, it is a great tool with multiple uses and can save you money. Disadvantages which currently exist will be overcome in time and new tools will be developed in the near future.

My final pointers. Make sure your provider does not require you to download software and they don’t charge per seat. For the best value, you need to find a provider which charges you per room.