HOLBORN
LABS 90 High Holborn
90 High Holborn, London, WC1V 6LJ
9th July 2019 | 4 min read
Where would business be without conference calls? After all, constructive communication is a vital part of most projects and, while it’s great to meet in person, it’s not always possible to get everyone in the same place at the same time. Happily, technology now provides plenty of near-seamless video conferencing solutions, effectively replicating a real face-to-face meeting, even if the participants are scattered far and wide across the planet.
In a globalised world, video conferencing and Skype have become increasingly vital tools, bringing remote workers into the conversation and shrinking the space between geographically dispersed colleagues. The implications for the future of the workplace are clear – talent can now be seamlessly connected, without the cost and time of travel.
Realistically, small businesses must be smart and agile to compete. But fear not, without a big budget to squander, necessity really can become the mother of invention. One of the biggest challenges for start-ups is the cost of skilled workers. But there are alternatives to spending big on full-time staff. If the cost of hiring permanent staff is prohibitive you might find that it’s more cost-effective to draft in outsourced talent.
More and more skilled workers are drawn to the freelance lifestyle, so there’s a good chance you’ll be able to find the skills you need without hiring full-time staff straight out of the gate. This can be a real boon for start-up businesses that are still in the processes of developing their offering.
LABS is all about redefining the workspace and providing a dynamic, entirely flexible work environment for a wide variety of entrepreneurial individuals, fledgeling companies and ambitious businesses. Connectivity is a big part of that vision – a connected world enables fruitful collaboration between geographically disparate workers. Which is why video conference calling has become such an invaluable technology. All you need is a meeting room and a decent internet connection and your team can engage in a nuanced and productive face-to-face meeting, without any of the awkwardness of a faltering audio-only conference call.
If you’re unconvinced by the merits of video conferencing and Skype, ask a geographically separated family about video calls. Very often, the possibility of visual face-to-face connectivity makes a real difference, enabling families to feel far closer than they would if communication was limited to a telephone line.
This sense of distance-defying connection can be equally effective in a business meeting. Whether you’re pitching for new business in a swiftly convened transatlantic call or thrashing out a revised plan of action with a globally dispersed team, face-to-face video can help forge a bond that might otherwise fail to emerge.
The conference call has long been a financial necessity in business. Simply put, the cost of getting people in the same room can be prohibitive. But if you’ve ever sat around a speaker-phone listening to a disembodied voice, you’ll know that it’s a poor substitute for a face-to-face meeting. Video conferencing is a great comprise – you can experience genuine engagement without clocking up air miles and hotel expenses.
Experts have long predicted the emergence of remote working as a likely feature of the future work landscape and it’s now starting to happen. Technology has brought about a degree of flexibility that seriously challenges the traditional office-based work environment. Many of us can now do our job wherever we are.
As long as this trend continues, video conferencing will become more and more important. In fact, the ever-improving quality of live video feeds is likely to drive the shift towards remote working by enabling increasingly convincing face-to-face meetings that negate the need for actual physical proximity.
Whether you seize on it as a means to embrace the future of remote working or as a handy tool to stay connected with colleagues and clients, video conferencing has a big part to play in the way you run your business. From co-working spaces to corporate offices, you can make use of video conferencing software wherever you make your base of operations.
0203 761 2800
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