Investopedia defines video conferencing as a technology that makes face to face meetings between parties without requiring anyone from both sides to move to a single location. This makes it convenient for users in different locations to meet, regardless if parties are in the same city, state, country or across another continent.
Benefits
The technology also offers a lot of advantages to businesses and IT teams all over. Rapid information dissemination is possible. BetaNews says it’s also easy to streamline operations with video integrated into a company’s communication strategy. Gone are the days when you had to reserve an entire IT team to look after your company’s communication infrastructure. With easy to use and install video systems, people can now take care of video calls on their own, without the assistance of the company’s IT experts. Businesses can now assign their IT resources tasks more challenging than monitoring a video call, which was usually the case back when video calls required complex systems, expensive hardware and costly upgrades.
Factors
Not all video communication systems, though, are alike. If you’re looking for a video system, you’ll need to consider a number of factors which include scalability, integration, features and cost. However, one often overlooked quality of a video solutions provider is this: trustworthiness. It’s essential to make sure you’re dealing with a team or company that really delivers a winning service. You wouldn’t want to spend on the technology only to find out later on that the experience is a stepdown in quality. So be on the lookout for signs that you’re dealing with a credible provider. Here are four signs that say you and your team are in good hands:
- Industry experience. One of the things to look for is experience. How long has the company been in operation? How long have they been working in the industry? Three years? Five years? The longer they’ve been around, the more credible they seem. After all, companies that last usually have something in common: they’re doing something right. Many of these companies are competitive. They know the only way to stay in the game is to make sure they consistently provide relevant services to their consumers. And if they have been providing that experience constantly, consistently, throughout a number of years, then you have every reason to believe that they would continue to provide it for more years down the road. However, this is not to say that you should easily dismiss a provider simply because of industry experience. If they have the qualifications as well as talent and team to back their services up, you might just find them to be a worthy solution to your communication needs.
- Reputation. Chances are, if the company has been around for a number of years, they already have reputation built. So always do your research. Go online and find out everything you can about the company, specifically, about how they treat customers. A reputation for excellence is nothing if they provide a sucky customer service experience. Take a look at Zappos, for example. When the company made customer service every employee’s business, that’s when the business really started to take off. That’s how important customer service is. So if you’re looking for a video solution, don’t forget to factor this in.
- Commitment and dedication. Another sign to look for is how committed and dedicated the company is to providing you with unparalleled experience and service. The more committed they are, the more they continue to provide you with ever-newer features to make your conferencing experience even better than the last one. Video conferencing vendors like BlueJeans offer that kind of commitment and dedication, providing you with a slew of new and better features to improve your experience. That’s the kind of commitment and dedication to the work—the kind of passion—you’d want to see in your own video provider.
- Consistency, security and reliability. Another sign that you’re dealing with a trustworthy video provider is that they provide a consistent video experience, one that’s secure and reliable. So you can count on the system to help you stay in touch, whenever and wherever you are. Stuck in traffic and need to be in a meeting? Your video system should be able to help you out, allowing you to log onto the meeting online with your laptop, tablet or mobile. You don’t just want a system that works. You want a system that’s consistently reliable, one that won’t fail you.
Video communication offers a lot of advantages to IT organizations and teams. Whether it’s to improve communication, boost productivity or enhance professional relationships, a video system provides you with the services you need to take your operational efficiency to the next level. Just look for these signs to make sure you’re hiring a provider that’s worthy of your trust.
HedgeThink.com is the fund industry’s leading news, research and analysis source for individual and institutional accredited investors and professionals
