Online Conferencing Can Help Virtual Teams Succeed
For consumers, the Internet quickly is leading to the death of print newspapers because of the speed and convenience of the information channel. In the business world, video conferencing is quickly replacing the power of telephone conversations. Everyone has a mobile phone, but fewer phone calls are being made.
Virtual teams are becoming more common nowadays because of budget restraints and advances in technology. Companies can’t afford to hire redundant employees or move employees from one location to another just to complete a project.
As project management becomes more standardized and efficient across industries, companies can effectively manage projects with virtual teams and maintain quality and productivity. After production processes are solidified, teams’ next great obstacle is communication.
Better to see you
Traditional conference calls have always been a bit of a nightmare. It’s too easy for participants to check out of the conversation and multitask. The other callers can’t see them. Another problem the lack of a visual connection is callers must describe everything or refer to documentation they hope the other participants have.
One of the main problems project managers have when working with virtual teams is building trust, according to George Bradt of Forbes. With the addition of video in a conference call, team members can see faces and read body language. This builds trust and makes communication clearer.
Video conferences also are a great way to make sure team members are staying on task. Companies can use time tracking software to accomplish this as Dave Nevogt of Hubstaff explains. But that can be a very intrusive and certainly does not build trust. A video conference forces team members to show up on time and be prepared, or they will look incompetent.
esThere are many advantages to using virtual teams for companies and employe. The company can save money on transportation and office space while the employees enjoy more free time and flexibility. As long as everyone is productive, virtual teams can be awesome. Companies can use video conferences to improve communication and maintain productivity.
Not just a home office
With new video and mobile technology coming out every year, remote employees can connect with video conferences from just about anywhere. Although action cameras have not quite caught up with live conferences, it’s now possible to connect to a video conference from a car’s dashboard display.
Automobile manufacturers are making commuting so convenient that going to an office may actually be a hindrance to productivity, Douglas Fraser of BBC News reports. Not that joining a video conference while driving is a good or safe idea. But traffic and flat tires happen. Missing an important meeting can be costly and embarrassing.
Although most laptops come with built-in webcams and microphones, a savvy remote worker can purchase an awesome, separate webcam for less than ₤60. The improvement in video and audio quality will be obvious, and the flexibility to use a tripod to position the camera at or above eye level will greatly enhance the participant’s presentation. That also will show everyone the participant is not surfing the Internet instead of paying attention.
Clouds are the way
Not all companies can afford expensive, enterprise-level video conference rooms, and renting a space can be an unnecessary exercise in frustration. Cloud-based, online conferencing solutions are growing in popularity. The Blue Jeans Network, for example, offers the interoperability to connect a virtual team using a variety of equipment and app integrations.
Because the network is in the cloud, participants can use existing conference room solutions, desktop computers or mobile devices. There is a Blue Jeans app for cell phones, but users also can connect through a web browser or another video platform such as Skype or Google Hangouts.
With cloud-based video conferencing solutions, companies can seamlessly use lots of added features during a conference
- Record meetings
- Share graphics
- Text chat
- Share video
- Analyse metrics
Cloud-based software services provide multiple levels of security and privacy.
Content sharing horizon
One thing that makes video conferencing almost as good as face-to-face is the ability to share content. Participants not only can view graphics, PowerPoint presentations and documents while interacting with each other, and they also can share computer screens.
In the not-to-distant future, video conferencing may be able to integrate Periscope to broadcast live video from anywhere. That means action cameras will become part of the video conferencing universe.
Periscope recently announced it was integrating with Twitter on iOS devices. That means users won’t need a separate app for Periscope. This follows the trend the instant messaging platform Slack started with third-party add-ons. Slack users can connect with Blue Jeans and project management applications such as JIRA and Trello while still working in the Slack app.
Although virtual teams can be challenging to manage because of distance, time zones and cultural differences, as Moira Alexander of CIO reports, video conferencing can help mitigate these issues, save money and even make companies more agile.
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