With globalization has come the necessity of long distance communication and video conferencing provides the most collaborative and engaging form. It allows participants to not only view presentations and other content, but to have face-to-face conversations, which contributes to the intelligibility of the conversation as well as the ability to read and interpret body language for clearer context. Not everyone has made the switch from teleconferencing to video conferencing in part because there are some common misconceptions. Let’s take a look at three of the most common video conferencing myths.
Myth #1: It’s Not in our Budget
While it’s entirely possible to spend exorbitant amounts on fancy telepresence systems, the truth is that there are plenty of video conferencing options available today that are affordable. It’s also important to consider that video conferencing saves time and money by allowing multiple people from anywhere, virtually worldwide, to collaborate and share content, reducing the need for costly travel and rental costs for larger spaces to accommodate all participants.
Myth #2: It’s too Difficult to Implement
For companies working with a small or overwhelmed IT department, you may think that adding video conferencing to their plate will be too daunting a task. However, with the demand for video conferencing increasing, so has the technology to make these systems easier to install. AV over IP, cloud-based services and other technologies have made the process a much simpler task, requiring less drain on IT resources and providing users with more options. Careful planning before choosing a system can also ensure headaches are avoided and the system is as simple to deploy as possible.
Myth #3: No one will be able to figure out how to use it
This could not be further from the truth. These days, the simple click of a button can call peers from a centralized directory and have them onscreen before you know it. BYOD capabilities are available in most systems allowing participants to easily display content from their own computer or tablet. Ease-of-use is a trend that isn’t going away as it’s users demand it and anyone can operate a video conferencing system with very little training.
