In this day and age, with all the technology and communication channels out there, it is extremely rare to actually speak to someone face-to-face anymore. Now most people are probably thinking "I always speak to my friends and family face-to-face." "When I go out I see people." That's all fine and dandy, but what about in a business setting?
Many businesses now use instant messaging, e-mail, and the old fashioned mode of contact, the telephone. The problem with the first two is that it's extremely hard to get the right tone. Unless you type in capital letters, use emoticons (smiley faces), or actually say the tone you meant, most people wouldn't understand, and could take offense. The problem with telephones is that most of what people say and do is expressed by body movements and facial expressions. The movie Hitch said it the best:
"60% of all human communication is nonverbal. Body language. 30% is your tone. So that means that 90% of what you're saying ain't coming out of your mouth."
So, what does this mean for business? A LOT!
Many businesses claim to be in the 21st century when they talk about the technology they adopted for their business and for communication purposes. They talk about how they can have a live person 24/7 to talk to customers, or that they respond through e-mail. That's great, but it's not enough. The next step is Video Conferencing.
Video Conferencing is a great way to communicate with clients and customers. It's a great way to communicate with co-workers who are not in the same office or who work remotely. In fact, businesses that use video conferencing have found they actually save more money. Think about it. No need to reimburse employees for gas or rent out a hotel or conference room for employees to go to. Employees can log onto their computer and open a program, or go to the video conference room and just hit a button. It's that simple nowadays.
Video Conferencing also comes in handy when you need to see the person you are talking too. Many people can read body language, and in a sales or interview situation, this is imperative. Imagine you are talking to a customer on the phone, and everything seems to be going well. You think the sale is going to go through and you will hit your goal. The next day, you find out, it isn't going to happen. Why? The tone of voice the person was giving out sounded fine, but what about the person's body language? Wait, yor're on the phone, you can't tell. Video conferencing allows you to see who you are talking to and essentially, read the person. How are they sitting? Are their arms crossed? Are they leaning back or leaning forward? What about their attention (are they on their phone or paying attention to you? These are all things that need to be thought about, yet wiht most companies, it doesn't cross their mind.
In the end, Video conferencing may seem expensive up front, but could help when it comes to making the sale, or saving your business money. It is one of the few technologies that will help businesses move into the 21st centurty.
To learn more go to http://www.macsourceinc.com/
