Exploring Real World Applications
When people first consider implementing videoconferencing in their businesses, they've either already decided how they can make use of it or they're entirely at a loss and cannot see how they could possibly use it in their business.
Whichever group you find yourself in, the following sections can offer some assistance. If you haven't a clue as to how videoconferencing can improve your business, the following sections introduce you to some real world applications. If you already have practical applications in mind for your videoconferencing system, the following sections may reveal some additional uses.
Everyone has a right to a speedy trial, but by its nature, the wheels of justice turn very slowly. Part of the reason is that scheduling a trial and gathering all interested parties in a room is a huge challenge. Although videoconferencing may not guarantee justice, it can help those wheels turn a little more quickly by expediting the following
- Depositions
- Mediation
- Client meetings
- Courtroom interviews
- Processing of inmates
- Bail hearings
- Mental health hearings
- Remote visitations
Ideally, a government serves its people, and the more people it serves and the more assistance it provides to its people, the more successful it is. Videoconferencing can help government and law enforcement reach more people more efficiently. Consider the following possible applications for videoconferencing in government and law enforcement:
- Public education
- Health and human services
- Homeland security
- Public safety
- Governance
- Judicial proceedings
- Business assistance
- Environmental awareness
Tip: Videoconferencing can extend the reach of government into outlying areas that were previously too remote to service.
The healthcare industry is always on the cutting edge, often embracing new technologies long before they even show up on the radars of other businesses. This holds true for videoconferencing, as well. Following are some areas in medical and healthcare that can significantly benefit from the use of videoconferencing:
- Patient consultations and education
- Diagnosis and treatment plan analysis
- Collaborative care
- Viewing patient records and X-rays
- Surgical assistance and guidance
- Rural community care
- Data sharing & examination on separate screens
- Research and training
- Teaching hospitals
- Staff meetings
Traditional education has always been limited by the four walls of the classroom. Videoconferencing can knock down those walls and make the entire world readily accessible to students. Just think of the possibilities (many of which are already being explored in schools all around the world):
- Greater access to information and learning opportunities around the world
- Increasing student exposure to different cultural experiences
- Improved student learning and retention (because students are more engaged)
- Project collaboration
- Teacher education
- One-on-one tutoring and support
- Increased accountability for both students and teachers
- Access to better teaching materials
- Using the Internet as complementary tool to curriculum
The financial services arena covers more than just banks and credit unions. It also encompasses credit card companies, insurance companies, mortgage brokers, credit counselors, financial advisers, stock brokerages, investment/asset management services, some government enterprises (including FHA and Fannie Mae), and more. Videoconferencing can be a valuable tool in helping these various industries both with their internal operations and with serving their clients:
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Financial analysis and decision-making
- Investment/asset management
- Banking regulation and compliance issues
- Client relationship management
- Branch management
- Human resources, including interviewing, hiring, delivering annual performance reviews, and dealing with compliance issues
- Education and training
- Board and management meetings
- Client relationship management
- Investor relations
The oil and gas industries are huge and hugely complex. Many companies have offices, oil fields, and refineries located all around the world. To operate efficiently and profitably, communication is key, but traditional methods of communication have always fallen short of what’s been needed. Videoconferencing is as close to a perfect solution as possible. Here are some of the advantages that videoconferencing can deliver to petroleum companies that choose to implement the technology:
- Exploration mapping
- Oil and gas flow charting
- Construction control and management
- Production monitoring and review
- Equipment management
- Employee training
- Reduced travel expenses
- Improved employee morale
Engineering and construction depend more on clear and accurate communications than the average person realizes. From concept to blueprint to project planning and contracting, everything needs to be carefully scheduled and coordinated, particularly on large, complex projects. Videoconferencing can help in the following areas:
- Architectural design
- Remote site management
- Project planning, coordination, and management
- Data sharing
- Remote progress monitoring
- Troubleshooting
- Hiring and training
- Remote site security monitoring
The transportation and shipping industries face two crucial challenges in the 21st Century – dwindling fuel supplies (and the resulting increase in fuel costs) and becoming green (ecologically speaking). One way to address these challenges is for these industries to become more efficient, and they can do that through the effective use of videoconferencing. Videoconferencing systems can help these industries in numerous ways, including the following:
- Improved communication among wholesalers, retailers, and distributors
- Remote monitoring of warehouses and trucks
- Enhanced efficiency in management, human resources, and training
Large retail chains spend a great deal of time and travel trying to gain an edge over the competition. Corporate managers are in frequent communication with store managers to ensure that all stores have a consistent look and feel, that merchandise is properly displayed, and that customers receive quality service. Videoconferencing can significantly improve communications throughout an organization, making it both more effective and more efficient:
- Sales training
- Presenting new products and services
- Merchandising planning and collaboration
- Staff training
- Interviewing and hiring
- Supply management
- Time management
- Collaborative discussion
- Sales objectives and goals
- Coaching
Human resources is all about establishing contacts and dealing directly with personnel, so videoconferencing is a perfect match. Following are some of the areas in which videoconferencing is often used to expedite human resource procedures and tasks:
- Recruitment and interviews
- Training and education
- Benefits meetings
- Performance reviews
- Compliance communication
Executives have always traveled, and when traveling wasn't such a hassle, most executives and upper management didn't mind – travel came with the territory. Today, few executives enjoy business travel unless they have their own private jet or access to a fleet of planes. Security hassles and flight delays have mad travel less than delightful. Videoconferencing offers several advantages over physical travel and other means of communication:
- More effective and efficient than email and phone calls
- Enables you to communicate with eye contact and body language in addition to audio and text
- Offers the capacity to share programs and documents and present slide shows in real time
- Protects the safety of key executives and managers
- Saves the time and expenses associated with travel
- Enables management to devote more time and expertise to executive level tasks
If your business is fairly well isolated from the rest of the world, videoconferencing probably won't improve your efficiency and productivity. For everyone else, videoconferencing is a no brainer that allows you to...
- Travel less, saving time, money, and hassles
- Spend more time on productive activities
- Strengthen relationships with colleagues, clients, and associates
- Improve education and training
- Coordinate activities among multiple departments and staff members
- Deliver information simultaneously throughout your company or organization
- And more
Tip: In most cases, the investment in a reliable, high-quality videoconferencing system more than pays for itself in the amount you save on time and travel and the boost in productivity. In addition, videoconferencing can enhance the experience of doing business and open you to a host of new opportunities. Spend some time thinking about just how videoconferencing could improve your business or organization. Whether it is something as basic as training or as complex as oil production and delivery, we are certain you'll identify a need and be glad you invested in videoconferencing.
Now that you are well aware of the many ways you can use videoconferencing to slash costs, save time, and increase productivity, you're ready to check out some of the more common videoconferencing technologies that are currently available in the next lesson, "Sampling Various Videoconferencing Technologies."
