ANSWERS TO SOME COMMON QUESTIONS
What is StandByVideo?
What is Videoconferencing?
What is a Public Room?
Where are Public Rooms located?
How do I set up a Videoconference Interview?
How do I set up a Videoconference Deposition?
Who is using Videoconferencing?
When Does Videoconferencing Make Sense?
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What is StandByVideo?
StandByVideo is a company with a mission to drive videoconferencing into the main stream as a practical and convenient alternative to compulsory travel. In order to accomplish this mission we support Public Videoconference Rooms as a professional and convenient way for people to access videoconferences. Point-to-point, multi-point, domestically or internationally, we can help you to arrange your state-of-the-art business quality conference. Our task is to convince 1% of business travelers to choose videoconferencing at least 1 time a year. Said another way; We Need 1 out of 100, to choose 1 Videoconference a Year! We know that it is up to us to make your videoconference convenient, reliable and cheaper than airfare if we are to succeed.
What is Videoconferencing?
Videoconferencing is a live, two-way electronic communication that permits two or more people in different geographic locations to engage in face-to-face audio and visual exchange. That is to say, they interact as if they were in the same physical location even though miles separate them. Meetings, depositions, interviews, seminars, classes, conferences, etc., are conducted normally, however the participants don’t have to travel or leave their hometown. There are many obvious advantages that are derived from this "instant anywhere" meeting technology.
The benefits of videoconferencing are both obvious and subtle:
Time
The most valuable resource in a business persons’ life is time. Time is finite and each moment must produce results or the opportunity it represents will simply become the property of our competitor. Too much time is spent traveling to gain competitive advantage, or to understand our situation in order to make decisions and act. Videoconferencing can bring the time, expense and the disruption of travel under control.
Savings
Videoconferencing is not an "un-budgeted expense". Most corporations are already spending thousands of dollars for travel and related expense. Videoconferencing merely replaces some of that jet fuel expense with network expense, and provides substantial additional benefits.
Speed
Send a memo: "Videoconference at 3pm EST today" to your people in San Francisco and Dallas. By 4pm have your meeting, work through the issues, make decisions and have your strategic plan in place and ready to execute. Let your competitor arrange to fly everyone into their Minneapolis headquarters for a one hour "sit-down" meeting. Their people will be waiting at airline terminals or car rental booths. You will have completed your videoconference and your plan will be on the street by the time they have left the runway.
Confidence
Look into the faces of your regional managers. Are they really on-board? Are they confident or are they just hoping that you will forget this crazy idea? The information that we receive visually is subtle but critical to the decision making process. Not every meeting will be appropriate for a videoconference, but every meeting deserves eye-to-eye contact if you are investing your time and your companies’ future.
Leverage
The accurate flow of information at all levels is essential in the decision making process. Videoconferencing enhances both time and budget management at every step…immediate information exchange, productive meetings, experts and decision makers immediately available in crisis situations. Make all your resources available to all levels instantly wherever they may be.
Marketing
Videoconferencing is reaching a long-predicted critical mass. It is not a question of "IF" you will use videoconferencing technology, it is only now a question of "When". The difference between now and later will have an effect on how your company is viewed in your marketplace. Using videoconference technology indicates a commitment to be forward thinking and aggressive in all things that promote and secure your companies’ future. Current and prospective customers will have the impression that they can look to your company for new ideas and new ways of doing business.
The bottom line is the bottom line.
Boost your operational performance, improve your bottom line and join with other videoconference users who have experienced the advantages!
What is a Public Room?
A Publicly Accessible/Rentable Videoconference Room/Facility is a business place that has purchased videoconferencing equipment, and supplies a high quality (not internet), digital network with a professionally trained support staff. Whether domestic or international, this staff allows people meet face-to-face for meetings, interviews, depositions, etc. This technology is expertly installed in a comfortable conference room setting suitable for executive meetings. These businesses help defray their costs by renting these facilities on occasion through a professional room broker. StandByVideo is one of several brokers that offer these rooms for a percentage of the hourly rental charges.
Where are Public Rooms located?
The best estimates in late 2004 place just under 4,000 business quality Public Rooms world-wide. It is safe to assume that any city with a business density sufficient to support an airport has multiple business-quality videoconference Public Rooms. It is also safe to assume that these Public Rooms are anxious to host good quality business videoconferences and look forward to serving new guests. Not all of these Public Rooms have registered with StandByVideo as of yet, and we are always actively seeking out and adding new Public Rooms. StandByVideo does not charge a Public Room anything to register or to maintain an account. We do insist on high quality business standards and excellence in videoconferencing quality. If you have a requirement for a videoconference in a city for which we do not have an available room, please inquire through your Agent and we will make every effort to locate an appropriate facility.
How do I set up a Videoconference Interview?
An executive interview requires discretion and convenience as well as speed in decision making. Generally a final decision will require a face-to-face personal meeting but several discrete candidate visits can be easily, economically and successfully accomplished using videoconferencing. We will provide the candidate the directions and the room contact person in their city. The candidate should confirm that they will be able to arrive 15 minutes before the scheduled videoconference time. In this videoconference you will be able to see and hear the candidate just as if they were in your office. There can be a very slight delay in their voice, similar to an international phone call. This is easy to adjust to with a just a few minutes of speaking with the c
andidate.
Go ahead and try videoconferencing! You can't enjoy the benefits if you never start.
How do I set up a Videoconference Deposition?
A deposition requires that legal professionals be able to see and hear a witness as they ask questions to explore the issues of the case. Normally this will require a Public Videoconference Room in the city that is convenient for the witness, and a Public Videoconference Room in the city that is convenient for the deposing lawyers. Click here to set up a deposition.
Most Court Reporters are familiar with videoconferencing depositions. If you wish for us to recommend one that has videoconference experience, simply ask us for a referral at 1-888-580-3251.
Who is using Videoconferencing?
Videoconferencing; like most new technology has gone through an evolution over the last 11 years or so.
In the early days the technology was the exclusive domain of government, universities and the "Fortune 50" corporations. This was largely due to the expense and the technical expertise necessary to maintain the equipment and the network.
Early videoconferencing made use of satellites to carry the video information from one point on the globe to another. Usually this was not "interactive". This sort of buckshot broadcast from one point to many hotels or meeting rooms, was (and still is) very effective for large groups but it is not spontaneous, not interactive and requires much planning and expense. Time on a satellite, (space segment), is a very limited resource and with a finite number of geosynchronous orbits around the equator this resource is not likely to increase. Video Streaming utilizing the internet is a much more practical and cost-effective means of video broadcast distribution, but again not interactive or suitable for face-to-face meetings.
So, this is why videoconferencing today uses special high-speed telephone circuits called ISDN. The result of this change to telephony based videoconferencing is that the technology has become more common, easier to use, and less expensive. All of which lead the great gurus of this industry to conclude that videoconferencing will follow the "fax model" and the "email model" and the "www. model" to become a "must have" communication tool before the year 2006.
Certain types of businesses have been quicker in adopting videoconferencing than others. The legal profession and especially court reporters have been quick to adopt videoconferencing for remote depositions. Human resources firms, especially executive recruiting firms, are also dedicated users of videoconference technology to get a sense of the person behind the resume' before making a critical decision. Try a simple videoconference today…leave the flying to the birds.
When Does Videoconferencing Make Sense?
There are three predominate reasons for a business to use videoconferencing technology in 2005. If none of these reasons fits your business model, then videoconferencing might not make sense.
Do these situations apply to you:
1) My business requires extensive travel to maintain relationships with critical customers, or to manage my remote divisions and offices. I have to reduce the expense and increase my productivity.
2) My customer has videoconferencing, and they are asking me to use the technology in order to improve my service quality. I fear losing them to my competition.
3) It is critical that our business conveys an image of forward-thinking fresh ideas and alternatives. We must be perceived as occupying a leading-edge position in our industry.
If you see your business in the above examples, it is time for you to start using videoconferencing.
A simple test, is the best way to start.
Choose one meeting next month that you would normally need to book an airplane flight (or flights), to accomplish and plan to do your meeting via videoconferencing instead.
Give us a call at 1-888-580-3251 and we will provide you a quote via email. Review the videoconference option in your next staff meeting. Let us help you with questions of where, when and how and then let us book your first videoconference for you.
Please ask your associates to arrive at least 15 minutes before the scheduled conference start time for a brief orientation.
We will call and ask you for your reactions, after your conference is complete.
Happy Videoconferencing!
John Harrington
President
StandByVideo.com
Your Room is Ready ®
1-877-949-8728
Intnl +1 402.234.5033
e-mail: admin@standbyvideo.com
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