The first noticeable surge in usage was due to concerns over terrorism. The second was due to concerns over diseases such as SARS. The latest appears to be tied directly to the rising costs of gasoline. For the third time in this young century, organizations from various sectors, including education, government, legal and manufacturing, are making the move to video conferencing in droves. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, gasoline is consumed at an alarming rate of 65 billion gallons each year in the United States, and that number is projected to increase by 2.6 percent each year. But with the price for gas soaring, more companies are looking for a more economical way to get from point A to point B for their business meetings. Yet again, video conferencing has become the solution of choice, and as a result, profits are once again soaring at IVCi, a Hauppauge, NY-based conferencing technologies provider.
There are many good reasons why organizations of all sizes are turning to service providers like IVCi for video conferencing solutions. Make that many green reasons. Video conferencing is an environmentally-friendly technology with a wide range of benefits for employers, individual employees and the community at large. The employer saves money every year on the organizations travel costs. By bypassing work-related travel, employees can be less stressed and much more productive throughout the year, and the environment is spared from having tons of pollutants released into the air. As companies become more environmentally conscious, they understand that there is a measurable return on their investment by developing an effective video conferencing program.
The Numbers
Using data compiled by factoring in results from the latest surge, research houses such as In-Stat and Wainhouse have come up with some fascinating projections:
According to In-Stat/MDT
The number of remote workers in the United States will reach 51 million by 2008.
By 2010 more than 70% of work will take place at a different time/different place or same time/different place.
82% of workers collaborate with people in other locations.
According to Wainhouse Research
More than 40 percent of people in the U.S. workforce are taking fewer trips.
More than 70 percent are interested in alternatives to travel.
63 percent rate access to collaboration technology (such as voice, web and video conferencing) as very important, as opposed to 44 percent prior to Sept. 11, 2001.
According to the Motorcycle Industry Council
Sales of motorcycles increased by 8.5 percent in the first three months of this year, compared to the same period last year.
Thats right; more people are buying motorcycles as a way to save on gas! The saying is, America loves its cars, but when gas prices climb out of control, Americans are not shy about looking at other alternatives. After all, love is a two-way street. The soaring prices for gasoline have even made some companies employ some rather unorthodox technologies. A well-known shipping company has recently implemented a technology that prints out routes for its truck deliveries featuring only right turns. This way the trucks are not left idling, and wasting gas, while waiting for left-turn signals. If companies are willing to go to those extremes, its easy to understand why video conferencing is becoming a popular solution.
The thinking is, if you can have a face-to-face meeting with a business partner from the comfort of your office or conference room, why lose hours on the road and spend on gas? Apparently, sitting in a traffic jam is losing its appeal. So is emitting tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. Therefore, video conferencing is an easy and very justifiable way for companies to become more environmentally-friendly.
The fact is that many businesses are becoming more proactive about creating efficiencies in different parts of their organization. Many have found that they can actually improve the way they collaborate internally, as well as with partners and customers, while eliminating costs and productivity losses associated with road and air transportation. Since many organizations have branch, partner and customer offices located throughout the country, they sometimes spend tens, even hundreds, of thousands of dollars each year in business travel costs. The considerable improvements to the clarity and reliability of video conference technology, as well as its lower cost of entry, has placed it atop of the list of solutions that are helping companies survive the Great Gas Gouge.
The Next Surge
This latest surge in video conferencing usage teaches us an important lesson: never underestimate human ingenuity and our ability to rebound from difficult conditions. The fact is that, despite the trials of the last few years, organizations have learned to become more efficient and productive. Theyve emerged smarter than ever before. However, smart companies dont wait for tragedies or difficult economic/environmental factors to call them into action. As it appears, the next surge may ultimately be due to common sense.
For many years, Harold German has been recognized as a knowledgeable source for information on corporate branding methodologies. A director at IVCi, LLC, whose divisions include IVCi Audio Visual and IVCi Home. Mr. German is a renowned author and contributor, with appearances in noted international publications such as The Economist, and on news stations such as CNN. Mr. German covers IP networks and the future of conferencing technologies.
Author: Harold German
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: Console game news
- Protect Our Rights to Unlimited Internet Access
- Facilitate cross-cultural dialogue!
- Create a 'magical' social innovation hub
Related Posts -
Video Conferencing Networks - How Do You Get the Best of Both Worlds? There are two types of networks available for video conferencing, IP and ISDN. Most codecs these days will support both networks so supporting both technologies is not an issue but you don't want to spend lots of money installing both networks. If the majority of your conferencing will be between...... - Pro's and Con's of Business Broadband and T1 Service I was seriously thinking of calling this article The Pros and Pros of Business Broadband and T1 Service. I for one am an advocate of such service. The speed, reliability, extensibility coupled with great service can be an asset to any organization dependent on their communications infrastructure. Whether its voice,......
- Video Conferencing Hardware and You If you are new to the game there is some video conferencing hardware to consider. Gone are the days when you had to fly across the country and drain your company's expense account just to attend a two-hour meeting. Now, all you have to do is turn on your computer......
- Phone Systems For Small Business In today's competitive world, the telephone is one of the easiest ways to reach your customers and clients. Effective communication plays a vital role in the success of every business. An efficient communication system is therefore a must in every firm. Phone systems for small business help to maintain......
- Virtual PBX - 5 Reasons Why Every Business Should Have It A virtual PBX system is hosted online and offers many advantages over a more traditional system. PBX which stands for "Public Branch Exchange" is a common office feature found in most businesses and it is used to handle all your office communications. Online or virtual PBX is simply having......
Related Websites -
Quick Green Reads For The Weekend Volume Ninety Nine. I forgot what real snow was like! After 24 hours of straight snowfall a few days ago and three trips outside to shovel, we were left with over 2 feet of the stuff. Living at this altitude does have some benefits though - even though there was a ton...... -
5 Energy Stocks To Invest In. Introducing the "new, pragmatic approach to energy investing" (as it is called by SmartMoney) - also known as the having it both ways approach. It's a new way to invest in energy stocks, and it mimics what the big oil companies themselves are doing. It's a hedge, really. It's investing...... - Sands Profits Now, Plans for Future LAS VEGAS -- The future of Las Vegas Sands Corp. is coming out of the ground on the corner of the Strip and halfway around the world on a parcel of reclaimed land in southern China. But the owner of The Venetian said Thursday the company is not ignoring today.......
-
Credit Card Companies - How to really stick it to them My disdain for credit card companies and their unethical practices isn't a secret. I've written quite a few articles here on Gather Little by Little about how I dislike them. The unfortunate reality for many of us that previously lived in the land of stupid for too many years...... - Microsoft announces partners for app store Microsoft Corp has signed up multiple software partners for its upcoming cellphone software marketplace, including Web music service Pandora, game publisher Electronic Arts Inc and social site Facebook. The software company said on Tuesday it plans to discuss those partnerships and conduct demonstrations of the software store -- set to......
Related posts:
[...] This post was Twitted by EmployEasilyHR [...]