Almost every company has incorporated video conferencing into its communication and marketing strategy. We constantly hear about the positives of video conferencing, but what are the negatives?
Like any tool, video conferencing has both advantages and disadvantages.
Table of contents
- Advantages of video conferencing software
- Save money and time
- Increased productivity and collaboration
- File and screen-sharing
- Happier employees
- Disadvantages of video conferencing software
- Lack of face-to-face contact
- Network issues
- Time zones
- Initial investment
- Creating new policies
- Overcome disadvantages with Digital Samba
Most of us are familiar with the biggest advantages of video conferencing. Reducing commute time, enhanced collaboration, etc.
Many people aren’t familiar with video conferencing disadvantages like the need to create new policies and being at the mercy of your network.
Advantages of Video Conferencing Software
Save money and time
Saving time and money is one of the biggest advantages of video conferencing. It reduces the need to make that boring commute to work and reduces travel between meeting locations.
Video meetings save companies money by reducing the need for business travel. In the past, corporate travel was a big part of many company budgets.
These travel budgets were reduced to near zero during the pandemic. This phenomenon allowed for the reallocation of travel budgets to more pressing areas.
Face-to-face meetings will always have their place, but many companies and individuals now save time and money thanks to video conferencing.
Increased productivity and collaboration
Video conferencing is a great tool for improving productivity. It gives employees unprecedented levels of flexibility.
Employees can now join online meetings from anywhere in the world using a video conferencing platform.
Another understated advantage is how inclusive video conferencing is. Giving disabled people the option to join meetings remotely is a huge positive. Employees value a flexible lifestyle, and remote working encourages them to be more productive.
File and screen-sharing
Lots of us take screen-sharing for granted in 2023. Anyone who has attended an in-person meeting lately will have remembered how annoying it is to turn your laptop so someone can see the content you are referring to!
Seamlessly sharing your screen, content and files with meeting participants is an essential tool for effective collaboration.
Screen-sharing is one of the biggest benefits of a video call.
To replicate it in person, you would need specialist equipment like a projector, conference room, etc.
Happier employees
If you ask anyone who has recently adopted a hybrid working pattern if their life has improved, most will say yes. The results are conclusive. Employees love having the enhanced work-life balance that video conferencing can offer.
We also know that happier employees are more productive team members. This benefit is intertwined with the cost/time-saving benefits. Incorporating video conferencing into your business gives you flexible, productive, and happier employees.
Disadvantages of Video Conferencing Software
Like anything in life, video conferencing has positives and negatives. What are the disadvantages of videoconferencing?
Lack of face-to-face contact
A lack of genuine human-to-human interaction is the biggest downfall of video conferencing. This disadvantage is felt more acutely by people whose entire job role is remote.
Extroverted people may struggle to perform a job without face-to-face contact with their team. Introverted people may be more suited to a completely remote work life.
Video conferencing platforms have made some advances in this area. Most now provide a broad suite of interactive features. These typically include hand raising, interactive whiteboard, screen-sharing, Q&A, and polling.
These features attempt to recreate a real-life team meeting.
Network issues
It’s inevitable that when you are using the internet, you are vulnerable to network issues. It’s happened to every hybrid employee at one point or another. You have a big content presentation due in ten minutes, and your network goes down. There is nothing you can do about it.
Fortunately, video conferencing technology has advanced significantly, and network issues don’t happen as often. Despite these advantages, you will never have control over your ISP going down.
We have yet to hear about a face-to-face meeting being cancelled due to a laggy connection!
Time zones
Video conference has given companies the amazing advantage of employing a varied global workforce.
As good as this is, organising meetings between teams in different time zones can be frustrating.
Remote teams that are split across different time zones are a new organisational problem many companies face. The result is that lots of businesses have given their employees unprecedented levels of flexibility and freedom.
For example, an employee working in the USA might start and end their working day much earlier to coordinate with HQ in Europe.
Initial investment
A complete, off-the-shelf video conferencing solution doesn’t come without a price. Many platforms offer a free trial or demo period, allowing you to become familiar with the product, but you cannot run a company on a free trial.
The best video conferencing platforms all come at a cost. The key difference between platforms is whether they require a one-off payment or an ongoing, monthly fee.
Creating new policies
The rise of video conferencing has created a headache for HR departments, especially for larger companies. Virtual meetings are a whole new space which requires a dedicated set of policies. These include a code of conduct, security rules, and best practices.
Leaving the virtual space within your company ungoverned can lead to many issues. Policies are required to ensure that all meeting attendees know what is expected of them when they represent themselves and your company in the virtual world.
Overcome disadvantages with Digital Samba
We always hear people talking about the advantages of video conferencing, but they never mention the disadvantages. Having a full picture of the advantages and disadvantages of video conferencing is crucial if you want to make the best decision for your business.
If you haven’t already, we highly recommend trying our platform, Digital Samba.
Digital Samba is a complete, off-the-shelf video conferencing solution for businesses looking to take collaboration to the next level.
It has many interactive features to help you and your attendees get the most out of your video meetings.
Using Digital Samba, you can fully utilise the advantages of video conferencing whilst minimising the impact of the disadvantages.
Request a demo or sign-up for a 14-day trial to see the benefits for yourself.
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