Video Conferencing vs Face to Face Meetings - Choose for yourself

We all know how crucial the meetings are for every business. It is in these meetings that the companies get to discuss pivotal decisions related to their current business/ sales status, plans as well as the responses of the consumers. Such decisive activities just cannot be avoided. However, it is not always possible to meet face to face. Holding meetings in the workplace is something inevitable to succeed; hence professionals make using video conferencing services instead of gathering together in one place to discuss things.

Video conferences and Web conferencing are starting to replace some physical face-to-face meetings, as long-distance meetings are becoming more popular. It enables participants to join meetings from different locations. This solution has been in the corporate business for decades, but some people are still sceptic about this meeting concept as others find video conferencing more suitable. Here we are comparing both of these meeting concepts to check which amongst the video conferencing vs face to face meetings works better when it comes to communicating successfully.

Overview

This is a kind of common debate going on at the moment between corporate workers who back the "old school way" of doing meetings, which is why they opposed to the use of video meetings. Then there are those who are willing to adapt to both types of meetings. Technology is rapidly growing at a swift rate; people and businesses around the globe are changing to these new technological initiatives. It is fast adapting to our daily lifestyles, and it is exciting to see what lays ahead of us in terms of meetings and with technology in general. Traditionally, companies call for face-to-face meetings held in one office, one location, but because of increased costs and advancements in technology, changes are starting to happen regarding company meetings.

The most identified pros about using the VC services is that the advancing technology makes virtual communication and meetings an inevitable choice of physical interactions. It reduces costs by 50% to 80% because of cost cuts for things like venue rental, hotel rooms, transportation, and packing and shipping displays. On the other hand, nothing can beat in-person communication, and face-to-face confrontations as physical meetings deliver the rich and potent experiences that can't be expected from virtual meetings.

Now that we are clear about the pros and cons lets elaborate on the pointers that will help in identifying the best choice.

1. Sharing Content

Typically meetings are designed to share and review documents, make or review presentations, or vote on important decisions which can be easily completed virtually. With currently available tools, it is easy to share content to all members who participate in the online meets. Online polling systems can also be held when voting requirements arise.

2. Travelling

This is by far one of the major deciding factors between physical meetings and long-distance ones. Not only does travelling and transportation cost a fortune these days, but you must also include accommodation costs such as hotel expenses and other charges which come along with it. Plus it also cost us the time and efforts that are wasted on travelling, especially while dealing with a company that works internationally. Video conferencing services pose to increase the connectivity by eliminating the need to fly out to another location. By switching to the concept of this long-distance meeting, employees are more efficient with their time, and it can impact their productivity.

3. Flexibility

At times, the urgent need of putting together a meeting can arise at short notice, and virtual meetings flexibly handle such advances. To organise a face-to-face meeting will at least need two to three days. But, any last minute meetings can be conducted instantly using online modes and tools which is a lot better than the other option.

4. Lack of Control

During face to face meetings, some etiquette and rules are followed due to the presence of the people. The attendees have no choice but to invest their utmost attention, which gives the participants a sense of control over the matters at their hand. However, such control is hard to be exercised during video conferences meet-ups as the participants might not be fully attentive.

Conclusion

As per our scores, video conferencing gets 8/10 ratio. Although it is actively debated that face to face meeting is a better choice if it would eventually "dispensary". However, we honestly recommend you to opt for video conferencing solutions as it has allowed more opportunities for businesses to communicate more efficiently.

We hope these pointers are what you were wondering then the points discussed above may prove to be helpful for you.