Many teams are far more productive during video conferences than they are during in-person meetings. Why is that? What is it about in-person meetings that makes things go so smoothly? Let’s take a closer look at some of the reasons why teams are more efficient and productive on video conferences.
1. Comfort
The first factor in the team’s efficiency and production is comfort. When you’re calling into a video conference, you’re doing so either from your home, your favorite coffee shop, or sometimes your office. This makes the environment naturally more comfortable, since callers are in full control of their own workspace.
The more comfortable your team feels, the better they’ll collaborate and communicate. During in-person meetings, there can be a roadblock from being in close-quarters. Those meetings that seem to drag on forever can minimize productivity and lead to meeting burnout. Video conferences are more comfortable and flexible.
2. Shorter Meetings
Hosting shorter video meetings can actually do wonders for everyone’s energy levels and team collaboration. Video meetings are generally shorter by nature because they follow a more strict agenda, but minimizing meeting times is something you can pay special attention to for great results. Keep your meetings under an hour whenever possible, and be sure the information is as concise as possible. Trim up any excess information and try to keep talking points to specific time limits.
That being said, you want to be sure that everyone gets a chance to talk, too. You’ll also want to leave time at the end of every call for questions and comments. These can help you improve future calls by identifying key strengths and weaknesses you might not have noticed yourself.
3. Better Planning
Hopping into a call with no plan is a great way to end up with an unproductive meeting. Video conferences tend to be better-planned, especially because there are so many great agenda templates out there. Using an agenda can streamline meetings by trimming content and providing a good road map for what the meeting will look like.
Teams are more efficient when video meetings are planned out. Everyone is on the same page, understands the meeting goals, and strives to meet those goals within the allotted time frame.
4. Diversity
One of the great things about video conferences is that they’ve opened up the door to new talent from around the globe. Where before, geographical barriers kept businesses limited, video conferences have opened up the Pandora’s Box of remote work. Now, you can connect with and talk to just about anyone from anywhere in the world. US-based businesses can hire candidates from other countries to bring diversity to the workplace.
Diversity helps improve a workplace by exposing everyone to different ideas, cultures, and backgrounds. Diversity can increase problem-solving, productivity, and efficiency in the workplace. Your conference call service can help facilitate diversity in your workplace by connecting you to a worldwide talent pool. You can also use the platform’s webinar recording software to extend your brand’s global reach and bring value to your web pages.
5. Reduced Costs
One of the surprising benefits of remote work is that both companies and their workers experience lower costs when they work from home. Online meetings often take up less time, giving back more of the workday to the employees. Not to mention, working remotely saves commuting costs and saves the company office space and other overhead costs.
Let’s say you’re hosting in-person meetings three times per week, at an average of an hour-and-a-half per meeting. That’s 4.5 hours per week you’re losing to meetings! Since the pandemic, everyone has begun working from home, and that meeting time has been reduced to 30-45 minutes per meeting. You’re saving thousands of dollars by streamlining with video conference tools.
6. Flexibility
Employees appreciate when an employer offers flexibility. In today’s world, having a rigid schedule can be something of a challenge with the way things move. We’re in a fast-paced society, and many of us have other responsibilities to families and our own lives.
Video conferencing offers maximum flexibility because you can call in from anywhere. On vacation? No problem! Dial the call-in number and you’re connected. With maximum flexibility, your employees won’t feel like they’re forced into a corner every time a meeting is scheduled. There’s something to be said about making employees feel human and valued.
7. Accountability
Video meetings are a great way to hold employees accountable when working remotely. Where an audio call only shows you half the picture, including a video feed means you can keep track of everyone, thereby increasing both the productivity and security of the call. Holding employees accountable means no more lost hours to goofing off or missing meetings. Be sure to require everyone to turn on their cameras!
