In the last post we talked about how web conferencing grew to be a crucial element in our business as we looked for ways to communicate better after we opened another location of our company. We were now on separate coasts from each other and those of us who were accustomed to working together on a daily basis had quite a bit of adjustment ahead of us. We began using web conferencing as a way to stay on the same page of projects that we were all involved in; rather than emailing questions and answers back and forth we could jump on a web conference, access the same document and discuss it together as if we were in a traditional meeting. It made things much more simplified and convenient.

We realized that using web conferencing would help us close out the last quarter as well - allowing both accounting departments to discuss important paperwork and make decisions on the spot. We have begun using web conference to that end; the accounting divisions have already had quite a few meetings in which they have access to pertinent documents and have gone back and forth asking and answering questions.

Through web conferencing, people in our company still feel as though they are very much working in their respective teams. They are able to meet on a frequent basis and get immediate answers to their questions without having to decipher emails or wait for phone calls.

The benefits will be huge to us as a company because web conferencing will allow us to operate independent of each other but still work as a team. We will continue to use web conference - and other technology available to us including conference calls and video conference - well into the future so that we can continue to operate at our most efficient.

Popularity: 70% [?]

When I first heard of web conference, I thought it had more to do with emailing than anything else. I didn’t really understand the logistics of web conferencing and how it worked but I would learn more about it very quickly in the wake of our company’s expansion. What had always been a one building operation actually reached its goal of expansion in the last year - even in the face of a horrific economy - and we were now operating out of two locations, one on each coast. This obviously had enormous benefits for us as a business - we were thrilled to be growing and having an other operation would only prove to be beneficial in terms of serving more clients. However, having dual locations also provided its share of challenges especially when it came to communication, simply because there were so many of us - in each location - involved in the same projects.

This was when we began using web conferencing as it allowed us to access documents online through a host’s computer. For instance, I could open up a document that I was working with on my computer and share it with the conference attendees so that we could go through it page by page. For those involved in these projects, web conferencing became an absolutely necessary tool and saved us a lot of aggravation in going back and forth in emails.

We realized early on that web conferencing would have a huge role in our company and could be used for a multitude of things including helping us close out our 4th quarter books. We have accounting departments in both locations and web conferencing would play a crucial role in helping us to get on the same page and keep things organized going into the next year. More in the next post…

Popularity: 55% [?]

When I was preparing for my first big pitch with my new employer I was nervous; I had so much material to learn before I was able to adequately relate it to prospective clients. I needed to be prepared for questions so that I could carry myself in a way that allowed my audience to be confident in my abilities. It was a tall order for someone who was only weeks into a job. What began as a challenge, however, quickly multiplied when our plans changed. The prospective client that was originally coming into town and was going to visit us for our pitch meeting was not able to make the trip and we could not afford to go to them. This had to be done in another way and the best available resource for us was web conferencing.

Because our company offers software solutions, much of what we present to potential clients lives on our computers. Sure, there was the standard dog and pony show in which we presented our abilities as a company and introduced our team, but the bulk of the presentation was in walking our audience through what we had to offer step by step. This was a big benefit when it came to web conference because we could allow attendees to see our computer desktop so that we could walk them through the program from the comfort of their own computer.

I prepared as I would have had I been giving the presentation in person but I made some small adjustments to better serve a web conference. I would not be able to see my audience but I would be fielding questions and demonstrating our product - I wanted to make sure that I was succinct and flexible so that their questions could guide the flow of the meeting. Web conferencing gave me enormous flexibility and the tools for success.

Popularity: 55% [?]