Video conferencing has become something of a norm during the COVID-19 crisis, but even before the virus wrapped its grip around society, video conferencing was slowly replacing the traditional conference call in modern businesses. Why?
Before we dive in, lets understand why the future belongs to video conferencing. According to the latest estimation, global video conferencing market is estimated to be as big as worth $6.37 billion by 2026, clocking 9.8% CAGR. However, now with the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, these estimates most definitely will increase to a big extent. It’s evident, it’s the dawn of video conferencing era and the future belongs to it.
There are many reasons why video conferencing is more efficient and cost-effective, but the bottom line is that it’s more personal to the callers.
There’s something to be said about seeing someone’s facial expressions and body language during a conversation. You’ll be able to better understand what they’re saying and relate to their emotions. An audio-only call only offers half of the total of what human communication entails; a large percentage of our communication is non-verbal to begin with!
Let’s take a closer look at how video conferencing services are changing conference calls for what we think is the better.
Facial Expressions and Body Language: The Importance
How important is body language, anyway? Can’t we relay our message with simple words and the tone of our voice? While these are effective ways to communicate, if you truly want a connection with another person, you’ll need to learn their body language. Often, we give cues via subtle movements and expressions, and some things simply can’t be expressed with words alone.
For better all-around communication, it’s important to factor in body language. The problem with traditional conference calls is that there’s no way to read any body language over a landline connection! Video conference calling services have changed all of that; with crystal-clear video and audio, it’s as if your callers are in the room with you.
The ability to read someone’s body language can improve your personal and professional relationship with that person. They’ll feel more understood and trusting when you can “read” how they’re feeling. This is especially important with remote workers or clients whose faces you don’t get to see on a daily basis.
Landlines Are Obsolete
Aside from improving the way we communicate, video conferencing services and even audio-only web-based conference services are slowly making landlines obsolete. If your business still uses landlines, it might only be a few more years before they’re rendered entirely obsolete!
Online conferencing services are simply cheaper, easier to maintain, don’t require special hardware, and tend to offer many more features than your traditional landline package. For starters, you won’t have to worry about long-distance fees. Being web-based, these services can connect you to anyone anywhere in the world without extra fees.
Not to mention, many video conferencing services allow you to host dozens of people in your calls without multi-caller fees or service interruptions. This means you can host everything from one on one meetings to seminars from the comfort of your desk! Try hosting a seminar from your landline; it probably won’t turn out too well.
The bottom line is that landlines are the way of the past, and online conferencing tools are the way of the future. Eventually, landlines will become entirely obsolete and most businesses will move to the web. Don’t get left behind!
What Makes A Good Video Conferencing Service?
With so many services available online, it can be a challenge to narrow down the right one for your business that combines good customer service and a high-quality product. Some things to look for in a video conferencing service are:
- Service reliability
- HD quality audio and video
- Call control features
- Screen sharing software
- Good customer approval rating
- Few errors, connectivity issues, or software integration problems
- Software integration features (Google Calendar sync, etc.)
Some of the best video conferencing services available today are entirely free to use but will have limited features until you purchase a premium plan.
Always take a close look at customer reviews with something like video conferencing software.
A good customer rating can tell you a lot about the quality and functionality of your new software! Plus, you’ll want to know what people that use the software on a daily basis have to say about it before you commit to making a purchase.
Mobile Apps
Connecting to a video conference call via a mobile app removes the need for a static phone line and doesn’t tie your callers to their offices. You’ll be able to host and join calls from anywhere in the world, right from your mobile app! Most video conferencing apps are free to install, but you’ll still need to choose a service plan.
If you’re looking for the perfect video conferencing app, check out this list of the best video apps for this year.
Conclusion
Web-based conferencing tools offer a certain level of connectivity, reliability, and video conferencing is much more personal than over-the-phone conference calls. It’s likely that landlines will be a thing of the past sooner rather than later, and the best alternatives available right now are mobile/web-based conference services.
