Web conferencing is not new, but video is fast finding its way into web conference venues. The reason is clear. Face-to-face communication, even in a virtual setting, engages the human psyche in a more personal and interactive way. What words can’t say body language will.

In the corporate world, businesses must look for ways to more effectively communicate with all stakeholders in their organization–business owners, employees, customers, suppliers, and the rest of the supply chain. With video technology, businesses can create a new corporate face in the midst of increasing competition to help elevate corporate reputation and brand.

Video as a transformative technology

According to a decade-long Wainhouse Research study, the main drivers for increased video preference are:

• A mobile workforce
• Millennials

As mobile workers and the Millennial generation populate the human resource pool, the need for video in corporate conferencing is gaining ground. Mobile workers don’t stay put in permanent workplaces. Growing up when technology was beginning to boom, Millennials generally think that they can perform their tasks better with the click of a button. Yet, the need to see faces and meet people offers an empowering experience that can make them better team players.

In the same research, Wainhouse Research learned that 70 percent of employees had access to collaboration-enabled devices. Enterprises saw this development as an opportunity to expand their web conferencing services to their employees. Big screens are the preferred devices, but tablets and smartphones are equally useful.

Benefits of enterprise video conferencing

There is nothing like a personal meeting experience, but video conferencing is the next best thing. In a progressively wired work environment, video allows for the opportunity for better interpersonal communication and minimizes the risk of miscommunication.

On the business side – Video conferencing helps increase productivity, operational efficiency, and sales. For example, real-time document sharing and editing, like Microsoft PowerPoint or Visio, are dynamic features of video communications that were previously not possible. Decisions can be made faster and products can be brought to market quicker, significantly streamlining the sales cycle at reduced costs.

On the employee side – Video conferencing can offer a better work-life balance and mean less strain on employees and their families. Employees can be burnt out by physical travel stresses like flight delays, traffic, or bungled accommodation arrangements. Video conferencing also keeps employees connected while on the road or working remotely.

On the customer side – Video conferencing is an effective tool to improve and maintain customer relationships. in addition to verbal communications, live video conferences allow business owners and managers to determine what customers want by analyzing facial expressions and body language.

What to expect from a video conference service

The features that create a great web conference experience are varied depending on a business’s needs. Real-time screen sharing, targeted application sharing, meeting scheduler tool, provision for animated discussions among participants, and seamless security to protect confidential information are a few examples.

Dominating the web conferencing market are Cisco’s WebEx, Microsoft’s Lync, Onstream Meetings, InterCall, GlobalMeet, Adobe Connect Pro, ClickMeeting, and many more. Businesses have many choices, but the final choice they make should be anchored on what they need to truly communicate in meetings.