Video Conference Made to Order to Boost Business During Covid 19

If there is one tool that brings people together during the physical distancing era of Covid19 it is video conferencing. Some activities like governance, law, business and education simply cannot be put on hold until the pandemic subsides. It is no surprise that the usage of one video conferencing tool zoomed from 10 million to 200 million in March 2020. 183000 educational institutions in 175 countries use a popular video conferencing tool for education with the usage of the said platform increasing from 900 million minutes in March 2019 to 2.7 billion on March 31. Audio-video conferencing is just as important for business where interaction is vital in order to move things along.

Typical business scenario

Physical distancing, even if observed scrupulously, can transmit the virus. For instance, even if office workers wear gloves to handle documents or when shop owners handle currency notes there is a possibility of the virus sneaking through. Seniors must talk with juniors and team members must work together. These are not normal times so it is not possible for employees to remain present in offices due to stringent lockdown conditions. Work takes a hit. This is how Neat Enterprises resolved the situation by opting for professional video conferencing solutions.

• Team meetings became easy even though employees were locked down and at home. They could use smartphones or desktop systems to proceed with work.
• The video conferencing system permitted the exchange of electronic documents necessary for transactions such as invoices and customer’s purchase orders during an ongoing conference.
• It became easy for managers to conduct a “roll call”, hold morning meetings and allocate work to remote employees.
• Report submission became easy for employees.
• Employees could access customers, remain accessible to customers and resolve issues like inquiries for products, availability, prices and complaints.
• Purchase section hold meetings with vendors and have a clear picture of inventory as well as supply position.

Lockdown need not come in the way. Your business keeps ticking along as usual.

Speed

Think of email as a way to get work done and exchange documents. It takes time. Now use video conferencing instead. You send across a document that the person you are chatting with can view in real-time. The document can be presented on screen and both participants and two teams can discuss points. Resolution is speedy and business can get more work done in less time.

Continuity and connect

Lockdown is in place and physical distancing will endure. That is no reason to go off the radar. If you do then you are likely to lose touch with employees, vendors and customers. Suspend operations and you are likely to be overtaken by competitors and forgotten by customers. The simple workaround to the corona blues is to use video conferencing every day, all the time, to connect with employees, vendors and customers. Anand Mahindra of Mahindra Group and Rajiv Bajaj CEO of Bajaj Auto conduct operations from home using video conferencing. As CEOs, it is imperative to keep in touch with their team at all times and with media as well as the government. They are available through video to answer questions, take critical decisions and disseminate news to reassure customers.

Concern

Business is not just generating profits. There is a human side to it. You do need to show concern, especially when things are not normal and there is suffering and disruption all around us. Businesses can use video conferencing to show concern and adopt a proactive stance. For instance, Neo Chemicals adopted video to let employees work from home instead of shutting down operations and asking them to go on leave or terminating services. They knew that letting old employees go would reflect poorly and also affect future business. Video helped them stay in touch with customers and offer to help with advice, medicines and supplies directly as well as through employees. It does help to build goodwill today.

Experience for tomorrow

The pandemic is a good time for everyone in the business to gain practical, hands-on experience with video conferencing. When things return to normal the economy will be tight. Businesses may find that continuing with the remote employee model of work saves costs and helps employees do more for their employers. The virus is not going to vanish and maintaining distance is a good way to avoid chances of infection that is likely during commutes.

Video conferencing is not without issues such as delays and lags as well security issues. However, if you choose the right solution you will have more features and no worries. It is tempting to use free video conferencing but as recent experiences have made it amply clear, you could face bottlenecks. Instead, opt for a subscription model and enjoy the seamless, secure video experience.