Why Videoconferencing Is Better Than a Phone Call

Why Videoconferencing Is Better Than a Phone Call

Why Videoconferencing is Better Than a Phone Call

Did you know that body language and facial expressions count for up to 55% of communication? Why is it, then, that so many companies still haven’t integrated a videoconferencing system, despite the technological advancements in the videoconferencing industry? Here are a few areas where videoconferencing is superior to audio-only calls:

Build Better Relationships

Phone calls are great for talking to someone in real-time when you need answers or decisions quickly, but in-person meetings are still necessary in order to build rapport and have a real, face-to-face conversation with colleagues, customers, remote workers, etc.

Videoconferencing can bridge the gap between the two. Yes you’ll still have to go out and meet in person, but videoconferencing can help you maintain and keep building your relationships between these in-person meetings, negating the need to travel as often.

Better Communication

As mentioned at the start of this article, body language and facial expressions make up over half of communication when speaking to someone. This figure actually comes from a 1971 study by Albert Mehrabian, in which throughout his testing, he found that words account for around 7% of communication, tone of voice accounts for 38%, and body language accounts for 55%.

So, by using videoconferencing, where you can speak face-to-face, you’re far more likely to get your message across and have a more natural conversation than if it were an audio-only call.

Document Sharing

One feature a lot of videoconferencing systems offer, is the ability to share documents on-screen so all participants of the call can be looking at the same thing at the same time, adding comments and notes, whilst also seeing each other in real-time. With audio conferencing, you can only achieve this through screen sharing, which usually requires a long set up process and can be tricky to collaborate on, especially with multiple participants.

Increased Productivity

All the benefits we’ve talked about in the points above can boost productivity of your employees. As videoconferencing can reduce the amount of face-to-face meetings needed, there will be a lot less travelling to and from meetings, saving valuable time that can be invested elsewhere.

The added communication in a video call through body language can keep call duration shorter, and it can also help avoid confusion and mistakes to happen due to misunderstood messages.

There’s also the boost in collaboration that you get with videoconferencing. The document sharing/editing features really get remote teams working together, enhancing collaboration on projects and improving staff productivity much more than an audio conferencing call could.

Our Videoconferencing Solutions

We have been supplying and installing videoconferencing solutions to all kinds of businesses for over 9 years. Visit our videoconferencing page for more information about the services we provide, and get in touch to request a free demonstration of any of our technology, or a free Lifesize Cloud trial on 0800 368 7358.

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