Will Videoconferencing Replace Business Travel
No one likes traveling for business. Airports can be a headache, with all of that business of removing your shoes, having to pay extra to stow bags, and the regular delays and cancellations. We have a tendency to overeat on bad fast food or at hotel buffets, also, when we're traveling for business. Plus there is the lack of sleep. It's no wonder that so many business people are longing for developments in videoconferencing technology. After all, if this technology improves enough – the logic goes – maybe off-site business meetings, and the business travel that goes with this, might be a thing of the past.
The End of Business Travel?
Do we want to strive for the extinction of business travel? Perhaps not, think about the differences between in-person meeting and videoconferencing.
When people across the globe sign on to a videoconference, they typically introduce themselves quickly, if necessary, and then dive into the goal at hand. Brainstorming does not often play a big part in videoconferencing; this is partially due to the worry that the connection may fail. As well, there are many distractions within the individual’s office that can make fluid conversationdifficult.
The Benefits of Face-to-Face Time
Face-to-face interactions are more meaningful and allow conversation to develop easily. Meetings may go longer should this happen, but the benefits of it can be excellent. New ideas come from the creative evolution of conversation. While it’s true that every meeting may not turn into a positive brainstorming session, it can be a great opportunity to develop interpersonal relationships in the office.
Business Travel is Here to Stay
Humans are a social species. Due to this, it’s doubtful that business travel will disappearaltogether. However, in today’s economy, many companies just can’t afford to send their sales people away every time the need to meet a customer. For this reason, improvements in videoconferencing are essential but the benefits of in-person meetings are so great that the savvy business owner will not abandon them for videoconferencing all together.
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