* Multimedia conferencing – the biggest shake-up in management since the introduction of email
* Remote collaboration can ease the pressure on executives, but new management issues must also be addressed
This is old news for those executives who hate them, but meetings are on the increase. A recent independent survey commissioned by Genesys Conferencing1 among European executives confirmed that over half spend up to three hours a day in meetings. A more disturbing finding is that for 48% of the respondents these meetings are neither necessary nor productive!
The good news for staff busy going from one meeting to another is that remote meetings – using audio, Web and video technologies – are also on the rise. Over 75% of the respondents to Wainhouse Research’s quarterly tracker2 anticipate increasing the number of Web conferencing minutes over the next 12 months. The anecdotal evidence regarding the move to remote meetings is equally compelling, with global brands such as Bonduelle, Pechiney and Office Depot replacing key sales and training meetings with Web conferencing.
While the rise in use of multimedia conferencing is unequivocal, the reasons behind its adoption are becoming more sophisticated. The simple maxim of cost savings – and principally the replacement of face-to-face meetings with audio, Web or video conferences – has been replaced by a requirement for greater efficiency and more responsive decision-making.
Download the full report on Distance Management, by Francois Legros