‘Anyone can dial in from any location’
Denise DeVeau
Sun
Software-based Web-conferencing tools won’t leave you stranded when volcanic ash grounds your flight Photograph by: Cisco Canada Handout, Cisco Canada Handout
Roger Pierce, co-founder of BizLaunch, cut his training costs by 75%. That’s impressive, given that a good part of his day-to-day work is coaching small business owners.
He credits Web conferencing with completely turning his company’s business model upside down. “We used to give seminars across North America. Now we give webinars. It’s a lot more convenient and can be delivered any time,” says Mr. Pierce, who also uses the techology for internal collaboration and new-client prospecting.
“We have less than 10 employees and 30 trainers across the country. Before we adopted Web conferencing everything we did was by telephone or face-to-face. Now we can reach more people, anywhere, anytime,” he says.
The latest Web-conferencing technologies are vastly superior to the tools of the past, Mr. Pierce says. “WebEx, for example, really makes it easy to jump on, set up events and send invites and confirmations. Anyone can dial in from any location and join a seminar or conference.”
He estimates that his current subscription costs approximately $1,400 a month for five users — a big reduction from the travel budgets that were once the norm for BizLaunch.
Web conferencing is critical for maintaining communications with key people throughout Europe, the United States and Canada, says Michael Ball, chief executive of Victoria-based GenoLogics, a software developer for pharmaceutical firms. “We use WebEx for internal sales meetings and product updates, as well as with customers for software presentations and training,” he says. “We don’t have to fly around the world.”
Mr. Ball estimates the company uses WebEx solution 15 to 20 times a day. “That can be anything from a conference call, to sharing components on screen and video views. You just sign on with your password and you’re good to go.”
Another advantage of Web conferencing is you can save the session for posterity and email a link to interested parties for later viewing, he says. “The recording feature is great, especially for people who want to go back and replay software or training information.”
It’s really about the collaboration experience, says Todd Madgett, director for small and medium-sized enterprise at Cisco Canada in Toronto. “Web conferencing is a great productivity and cost-saving tool for a business of any size. And because it’s software based, if something like a volcanic eruption leaves you stranded in Europe, you can still connect with customers, suppliers and business owners in a virtualized environment.”
WebEx can be used across multiple platforms, including handheld devices. Subscriptions are based on the number of users. To download the software, you simply register on the WebEx site.
Demand for Web conferencing is growing strong in the wake of the recession, Mr. Madgett says. “The first thing a lot of businesses cut was travel costs by turning to collaboration tools.”
“Entrepreneurs need ways to reduce costs and collaborate,” Mr. Pierce says. “Web conferencing makes it easy to do that.”
© Copyright (c) The Vancouver Sun
