In Part I of this post, we brought to your attention a cottage industry worth noting: Drop-in Videoconferencing Services, like those offered by FedEx Kinko’s and VIT Worldwide Videoconferencing. In that post we started to explore whether these services are truly cost-effective and efficient for handing your face-to-face meeting and videoconferencing needs.

At FedEx Kinko’s, the price you pay for videoconferencing services depends on the type of videoconferencing service you need. For example (from FedEx Kinko’s website):

• Point-to-Point. Two videoconference locations, either FedEx Kinko’s to FedEx Kinko’s or FedEx Kinko’s to an outside location. Cost is $225.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Point-to-Point with Conversion. Two videoconference locations, FedEx Kinko’s to outside location with conversion required. A conversion is the method used to connect incompatible equipment or networks with a FedEx Kinko’s location. Cost is $295.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Multi-Point. Three or more videoconference locations. $265.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.
• Multi-Point with Conversion. Three or more videoconference locations, with conversion to a non-FedEx Kinko’s site required. A conversion is the method used to connect incompatible equipment or networks with a FedEx Kinko’s location. Cost is $335.00 per hour per FedEx Kinko’s location.

No matter how you slice it, FedEx Kinko’s drop-in videoconferencing services are very expensive. Throw on top of their standard fees the additional costs associated with bridging and recording, and you’re looking at a fairly substantial per hour fee.

At VIT Worldwide Videoconferencing–an innovative organization with 15 locations throughout the state of Vermont–businesses can expect to pay between $150.00 and $370.00 per hour, which is still a hefty price to pay for videoconferencing.

Here at Face to Face Live, Inc.™, we believe every business–regardless of size or industry–can have its own in-house high definition videoconferencing system at an affordable price. For around the same price FedEx Kinkos’ charges for just three hours of their videoconferencing services, we provide an entire month’s worth of in-house videoconferencing; and, our systems come with managed services that provide 24/7/365 customer support, user training, software upgrades, and more.

When you stop to think about, there’s a reason why you don’t run out to FedEx Kinko’s every time you need to make a photocopy. Why then would you choose to do the same for videoconferencing? You wouldn’t! Run the numbers and you quickly see that owning or renting a videoconferencing system of your own just makes more sense.

The bottom line on drop-in videoconferencing services (as we see them) is this: Using them takes more time, money, and effort then renting or owning a managed videoconferencing solution like the ones available from us–Face to Face Live, Inc.™.

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