Reuters is the latest major news gather & reporting organization to weigh in on videoconferencing. In a widely distributed article published earlier today, Reuters’ Helen Chernikoff reports that as companies reduce or eliminate travel budgets in the face of higher travel costs and a softening economy, they’re “increasingly adopting technology that enables employees to collaborate face-to-face without boarding a plane.”
From Reuters:
As part of an effort to cut travel costs by 10 percent, staffing services company Manpower Inc has ramped up use of its video conference equipment in the last couple of months, said Allan McKisson, a vice president of human resources at Manpower.
“It used to be, when you can video conference, do it. Now it’s do video conference first, or maybe don’t have the meeting,” said McKisson, who must approve his direct reports’ travel requests.
In companywide e-mails, office furniture maker Herman Miller Inc has encouraged employees to use video conferencing in addition to conference calls and car-pooling to cut operating costs, spokeswoman Susan Koole said.
All very encouraging news, as is this:
But for customers who must buy the equipment, such savings don’t come cheap. News Corp has sprung for some of Polycom’s priciest systems, which cost between $299,000 and $700,000. They feature life-sized screens, surround sound and operators — so tech-challenged executives don’t need to even flip a switch. Less expensive alternatives cost between $30,000 and $45,000 and desktop systems start at about $10,000.
Why on Earth would we label the fact that Polycom’s videoconferencing systems cost an ungodly $10,000, $30,000, $299,000, and $700,000 encouraging? Quite simply because LifeSize Communication’s high-definition videoconferencing systems–as offered by Face to Face Live (that’s us)–cost significantly less (in many cases, you can pick up the versatile LifeSize Express system for under $6,000, or rent the same system without spending any money upfront).
The high end systems are nice if you can afford them, but even so, for businesses truly interested in cutting costs, increasing ROI, and making a positive environmental impact through videoconferencing, there’s only one way to go… for the same amount of money News Corp reportedly spent on its one Polycom system, we could have outfitted more 100 different offices throughout the company with jaw-dropping high-definition videoconferencing systems that would have enabled more business success stories than you can a stick at.
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