With the advent of technology, it’s only become easier for us to interact or communicate with people living on the other side of the world. The word is literally shrinking and distances are no longer a major challenge. So, it’s not surprising that over the last few years virtual meetings have risen in popularity. Businesses use it to communicate with employees all over the world. These paradigm shifts towards online meetings has definitely helped organizations lower costs and eliminate the need for extensive travel.

The online meeting industry has grown exponentially in a short period of time. There are many methods of online meeting available from audio conferencing, VOIP to web conferencing. Businesses have very many options to choose from, based on their unique needs. More businesses are choosing software solutions that come with added features like remote support and whiteboards.

The idea of an online meeting would have been scoffed at a few years ago, but today companies use web conferencing to train employees, conduct meetings, webinars and even interviews. The benefits of web conferencing vs. a face to face meeting are plenty –

• Saves time – people don’t have to travel to meetings anymore.
• Reduces costs – The company saves a lot of money by lowering travel and other costs.
• Faster dissemination of information – There is faster distribution of information, sometime even real-time depending on the time zones.
• Good for the environment – By reducing the need to travel, companies not only save money but also the environment.
• Ability to record meetings – Virtual meetings makes it possible to record meetings or webinars easily with a click of a button. This is helpful for people who missed or want to review the content of the meetings.

The market is flooded with good web conferencing vendors, some of the popular ones include – Adobe AcrobatConnect, Citrix GoToMeeting, Elluminate Live, Microsoft Office Love Meeting, Zoho Meeting and more. While the charm of face to face meetings can never be replaced, the effectiveness of web conferencing more than compensates for the lone fact.