The cost of business travel is out of control these days. Hotel rooms aren't cheap. Rental cars and flights aren't cheap either. Also consider the opportunity cost of other work that an employee could be getting done if they weren't sitting in airports waiting unproductively. All of these costs combined add up to a pretty penny. Don't you think it is time you looked for ways to save the company some money?
One of the ways you can do this is by harnessing the modern technological capabilities of a quality teleconferencing service. These services have come a long way over the years. Most of them now integrate the internet along with voice services so that parties can share various forms of information and collaborate much better. In fact, a lot of meetings can be conducted in an even more productive manner than if they were to take place face to face.
By using a teleconferencing service, your company can avoid not only the cost of travel, but also save the lost office time that the people would otherwise lose due to that travel. These days employees care even more about their time than they do about their wages. You can save them the strain that the travel time puts on their business schedule as well as their personal lives. Just ask one of your employees and you will find that the majority of them would prefer to conduct meetings this way instead of traveling.
There are certain situations that a conference call could not replace. For those situations you are still going to have to spend the money on traveling. If you think about it though, there are probably some instances where you could have saved hundreds if not thousands of dollars by subscribing to an ultra-reliable teleconference service rather than visiting a person in the flesh.
Virtual meetings conducted through a conference service have some distinct advantages that you aren't going to get with a face to face meeting. For starters, the entire thing is recorded. You don't have to worry about missing something that was said. You can always replay the meeting in its entirety. You can include people in the meeting that otherwise wouldn't have been able to make it because the meeting is only a phone call away.
Meeting attendants are far more receptive to this type of meeting because it frees up so much of their other time to do other important work oriented or even personal tasks. It helps you cut out the bull and get down to business. When you are conducting one of these meetings, people are far more inclined to stay on topic and not drift off on tangents. Everybody just wants to get their work done and move on. I can think of few ways that are as positive an impact on productivity.
If you aren't familiar with the capabilities available in a modern teleconference service these days, I suggest you investigate them. You are going to find that the meetings are way more efficient and productive than you think they will be. You will actually save a ton of money while you are increasing productivity and accomplishing company goals. Check it out and see for yourself. I am sure the possibilities of what is out there will surprise you.