Call it a case of the Mondays, when you arrive at the office and see the calendar reminder about the regional meeting this afternoon. You know it’ll be an hour or two and it probably won’t start on time because Jim and his team who are driving in from Fairfax are going to get lost, again.
If you’ve ever grumbled and thought “can’t they just put the highlights in a memo and let us read it on our own time?” chances are you’ve been around long enough to see and appreciate the dramatic changes technology has afforded the business meeting.
Long gone are the days where meetings are scheduled weeks in advance, conference rooms reserved, and memos sent out to inform employees of attendance requirements. We want to take a moment to highlight how technology has upgraded the business meeting.
Conference Calls
What a simply brilliant idea conference calls are! Bring everyone together without physically bringing them together! The conference call has been used for decades as a solution to meeting members being in different locations.
The brilliance is that ideas can be shared and everyone can grasp the same information, while still getting a personal touch. Nowadays we have the ability to use a phone-based conference call system so that every attendee can use their own phone from wherever they are instead of an entire office huddling around a single phone.
The Internet
While this one should come as no surprise, the creation of the world wide web has revolutionized the way business is done. It improved inter-department communication dramatically through the use of email, chat, and shared networks.
Communication with customers and clients is improved through the use of websites and customer profile access. No longer does a business meeting have to take place in a conference room or on the telephone, group members are able to chat via the internet in real-time, as often as the need warrants.
Projectors
Screen projectors have helped bring life to meetings by providing a visual aid that can be displayed nearly anywhere. Projectors allow meeting members to look at the same image or video reflected onto a single surface, negating the need to print out multiple copies of meeting agendas and notes.
Video Conference
Advances in audiovisual technology have created video conferencing abilities, which helps bring everyone to a business meeting even when they are thousands of miles away. With video conferencing, as opposed to phone conferencing, group members are able to interact in various ways and look at each other when they speak — or even share projected images!
Phone Apps
In a nearly completely digital world, life is lived on our smartphones. Phone apps have allowed employers and employees to conduct business on their phones, to include having access to shared networking, using business chat apps, and mobile video or phone conference rooms. Meeting members can live life on the go and still attend all the meetings!
Advances in technology have significantly upgraded the traditional business meeting while increasing attendance and decreasing the impact meetings have on businesses.
Businesses can save hundreds of thousands of dollars by reducing the amount of travel required to attend meetings or papers required to conduct business at meetings.
Information is shared at a much quicker rate and can even negate the need for daily or weekly meetings. It will be interesting to see what a business meeting looks like in five years!
If your company needs any office communication equipment such as conference-ready desk phones, audiovisual equipment, or networking services, call us at 786.422.0705.