You’d be hard-put to go past all the attention (not to mention memes) video conferencing has attracted this year as companies used it to collaborate and stay connected, and families used it to keep in touch.
But video is not always the best, or the only option when it comes to your virtual event and collaboration strategy.
There are many situations in which an audio feed via teleconference can add a lot of value, not to mention peace of mind:
1. Connecting with a mobile workforce
If your sales team is on the road, or your workforce is mobile, it may be more convenient to allow your team to dial in via teleconference rather than connecting via web or video conference. It’s a more stable feed that they’ll be able to access on the go, with fewer dropouts, ensuring you make the best use of your time and they are able to get the most out of their day while staying in touch with HQ.
2. Investor events
Investor results briefings and roadshows are often conducted via web conference with a slide presentation through which the presenter scrolls, with investor teleconferences also common. And they’re the events no one wants to go awry.
If you’re conducting your investor relations event via video conference or web conference online, it’s worth choosing a provider that offers hybrid teleconferencing in case connectivity difficulties arise — or your audience just prefers a more traditional approach (it does happen)!
A hybrid conference is essentially a back-up option that gives your attendees the best of both worlds – they can either listen via their computer, or dial into a teleconference.
3. When accessibility matters
Your members or constituents may not always have access to a virtual meeting via laptop — but they are likely to have a phone.
Adding a teleconference to your event means they’ll be able to dial in from wherever they are with ease.
4. When participation matters
When it comes to virtual Annual General Meetings (AGMs), it’s important that all members are able to participate in proceedings by voting, commenting and asking questions.
Incorporating a managed teleconference into your virtual AGM, with facilitated Q&A and voting by phone, will mean you won’t fall foul of the regulators.
You can still conduct your virtual AGM via webinar with a video feed and visual presentation online, as well as live poll votes and Q&A submitted via online chat.
But if your provider offers teleconferencing as an option, you’ll have the added reassurance of knowing your AGM is as equitable as possible — a key requirement of the corporate watchdog’s new guidelines allowing virtual AGMs for the first time.
5. Remote presenters and rural audiences
We may have an NBN but unfortunately, that doesn’t mean regional and rural access to broadband is as reliable as we’d like.
If your remote presenters have an unstable broadband connection or they’re connecting from a rural area, it’s definitely worth giving them the option of connecting via teleconference.
Showing a slide of the speaker with clear audio is better — and preferred by virtual event attendees — than showing a glitchy video with poor sound.
6. As a back-up plan
It’s technology: sometimes there are unforeseen technical difficulties, so there should be a back-up plan for every event.
What if your network goes down? Your video feed freezes? Or everyone in your street suddenly starts live-streaming video? A teleconference is a great plan B for those occasions when you can’t postpone the event and you don’t want to disappoint your audience.
With 12 years’ experience in the teleconferencing industry, combined with the in-depth expertise that comes with running more than 200 managed digital events a month for our customers, Loghic is uniquely placed to meet all your virtual event and conferencing needs.
Contact one of our sales consultants to see if we can help you communicate and collaborate better across distance.