Your company has purchased Video Conferencing Equipment, it is a great way to save time, money and the planet… But what do you do once you have the hardware? What are the best ways to use your new video conferencing equipment?

1. If you purchased from us you will have access to Free Mobile Video Conferencing with ClearSea. Allowing co-workers and clients to have a high quality video conference from their iPad, iPhone or any Android phone/tablet! (Also works on PC & Mac)
2. Depending on the video conferencing hardware you have, your device may be able to access others using Skype or MicroSoft Lync. The best example of this is the LifeSize UVC Multipoint (Standard Edition or Enterprise Edition)



3. One of the lesser known services available as an alternative to travel is video conferencing room hire. There are multiple video conferencing room hire locations throughout Australia that can connect your conference to most any where in the world. We have partnered with Chorus Call Australia for this service. Their offices have video enabled board rooms that are listed on various local and international aggregator web sites, as well as promoted to all local community and customers.

With Australia suffering the “tyranny of distance” (Anyone who has done the LA or London flights knows exactly what I am talking about) the option of using high definition video conferencing is very attractive.

How much is Your Time Worth?

Lets look at the economics of the decisions:

Renting a site in Los Angeles will cost about $250 per hour, with the same cost here in Australia. Remember to always look for IP transmission capable rooms and the cost of transmission should be included in the cost of the room. If your meeting goes for 2 hours, total incremental cost of the solution is $1000. On the face of it this looks a bit expensive, but people forget to look at the opportunity cost. Sure your economy return airfare to LA might only be $1500 to $2000, but how much is lost by the 26 hour return flight? How much is your time really worth? What could be accomplished as an alternative to the travel? Even at minimum wage it more than pays for the cost of the board room rentals. This doesn’t not even touch upon cabs, accommodation, meals etc…

If you can hook your business travel up with some fun in the sun or catch up with friends, great. If it is one of those meeting that has to be face to face, then so be it. The reality is that only those who don’t travel think it is glamorous. Mostly its airports, cramped seating, bad food, time away from family and cold hotels. We have many customers who have progressed from flights to renting video room, to now buying their own video gear. Clearly, they have put a value on their time.