Open-access content
Thursday 14th May 2009
14 May 2009
More of today's cash-strapped organisations are tuning into video-conferencing to save time and money, according to the latest FM 100 Poll.
Around 60 per cent of respondents noted an increase in its use, sometimes driven not by FMs but by their IT department.
It cuts down on travel expenses, noted one FM, but it also lowers a business carbon footprint. Some FM consultants are now encouraging clients to consider installing a system when they refurbish or build property.
Yet it can be an uphill struggle to get people to use the system "possibly due to lack of knowledge and understanding", a respondent said. "People also fear a loss of human touch."
A V-C system is not cheap but the savings can be considerable if used effectively, especially for things other than a five-minute 'face-to-face' chat.
One engineering business will soon be using it to facilitate a major training programme. Six one-hour sessions are planned linking Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan with PowerPoint slides on data centre infrastructure, maintenance and managing M&E. It will be, said the respondent, "my greatest communication challenge in nearly 39 years as a manager".
More of today's cash-strapped organisations are tuning into video-conferencing to save time and money, according to the latest FM 100 Poll.
Around 60 per cent of respondents noted an increase in its use, sometimes driven not by FMs but by their IT department.
It cuts down on travel expenses, noted one FM, but it also lowers a business carbon footprint. Some FM consultants are now encouraging clients to consider installing a system when they refurbish or build property.
Yet it can be an uphill struggle to get people to use the system "possibly due to lack of knowledge and understanding", a respondent said. "People also fear a loss of human touch."
A V-C system is not cheap but the savings can be considerable if used effectively, especially for things other than a five-minute 'face-to-face' chat.
One engineering business will soon be using it to facilitate a major training programme. Six one-hour sessions are planned linking Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan with PowerPoint slides on data centre infrastructure, maintenance and managing M&E. It will be, said the respondent, "my greatest communication challenge in nearly 39 years as a manager".