I Hope Your Knowledge Workers are Outfitted to be Mobile and Flexible, Collaborating and Meeting Anywhere

July 7th, 2011 by Michael Buckham-White Posted in Audio Best Practices, Audio Conferencing, Collaboration, Conferencing, iMeet, Video Conferencing, Virtual Meetings, Web Conferencing
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In a recent Forbes article, Forrester Analyst TJ Keitt challenged businesses and their IT organization to assess if they are ready to support a flexible and mobile workforce outside of the firewall.

“The bottom line is that if businesses are to smartly plan for and provision a mobile workforce, they need to have a firm grasp of what the issues are related to these workers. That being said, is your business really ready to handle the bulk of your employees doing work full or part time from outside your firewall?” – TJ Keitt – Forbes.com – June 7, 2011

Are you ready?  Imagine what would happen if you weren’t.  Imagine if you don’t provide tools that give employees the flexibility they will need to communicate and collaborate with their colleagues.  Imagine if you didn’t understand or seek to know the needs of these workers.   Hmmm….. 

 
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Please Collaborate and Bring Football Back

May 25th, 2011 by Michael Buckham-White Posted in Collaboration, Conferencing, Video Conferencing, Virtual Meetings, Web Conferencing
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Growing up, I loved sitting in front of the TV and watch the New York area professional baseball teams duke it out with their conference foes.  I pulled out my baseball cards and watched my favorite players face off.  I was too young and naive to know that this wasn’t just a game, but a business. 

Over time my major interest with baseball declined and my passion for basketball began, probably because I played it more than anything else and played on my high school team.  That relationship continues to this day, but the flames of passion have calmed some.  This reduction of interest is in large part due to my new love, passion, and true obsession…. FOOTBALL!!!!

I am a rabid fan; most specifically of the Atlanta Falcons.  GO FALCONS!

 
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Collaborating and Connecting People in Japan

April 7th, 2011 by Michael Buckham-White Posted in Audio Conferencing, Collaboration, Conferencing, Virtual Meetings, Web Conferencing
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At the onset of the ongoing natural and subsequent nuclear disaster in Japan, I couldn’t help but feel surprise, fear, and sadness.    News today of a 7.4 magnitude earthquake in Japan reinforces those feelings.  For those experiencing those same emotions, it was probably for the people of Japan in general.  For me it was much more personal. 

My 11 year old niece and her mom are south of Tokyo.  As the news rolled in that weekend, our family immediately felt a sense of great fear and anxiety as we tried to get news of their whereabouts and safety.  We are blessed because we found out very quickly they were okay, but then the news of the tsunami was announced.  Once again we found out they were okay, but then came the news of the nuclear reactor instability.  Kaori and Momoka are okay, but still have to manage the impact of the crisis to their area of Japan.

A recent article highlighted  others without news of their loved ones leveraging Google’s Person Finder tool.   Bringing people together in a time of human crisis is critical.  I couldn’t help but think of the impact of our virtual meeting and conferencing services.  Our industry’s audio, web, and video conferencing capabilities are critical tools leveraged by relief and aid workers all across the world to ensure productive and efficient responses.  Specifically, PGi’s conferencing services are being used in Japan right now.

relief workers
(AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)

I am so thankful that those “on the ground” and around the world have tools to speed the recovery of Japan.  Imagine a world where people in geographically dispersed locations, requiring global collaboration, could not meet or talk to each other to help real people in real distress.  Think about that for a minute……….

I am so proud of my company and our products like iMeet, GlobalMeet, and ReadyConference.   We make a difference for people in their time of need, including Momoka and Kaori.  We help make connections that make a difference.

 
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Get Face-to-Face and be More Productive

March 3rd, 2011 by Michael Buckham-White Posted in Conferencing, Meeting Tips, Video Conferencing, Virtual Meetings
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Workplace meetings are often described as a necessary evil, but a 2006 study by researchers at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte showed that some employees actually look forward to a daily meeting, even if they wouldn’t admit to it publicly.

Even if your employees like attending meetings, it still doesn’t mean that your meetings are actually productive and efficient.  A good meeting inspires collaboration – and good collaboration leads to more and better brainstorming, as well as knowledgeable, efficient and ultimately happy employees.  Oh, and don’t forget that good collaboration renders a better “bottom-line”.

Videoconferencing and virtual meetings are efficient ways to get together – they cut down on travel time and expenses but still offer a personalized and often convenient method for colleagues to collaborate.  Workers who can remotely access an online meeting – even if the meeting is taking place in the same city – might come better prepared and less stressed if they don’t have to fight daily traffic and parking issues.  Online meetings for remote workers can have compounding effects – employees who thrive at work might be more likely to thrive at home too.  And a productive workplace might demonstrate core benefits that the employee carries into their personal life.

The best virtual meetings deliver the personal nature of face-to-face meetings but encourage convenience and efficiency too. As well, businesses want online meetings to be simple; simplicity increases the likelihood that you’ll receive more employee buy-in.

 
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To Go Green, the U.S. Government Will Expand Use of Web Conferencing

October 5th, 2010 by Michael Buckham-White Posted in Audio Conferencing, Collaboration, Conferencing, Virtual Meetings, Web Conferencing
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In a July 26th article about teleworking on FederalTimes.com, it was noted that the U.S. government was pledging to cut green house gas emission caused by their workers by 13% before the end of 2020.  A couple methods they plan to use is encouraging workers to telework more and taking advantage of online meeting technologies.  Tim Kauffman states that “to curb those emissions, agencies will need to expand the use of Web-based video conferences,” along with other tactics.

Not that the federal government always gets it right, I believe this is an opportunity for them to gain efficiencies similar to the way businesses are achieving efficiencies now.  With the right meeting software, they could minimize greenhouse gas emissions and improve productivity of workers.  When I work from home, I save almost an hour in the car and a ½ hour in personal preparation time.  That time is usually used to work longer and get a jump start on my day’s activities.

Imagine how much more effective our government could be with the use of online meetings.   No, seriously.  Think about it.  They can help save the planet and taxpayer dollars with increased productivity and efficiency.  Some of you may say I am dreaming, but I can hope, can’t I?  Either way, online meetings likely figure prominently in the equation for cutting greenhouse emissions.  Maybe some other advantages will come along with it as well.

 
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