I’m proud to report back that Thailand makes for a wonderful “workation” destination. With its strong infrastructure and VoIP-quality internet, Thailand has been the perfect place to combine work and play.

For those now inspired to relocate their office to a tropical paradise, you may be one step closer. Last month I was fortunate enough to (virtually) work alongside mobile workforce guru, WorkSnug on a Digital Nomad 101: Your Guide to Working Outside the Office series, designed to give teleworker-hopefuls the information they need to set-up a mobile office.

In the three-part series we cover everything from figuring out if you’re a candidate for remote working with a “What’s My Work Style” quiz, pitching your boss on the big idea, packing your Digital Nomad tool belt and making your time away from the office a success.

If you’ve considering working outside the office in 2012 or if your direct reports are requesting a flexible work environment, I encourage you to check out the series. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll be enlightened, you might even be inspired to join me in Thailand.

Digital Nomad 101: Your Guide to Working Outside the Office

• Part I: Are You a Candidate for Remote Working?
• Part II: Three Steps to Taking Your Show on The Road
• Part III: Make Your Teleworking Experience a Success

For more information on what it takes to work outside the office take a look at  PGi’s Top 10 Teleworking Articles for the Mobile Workforce and Go Mobile or Go Home for the latest research in mobile working and the rise of the mobile workforce, Is Your Team Teleworker Friendly? for insight on how your team can best accomodate remote colleagues, and finally For the Love of Travel: Top Tech Products for Today’s Road Warrior, a fun read for those who love to shop as much as they love to travel.

Have you ever worked outside the office? What advice would you give to those considering a mobile office?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Over 70% of industry average organizations don’t maximized their use of video conferencing technology, according to Aberdeen. Want to make sure you’re not one of that group?

1. Use Background Branding

Give your business constant visibility through the conversation by keeping a company logo in plain sight. Company certificates or awards also help build confidence.

2. Include Conversation Starters

Include conversation starters in your surrounding area to build rapport.  For example, I often have a golf picture placed behind me during calls. Who knows, it might even lead to an in-person meeting.

3. Eliminate all Distractions

Online meetings require 100% focus. Find an area that is completely quiet and free of outside interruptions. Show prospects they have your complete attention, and you’ll engage their complete attention.

4. Webcam Position Plays a Key Role

Make sure you place your webcam at eye level above your screen. Eye-contact is crucial for virtual and face-to-face meetings. Are you breeding confidence or losing key focus? Simply changing the position of your webcam to eye-level can make all the difference.

5. Clean Inspires Confidence

A clean workspace represents an organized approach to business. Prepare for virtual meetings by removing all clutter from your workspace. Clients will focus more on the conversation at hand if they aren’t distracted.

6. Shut Down Non-Essential Applications

Close down all non-essential applications on your computer before beginning your virtual meeting. You can communicate better when you’re not also reading emails. No one is a good multi-tasker. There will be plenty of time for emails once you’ve made your commission.

7. Dress for Success

Clothing is something everyone notices immediately when face-to-face. It’s no different on a video conference call. A good idea is to wear solid colors that keep the attention on your content, not your clothes.

You may have the best product on the market, but aesthetics still count, even in a virtual environment.  Use the preceding tips and you’ll foster the ideal atmosphere for online meeting success.

What are you doing to prepare for your next big conference call?

To learn more, join me tomorrow at 2-3pm EST for PGi’s webinar with Selling Power—The Digital Sales Call: How to Get Results.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Back in 1962, the general public first learned of Glenn’s successful mission either through a transistor radio, a telephone tethered to the wall, a newspaper or if you were fortunate enough – a television set with four channels. Forget an alert from the Huffington Post popping up on your mobile phone or a tweet posted by your favorite reporter as you casually stroll through the grocery store. Smart phones were still decades away from invention and the Internet was completely unknown.

Today, an occasion as momentous enough to make the history books would be viral worldwide in a matter of seconds. With mobile phones now being more numerous than the world’s population, it’s almost unheard of these days to not be connected. Digital Nomads are becoming increasingly popular and it’s not so far-fetched to think that one day we might be plugging away on our laptops while we board a spaceship of our very own. Just saying – you never know.

With e-mails, video conferencing, instant messaging, and social media, people separated by thousands of miles seem as if they are sitting in the very same room. If John Glenn had PGi’s iMeet on his flight, he would have been able to easily connect face-to-face with NASA’s command center, share videos and pictures with family and take notes through his Evernote account on things he would improve or do differently the next time around. It’s amazing to see how far the world has come in such a short time.

As anthropologist Kim Hill says, “Humans are not special because of their big brains. That’s not the reason we can build rocket ships – no individual can. We have rockets because 10,000 individuals cooperate in producing the information.” Collaboration drives creativity, further fueling brilliant technology and human evolution. Currently, PGi is connecting a million people a day in better business meetings. Think of all the amazing ideas that are on the verge of becoming revolutionary.

The best innovations are sometimes the simplest in their genius. Here are a few of my favorites from this past decade alone: airline e-tickets, the iPad, the smartphone, online banking, streaming video, GPS, video conferencing and Wi-Fi. What is the common theme behind each of these inventions? Mobility.

Our world is becoming increasingly connected thanks to the pioneers that thought outside the box and questioned previously conceived notions. As I grab my iPhone and head for the door, I would like to give a special thanks to all of the John Glenn’s of the world that truly inspired our great nation.

Happy 50^th Anniversary John.

What are your favorite inventions that have brought mobility into your life? Share your stories with us in the comments below.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Also this month:

• Must-have mobile apps for every business.
• Use social media to get your office groove back.
• Conquer office politics in three easy steps, even if you work from home.
• Entrepreneur Warby Parker shares why businesses are shifting to social good in this video.

To get the free PGi Newsletter in your inbox every month for more workplace advice, telecommuting tips and technology do’s and don’ts, visit us on the PGi Learning Space today.

Happy love month, everyone!

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

We are excited to give our support, and we encourage you to do the same. Please watch this video from Sean O’Brien, EVP of Strategy and Communications, and share in the excitement as we send these kids off to Disney World in style.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

iMeet and GlobalMeet were designed with the user in mind and above all, to provide a service that brings simple, personal and mobile video meetings to anyone, anywhere. As Frost & Sullivan Principal Analyst, Ronald Gruia, states, “PGi is perfectly positioned to be the provider of choice in an already growing segment of the videoconferencing hosted services market: desktop videoconferencing.” Coming from a highly regarded firm who uses our products every day, we couldn’t be more thrilled.

Please take a minute to celebrate with us and view this video from Frost & Sullivan’s Vice President, Rufus Connell:

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Here are some tips from the PGi Learning Space article “Love Your Office, Wherever it is” on creating an office that’s heart, soul and anywhere you happen to be.

Cubicle Nation

• Make your cubicle personal. The three walls of your office cubby are your home away from home 2,000-plus hours every year. But it doesn’t have to be all dust and brown walls. Decorate your cubicle to improve your morale and spark fun conversations with customers. Here are some tips to decorate your cube.
• Turn on your webcam. Today’s employee communities are spread all over the world and traditional office workers miss out on personal, face-to-face interactions with customers, colleagues and vendors. But by just turning on your webcam in a video conference solution like iMeet, cubicle workers can make better personal connections, improve productivity and become virtually mobile — all from the cube.
• Take a break — digitally. Cubicle work is tricky. It’s incredibly simple to lapse into a cubicle comma, waking up from computer-staring to realize you missed lunch. Office success and happiness comes from taking a break – and cyberloafing is the new productivity boost. Ask your boss and IT department to let you jump on Facebook or hit up that online shoe sale — after all, social media is the new (healthier) smoke break.

Occupy Home Office

• Get into a groove. In stark contrast to the Cubicle Nation, home office workers — aka teleworkers — can fall into a comfortable trap by sleeping in, hanging out in their PJs and alienating themselves from the outside world. For work-at-home success, don’t! Set your alarm, shower, don business casual gear and connect with your teammates every day.
• Set the professional stage. As web conference calls and video conferencing become more popular, the old ratty hair and sweats days are over — and it’s for the best. If you don’t have a specific room appointed as an office, find a quiet, well-lit, uncluttered spot in your home to be your “office,” complete with desk, computer and other accoutrement. And use technology to your advantage, from mobile apps, online meetings tools and VPN applications.
• Call a timeout. Every teleworker should demand a Bill of Rights to avoid getting stuck in the 24-hour office news cycle. Your office phone is your home phone. Your email is just right there. Stop! Call a timeout — you deserve it as much as your cubicle brethren. Take a walk, chat up your coworkers and make every weekend a vacation — no work allowed.

Road Warriors

• Simple, social, mobile. Digital nomad success is all about having all the right tools to do your job from anywhere — and it all has to fit in your travel bag. Check out the digital nomad tips and must-have tools for the telecommuting trenches. As PGi digital nomad Cora Rodenbusch says, “What was once a nice-to-have is now a must-have-to-keep-my job necessity.” Check out her fave simple, social and mobile tool for connecting with anybody, anywhere, on any device: GlobalMeet.
• Learn the codes of conduct. Road warriors snag an hour of quality WiFi time wherever and whenever they can get it. Know the coworking etiquette and coffee shop rules make it easy to enjoy some quality Internet time and even a cappuccino.
• Take the “work” out of your vacation. It’s easy to slip into the working groove during evening and weekend sightseeing in your current time zone.  While workations are a great way to balance work and fun when you’re on the road, make sure you take some time to relax with these great tips.

If home is where the heart is, we hope your “home away from home” is where your heart is, as well. Did we help you love your office a little bit more? Any ideas we missed?

Not sure what you type of office fits you best? Take this quick quiz to find the work arrangement that works best for your personality.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

How can you love someone you have never meet or seen?

If you really want your customers to say and mean they love you, you need to let them see you. That means getting face-to-face.

Ditch the cold call. Turn on your webcam to build powerful connections with customers.

At PGi, my iMeet team improved our lead conversion rates by 40%. All we did was turn on a webcam.

Really, for today’s sales teams, video conferencing tools are fast becoming the go-to sales best practice. Often, 3 to 15 touches are needed to generate one sales-ready lead. Yet they have to sell more, faster—with fewer resources. That’s why inside sales roles are growing 15x faster than outside field reps.

But an inside sales model doesn’t mean your reps need to lose their outside touch. They can have face-to-face interactions every time they talk to a prospect or customer. These video conferencing solutions bridge the distance between a rep and a buyer. They put the human back in the selling equation.

So stop hiding behind your computer this Valentine’s Day. Turn on your webcam, and give your customers some love. They’ll love you back.

Wouldn’t it be nice to put a face to a name?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

On the move, headed to my office for the day

Mobile phones are cheaper than ever, 3G is easy to come by and you can now do just about everything with them thanks to information in the cloud and an abundance of mobile apps.  Your grandma, your neighbor, even your grandma’s neighbor has a mobile phone and they’re not the most recent converts – Having just traveled through some of the most rural and developing parts of India and Thailand, I can confirm the widespread use of mobile phones from texting and talking to streaming music. Forget most modern must-haves, it looks like the world wants life untethered and while we’re at it, a cool ring tone to go with it.

But going mobile doesn’t stop at owning a phone. Nearly every aspect of the office went mobile in 2011 and it looks like the trend will continue in 2012 and beyond.

In iPass’  2011 Mobile Workforce Report, 24% of mobile workers surveyed said they plan to use their laptop less in 2012, while more than half said they plan on using their tablet and smartphone more. iPass also predicts that by 2014 more people will connect to the internet via the mobile web than on PC.

As a striving Digital Nomad, this is an exciting shift. Forget the fancy teleworker title, whether it’s joining a conference call on the fly or editing a last minute presentation, it looks like everyone will take some aspect of their business out of the office in 2012. The fact that I won’t be the only person sniffing out 3G or asking my hotel to restart the router, will certainly make my mobile office easier to come by. But aside from my personal situation, the rise in mobility means that business – from corner-shop retail to Fortune 500 – must shift to accommodate the mobile world.

Employees Go Mobile: Mobile Workforce Report covers nearly all aspects of the shift in the workplace, including the importance of enterprise apps, the role of tablets, the rise of technology proficiency and the well-being of the mobile worker.

They also leave us with 5 predictions for 2012, all of which I agree with wholeheartedly. Number three stands out in particular, “The mantra in 2012 will be, ‘it’s not where you work, it’s what you do.’ Offices will stand empty as more employees workshift or telecommute. Employees will take advantage of more flexible work policies which will become standard at most businesses.”

A slight variation and a prediction of my own, is that employers will negotiate on terms that are more appealing to mobile workers and are more favorable to the employer, focusing on flexibility in hours and location.

Companies Go Mobile: Coldwell Banker goes on to talk about  the percentage of customers who search locally and who then act on their findings, stating that out of 95% of all smartphone users who search for local information, 9 out of 10 of them have taken direct action as a result of their searches. Findings like have made a compelling argument for mobile-friendly sites and apps.

Aside from marketing, companies are changing the way they serve their customers. Just recently I read that Kuala Lumpur now requires all restaurants within the city limits to offer WiFi services. The city government’s reasoning? To better accommodate me on my stop in KL, of course! I’m only half kidding – Kuala Lumpur understands that in order to stay competitive and desirable among business travelers and tourists, connectivity is key.

It’s not a matter of whether your company will choose to address the shift in the workforce, but how and when.

How can Enterprise companies better accommodate their mobile customers and the mobile workforce?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

• Effortless screen share
• Seamless audio integration
• Amazing mobile app 
• No guest downloads
• Webcam video and more!

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Meetings are meant to be collaborative discussions that often result in takeaways for most parties involved. Instead of having 15 different sets of individual notes, why can’t note-taking be collaborative? With iMeet, it is. Recently integrated, iMeet now comes standard with Evernote. Now, notes can be taken simultaneously by everyone directly in the meeting. No more shouting over the cube wall asking Gary if he remembers what that due date was. With iMeet, everyone’s ideas, questions, assignments, and decisions are captured all at once.

Plus, instead of shuffling through your briefcase searching for that one piece of crucial project information at a client site, iMeet’s meeting minutes go wherever you go. They can be accessed anywhere, by any device. Notes can be emailed to you from inside the meeting or better yet, saved directly to your free Evernote account. In fact, Evernote just won Best Mobile App this year at the Crunchies. Now you can return to notes from ten days ago, enter in a few search terms, and quickly find exactly what you need. You can even drag a note that you use often into your favorites bar for a shortcut directly to the note.

The advantages of collaborative note-taking during online meetings are immense – far beyond the ease of use, added detail and mobility. It physically engages you in the subject material as well. Not only are you contributing to the meeting, but your mind is focusing on the topic at hand and is therefore more apt to remember the purpose and decisions made beyond the meeting. Essentially, it helps you become a better team member and more efficient in your everyday assignments. According to Professor Walter Paulk at Cornell, only 10% of audio lasts in memory whereas people who take and review their notes can recall 80% of the information discussed. This will come in handy when your boss casually asks you for the meeting recap later in the day at the water cooler.

Whether a member of a large corporate enterprise or a small start-up company, everyone benefits from taking collective notes. Meetings can be fun, especially when you have the right tools to make them productive. Sign up today with iMeet for a free 30-day trial.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Unfortunately, when you finally connect with prospects on phone or email, it’s hard to gauge their true reactions and respond appropriately. A face-to-face meeting is almost always more successful, but they’re expensive and time-consuming. In many cases, setting up an online meeting is the perfect way to get your foot in the door.

Here are tips from my experience on what it takes to use video and make your case, overcome objections, and get prospects to say “yes”—quickly and decisively.

Sales objections during the online meeting

Sales objections generally come from one of three concerns:

1. A lack of understanding the client’s needs
2. A weak delivery of your pitch
3. Client’s failure to understand your value proposition or product

You need to think about a client’s objections in one of those three contexts, and modify your approach accordingly.

Pre-meeting prep

A virtual sales meeting is the perfect format in which to overcome objections. There are some things you can do prior to the meeting to set the stage.

• Fix your hair. Just as you would during a face-to-face meeting, you need to look your best. Check your video feed, and do your last-minute visual inspection. Your client is likely going to have a much clearer view of your head than he might in person, so be a bit meticulous here.
• Get your office in gear. Check out your background, too. A cluttered desk in the background will distract the client and create a bit of psychological chaos. Avoid striking artwork that can distract, as well. How your office is laid out speaks to your client in subtle ways.
• Do your research. You can also spend a few moments prior to the meeting learning more about the client. Find out what they’re saying on Twitter, and brush up one more time on personal information from your files. Great sales people research their prospect’s company and have a good understanding of the key initiatives that prospect might have on the horizon. This knowledge becomes powerful in your dialogue, but all the research in the world will do you very little good if you show up and throw up. Communicate that you did your research, but then ask to spend more time understanding their role and the projects or initiatives they’re working on.

Taking your client’s pulse

• Read visual cues. Listen to your client’s words and body language. Up to 93% of communication is non-verbal, so solutions like iMeet let you read visual cues that a telephone conversation wouldn’t. Use the video feed to mirror and match, something you can’t do over the telephone. This can build a lot of trust.
• Check out their recent social activity. Certain video tools let you scan social media profiles while you’re in a video web conference. Where’d they go to dinner last night? How was their weekend? Start your conversation with what you find.
• Know when it’s time to throw in the towel. Make sure your prospect has the budget and a clear decision timeframe. Sometimes, getting to “Yes” means knowing when a prospect isn’t going to buy and moving on to the next.

Connecting means collaboration

• A smile has power. Use the video feed to connect in a deeper fashion with the client. Using humor on a telephone sales call can be fraught with difficulty, for example; However, letting the client see you laugh has power.
• Ask good questions. Good questions are the key to uncovering the real opportunity. Let the client tell you what’s holding her back. Provide her the information she needs to answer her own objections. Video conferencing allows you to do that with visual tools, such as a multimedia presentation or spreadsheets.

Getting to “Yes!” faster

With face-to-face video conferencing technology, you can tailor your sales meetings to your client, and have greater agility than you would on a phone call.

Above all, keep in mind that the presentation is about the client not you. You should also have a good understanding how your solution has helped similar decision makers so that you can tell some stories that they can relate to.

Make the most of your sales opportunities. Use every tool in your toolbox to overcome objections and get to “Yes.”

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Squeezing in some work on the bus to Singapore.

Since we arrived last week, we’ve greatly appreciated how easy it is to work here. Not only do I have an office to work in, but the internet is excellent, cab fares are reasonable, air conditioning abounds and cell reception is close to perfect. Some might call it a Digital Nomad’s paradise.

But if you’ve ever worked outside the office, you know that internet and AC aren’t the only things you need to make remote working a success. It takes the right personality and most importantly, your team’s support.

While in Asia Pacific I’ve relied heavily on my team in Austin, TX and Atlanta, GA to help make the most of my time overseas. I’ve realized that these teleworker accommodations are not “built-in” to most teams; instead they are learned through experience.

With the rise of the mobile workforce, it’s a rare occurrence to have your entire team in the same office. So instead of offering tips for the aspiring Digital Nomad this week, I’m gearing today’s post to those in the traditional office setting, who work alongside their remote colleagues.

Here are five ways to make your remote colleagues feel part of the team and keep business moving at the speed of light.

Be Human. Instead of dialing your remote team members in via Blackberry speaker phone, include them as if they were there to join in person. Find a room where you can get the whole team on webcam and make sure the microphone is strong enough to pick up everyone’s voice. Nothing has made the distance fade faster, than a good video conference with my team.

Be Mobile. Set your teleworkers up for success by working with productivity and conferencing tools that accommodate a mobile work environment. Whether it’s a teleworker, home office employee or team member in the field, having the ability to respond to a ticket, view a presentation on a web conference app or dial into a meeting on the fly can be the difference between a successful remote working experience and a failed attempt.

Be Global. If your team is separated by a 13 hour time difference, when is the best time to schedule a meeting?  Trick question! Although there is rarely an ideal time to meet when your half-way around the world, the show must go on so respond to your remote workers’ emails first and schedule meetings during hours when they are most likely awake. Your team can quickly resolve small issues over email and use any overlap time to collaborate “in person” via video as opposed to week-long email chains. You can also accomodate your remote workers by ensuring global dial-in details are in the meeting request or better yet, work with meeting solutions that offer VoIP or global dial-in/dial-out options.

Be Inclusive. Nothing’s worse than being on the other end of a conference call and having no idea who’s talking, what they just said or why everyone is laughing. Remote workers can feel as if they are a thousand miles away, so make them feel welcome by ensuring everyone speaks clearly, one person at a time, and side-conversations are kept to a minimum.

Be Social. Bring your remote workers into the conversation by asking them how they’re doing, make sure they have an opportunity to add to the discussion and don’t forget to fill them in on the latest office happenings or inside jokes. Although these tips might appear trivial, I can assure you they will make for happier, more satisfied and productive remote workers.

Is your team “geographically diverse?” What advice would you give to those new to working with a remote team?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Want to see more of the World’s Greatest Meetings? Here’s America’s Founding Fathers and Van Gogh’s family — share the goodness and rock the vote on our TED AWS page!

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Services like Eyenetwork are “used widely by the legal profession to interview witnesses, and take expert testimony or depositions from all around the world.” While Eyenetwork may only act as a mediator bringing video to the courtroom, the prospect of virtual conferencing in the legal field is a stimulating idea. From a standpoint of legitimacy, the court and legal system are perhaps held in higher esteem than anything else, and their new embrace of video conferencing carries with it  implications of trust for the technology.

The use of video conferencing in a court of law suggests an acceptance of the locational challenges in today’s globalized world, and that video conferencing is an appropriate alternative to being in court in-person. Take for example in Maine, where the services are used for arraignments. According to Ted Glessner, “the technology makes courtrooms safer and shortens the arraignment process. It also lessens the negative impact on [prisoners],” and saves on transportation costs.

Litigators use of video conferencing for expert and witness testimony suggest they believe it an effective medium to express a personable and convincing statement to influence the necessary parties in a courtroom and add persuasive sentiments to their arguments. In other words, while an audio testimony might communicate the facts, seeing an individual’s facial and expressional cues makes for a much more human interaction.

These implications translate directly to your business and conferencing meetings. Put simply, seeing and speaking to the person you are remotely meeting feels more real than just hearing what they have to say. And in terms of confidence and security, if the court-of-law embraces the technology, why shouldn’t your business?

The fact of the matter is simple. Video conferencing services, like iMeet, create a more personal meeting. It allows you to use visual cues, and get a feel for how your message is being received. iMeet further enhances this by providing personalized info and avatars for each individual and connects you to their social media outlets. When you can’t be there in person there’s really no better way to feel like you’re in the room than being in your iMeet room.

Video conferencing services are relatively new to the courtroom and are still being evaluated, but as more precedent is set, court-video conferencing will likely become something perfectly normal in the near future, just as it has in the private sector. Virtual jury duty might be another story, and for the time being it looks like I will appear at 9 AM to serve my civic duties. I can only hope the next time my virtual room will suffice.

What are your thoughts on video conferencing in the courtroom? Does it make you any more confident in video conferencing for your next important meeting?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

That’s why we don’t post our GlobalMeet country access codes on our PGi support site. While this creates ill will among some of our clients, it’s just simply too risky. Hackers are ready to torpedo the security of our clients’ calls, and resolving fraudulent usage is very time consuming and inconvenient.

Rosalie Campbell, Telco and Fraud Manager at PGi offered this insight: “It is challenging when so many customers post their information online. We see customers post dial-in numbers and passcodes, along with their information. Even if the passcode is no longer valid, a fraudulent user may have enough information to impersonate the user and gain access to their account. With the dial-in number, they can also spend as much time as needed to find passcodes that are valid.”

So, what should you do when you’re ready to host a global call but can’t find local access numbers? My GlobalMeet Outlook Toolbar is the most convenient place for me to find this information. Go to “Settings” under your GlobalMeet tab in Outlook. All your country access numbers are listed right there and are updated automatically. If you have a PGiMeet site, you can also find that information by following these steps.

Here are some other stay safe tips:

• Set a conference security code via *31. A conference security code is an additional passcode that can be defined for a specific meeting. When the meeting ends, the code is discarded. With a conference security code, there is no need to change your dial-in numbers.
• As a host, use our star controls so you can better manage your meetings.
• Utilize Enhanced Authentication. Enhanced Authentication is an option for GlobalMeet conferences to assist in reducing the amount of fraudulent callers from specific international locations. It includes a random, system generated 10-digit passcode, music on hold until moderator joins and a conference summary email after every call.
• If you suspect your account has been compromised, contact PGi’s fraud team immediately at 719-955-1676 & 877-239-6386.

Our clients should not have to worry about online mischief makers – and that’s why we do. Follow these tips so you don’t lose control of your conferencing account, and let PGi do the rest.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

The fifth annual Crunchies Awards, co-hosted by GigaOM, VentureBeat and TechCrunch in San Francisco, celebrated the most compelling startups, internet and technology innovations of 2011. PGi founder, chairman and CEO Boland Jones introduced the Best Cloud Service nominees virtually in iMeet’s next-generation, browser-based group video conferencing solution — a first for the Crunchies and an incredibly cool way to showcase the power of in-the-cloud video and social sharing technology.

“With today’s workforce becoming increasingly mobile, cloud tools are must-haves to keep us connected and productive. This year’s nominees for Best Cloud Service all answer the remote worker’s call for services that allow them to work anytime, anywhere and from any device,” said Jones. “It seemed only appropriate to announce the winner of this award using PGi’s cloud-based video conferencing solution, iMeet, and we couldn’t be more pleased to partner with the Crunchies to do so.”

Dropbox, the innovative and popular file-sharing app, claimed the win and eventually the title of Best Overall Startup. Other notable winners include our partner Evernote for Best Mobile App, Siri for Best Tech Achievement and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey for Founder of the Year.

Having trouble viewing this video or want to see more highlights from the Crunchies Awards show? Find it all on TechCrunch’s Ustream channel.

Should Lytro have beaten Siri for Best Tech Achievement? And what other mobile app should’ve been nominated? Share your thoughts here.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Here are five tips to help you make sure you’re doing it in the right way:

1. Turn on the webcam. Face-to-face meetings are great if you can get them, but they’re not necessary with the technology we’ve got today.

Ask clients and contacts to meet with you virtually, just to put a face with the name (and to make sure they’re not getting distracted while you talk to them!). There’s something about seeing someone talk that takes a relationship beyond an impersonal email exchange or a static social media picture.

Here’s an example: Say you’re in human resources and need to hire a Sales Manager. Your Sales VP’s time is worth $1k an hour, so you can save him time and money by interviewing candidates virtually. With a virtual interview, you’ll see how the candidate presents herself. Research shows up to 93% of communication is non-verbal, 55% of which is body language. You don’t want to miss out on that 55%!

2. Get social. Smart social media use can increase sales. Up to 23% of people trust friends’ posts on Facebook, and 12% trust friends’ posts on Twitter (eMarketer).

But social media isn’t for blasting your marketing message to the masses; it’s about creating conversations with potential buyers. If you meet a lead at a conference and notice he’s on Twitter, what better way to show you’re paying attention than to retweet one of his great posts?

Social media is also a great place to listen. For example, Dell uses @DellCares and an elaborate Social Media Command Center to monitor what’s said about their brand.

3. Write a blog. Blogging about your industry and company is a great way to establish expertise and build trust. Not sure what to write? Focus on what your customers care about.

Here are some of my favorite posts that I’ve written:

• 10 quick tips for a killer sales pitch
• What your team really does on a web conference call
• Get your top talent face-to-face on video with qualified prospects

4. Show your face. LinkedIn research says a LinkedIn profile is seven times more likely to be viewed if it’s got a photo. That speaks volumes about how much we identify with images.

Get a professional photo of yourself on all social profiles so that people have a face in mind when interacting with you online.

5. Embrace video. Video captures buyer’s attention. While your typical website visitor spends 57 seconds on a text-only website, she’ll spend 6 minutes on a site with video.

Add video to your blog and website to add a more personal touch and build trust… or just to have fun. Speaking of which, check out iMeet’s video that was nominated for the TED Ads Worth Spreading contest. You’ll find out what the Founding Fathers really had in common.

Create a plan that includes all of these elements to build trust online. Schedule spending time on social sites, blogging and web meet-ups and stay in contact with your clients and prospects regularly.

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.

Lately I’ve been enthralled with the overflow of tech gadgets and travel products recently released into the market.  As a fine purveyor of almost all things, I enjoy researching what’s new for the avid traveler and will occasionally allow myself to dream of life-made-easy with clutz-proof netbooks, noise-cancelling ear buds and microscopic GPS devices.

Special “teleworking” titles need not apply, according to InfoTrends, almost all knowledge workers have an element of travel within their day and with technology trending toward mobile, global and social, you can work from almost anywhere. Dial into a conference from the car? Sure thing. Finalize a presentation from the airport? That’s an easy one. Send that final email before take off? Please.

But even with the rise of a mobile workforce, working on the go is anything but easy. Even with calling ahead to confirm the WiFi, charing up your devices overnight and backing up your data, it takes a minor miracle for it to actually come together. That’s where technology and good design come in and cash in on our quest for faster, smaller, smarter… and if possible, cuter.

What’s on my Digital Nomad wish list? Just about everything on CNN’s 10 Best Travel Products for 2012 , especially their laser keyboard, loose-leaf tea cup, water bottle with built-in purifier and laptop-bag-of-the-future that will charge your gadgets en route to your next destination.

I also enjoyed flipping through the pages of Time’s 25 Gotta Have Travel Gadgets. Apple’s “life saving,” Airport Express wireless base station, that I’ve heard so much about, Tumi’s Ultra Slim Universal Power Adapter Kit,  Kennsignton’s ComboSaver Portable Notebook Lock for those occasions when you’re alone in the Starbucks and need to run to the counter and a ton of other gadgets.

Photos courtesy of CNN.com and Nordsroms.com.

Aside from loading my bag with cool, albeit slightly heavy, gadgets, I’ve become dependent on a handful of hardworking apps,  the ultimte, light-weight travel companion. I enjoy consulting my TravelAdvisor app for the best Thai in town, WorkSnug for a place to work for the day, iMeet® to teleport back to Atlanta and GlobalMeet® to join a web conference.

Interested in more? Here’s a fun one from Computer Shopper, Best Tech Products for Frequent Travelers broken into 7 helpful categories: downsizing, charging, securing, connecting, planning, flying and safety.  

Love tech gadgets as well? Which travel products do you swear by?

 

PGi Blog - You can't spell meeting without me.