Everything you need to know about audio/video conferencing
There are many businesses all over the world that have identified the benefits of face-to-face interaction with their clients, associates, and professionals, who help them in optimizing their operations. It has ultimately resulted in searching for some conferencing tools that may help in fulfilling their communication needs within their budget. This developed the idea of the web-based digital conferencing medium that is gaining popularity over the past few years all around the world.

What is audio/video conferencing?

• Audio conferencing enables individuals from distinct locations to interact with each other through phone via the audio conference bridge. This can also be referred to as a conference call.
• In a similar manner, video conferencing enables people from various distinct locations to hold virtual meetings as if they were in the same location.
• Audio/video conferencing are very powerful and cost-effective tools that allow people from multiple different locations to collaborate and work together.

What are the advantages of video conferencing?
The advantages of audio/video conferences are as follows:

• No time constraint – Video conferencing can be conducted at any time throughout the day. The time differences between countries don’t matter when individuals use this method of communication because none needs to actually travel in order to attend meetings.
• Dramatic travel saving – Not only is video conferencing a direct replacement for many business trips but also there is no expense for people to be involved in a virtual meeting. It is easier to bring people from different places together for a meeting.
• Easy communication – Video conferencing can be used by people to communicate with anyone using high-definition (HD) video and other collaboration tools like file sharing, whiteboard, text exchange, media sharing, remote control, screen sharing, conference recording, electronic voting, etc.
• Increased productivity – Meetings can be held at any time, anywhere, and with anyone by eliminating district and time barriers. This way, meetings are more effective and of shorter duration. Additionally, decisions can be made faster with the rich collaboration tools.

What are the disadvantages of video conferencing?
Although the advantages of video conferencing far outweigh its disadvantages, it is important to be aware of the disadvantages as well. The disadvantages of video conferencing include:

• Lack of personal interaction – Sometimes meetings require a personal touch to be successful. video conferencing can be lack this personal touch as it can be less personal than face-to-face meetings. Additionally, it becomes difficult to pick up vital body language when you are struggling with a stuttering video or a pixelated image.
• Technical problems – One of the major disadvantages of video conferencing are the technical difficulties associated with smooth transmissions, which could be a result of a network, a hardware, or a software failure. It is common for remote connections to sometimes be hampered because of environmental changes. Sometimes, the absence of technical support personnel can cause difficulty for participants who are not familiar with the video conferencing’s technological concepts.
• International time zones – In video conferencing, you tend to communicate with people living across the globe and you will be available to them at different times. Unfortunately, there is no practical way to overcome this.
• The high cost of setup – Setting up video conferencing in an office can sometimes be quite expensive, especially, for small businesses and startups. Simple features may fit into the budget, but certain advanced features that may be required could cost a substantial amount of money.

Which are the best video conferencing tools available online?
Some of the best video conferencing tools that are available online include:

• Google Hangouts
• ezTalks Meetings
• Skype
• Anymeeting
• WebEx Meetings
• Tokbox
• ooVoo
• MeetingBurner