It's Showtime

By Huy Nguyen Small company, big presence Effective communication in business is a key ingredient to successfully competing in today's economy, marked by rapid globalization. The need to meet with business people from different locations in the world presents a problem that costs many companies valuable time and money. Even though the telephone and e-mail are reliable communication tools, they still cannot replace the personal and professional interaction of a face-to-face meeting. In recent years, videoconferencing has become a convenient and affordable technology that many organizations in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut utilize to eliminate travel expenses. The application of this innovative means of collaboration increases productivity by saving organizations time and money. Videoconferencing allows two or more individuals from different locations to visually collaborate in real time with each other as if they were in the same room. This interactive tool not only simulates a face-to-face meeting, but it also has the capability to transfer digital documents between connecting sites. The sophisticated feature of data transmission in a videoconference call essentially removes the distance barrier of the meeting between participants. Local Access The Deliso Videoconferencing Center at Springfield Technical Community College provides services to organizations in western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. It is a state-of-the-art facility with specially-designed video, audio, and lighting technologies to enhance the participant's personal appearance and voice on camera. The facility is equipped with a dedicated high-speed connection to ensure high quality of service. It is capable of providing videoconferencing through the use of satellite. The organization also has a teleclassroom, which can be utilized for a distance education course taught via videoconferencing. There are a variety of applications of videoconferencing that benefit different organizations. These organizations include multi-branch companies, the government, national associations, law firms, health care facilities, etc. Companies with far flung locations use videoconferencing to have brief meetings so their executives would not have to constantly visit regional offices. Advanced Drainage Systems, Inc., an international manufacturing company, uses services from the Deliso Videoconferencing Center to have meetings between its headquarters and a regional manufacturing plant. Dan Moellman, their Regional Engineer, stated, "Being the world's largest manufacturer of polyethylene pipe, we have to continually maintain solid communications between our headquarters and facilities. Videoconferencing helps our management improve business efficiency through productive timesaving meetings." The government uses videoconferencing in different ways to build stronger communities. The Massachusetts Department of Education funds the Certificate in Excellence in Child Nutrition, which is taught by Professors Janet Schwartz and Patricia Luoto of Framingham State College using videoconferencing. This five-course program is taught from Framingham, MA to students at Framingham State College, Springfield Technical Community College, the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, and Bunker Hill Community College. Professor Schwartz said, "With the technological advance of videoconferencing, we are able to offer this program in different cities in the state. This program allows us to provide professional development to school food service directors to assure that they have the knowledge and skills necessary to support educational goals." Support a Network Videoconferencing can be used by some organizations as a networking tool. The National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) uses the Deliso Videoconferencing Center to collaborate with colleges nationwide. Heather Van Sickle, Executive Director of NACCE, stated, "Networking is essential to the success of NACCE because of the wide geographic area this organization covers. Through videoconferencing we are able to have effective face-to-face meetings with colleges across the country to promote entrepreneurship education and student business incubation. Videoconferencing allows us to meet with people up-close on a professional level that the traditional telephone and e-mail cannot achieve." There is a growing trend in the use of videoconferencing in the legal industry. The industry is using videoconferencing for depositions and meetings with expert witnesses, interpreters, and other law firms. The collaborative technology is saving attorneys, the parties involved, and the judges time and money attending criminal arraignment hearings, oral arguments, and settlement conferences. Medical professionals are increasingly using videoconferencing to meet with patients and with each other. Urban medical specialists are now able to remotely meet with patients and doctors who live in rural areas to discuss the diagnosis or treatment of a case. Medical training sessions can be implemented through the use of videoconferencing. Videoconferencing is the new way to conduct business in the globalizing economy, which is changing with technological advances. Through this innovative form of communication a professional could meet with almost anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. Organizations are successfully harnessing the power of virtual collaboration to conduct business meetings. The applications and benefits of videoconferencing in today's competitive economy should only be limited by the participant's boundless imagination.