As working remotely has become increasingly vital for businesses since the pandemic, the popularity of video conferencing and virtual meetings has grown. Today, many companies take advantage of the remote “face-to-face” video conferencing capabilities for office meetings, customer support, sales calls and more.
As a solutions provider, you have an exciting opportunity to bolster your business with video conferencing and remote communication solutions. While the concept and technologies have been around for a while now, remote communication is a new way of doing business for many customers. As a result, you might face some resistance from those who feel potential disadvantages outweigh the benefits. Consider these common customer concerns, plus ways to sell around them:
1. Lack of personal connection
Some customers may feel that virtual meetings take away from the personal touch provided by in-person meetings. However, thanks to increased (forced, in many cases) adoption during the pandemic, the majority of consumers are increasingly comfortable with remote communication, including chat, voice and video calls. Plus, it’s important your customers realize that video conferencing should be only one aspect of a communication approach. In industries where face-to-face interaction is especially valued, such as sales, video conferencing can simply augment in-person meetings and phone calls, rather than replace them.
2. Time zone differences
Sometimes video conferencing with people in other parts of the country or world can be difficult simply due to time zone differences. For example, a 3 p.m. meeting in the United States would be the middle of the night in England. Unfortunately, these challenges are inherent to any type of meeting style—not just video conferencing. Be sure to stress to your customers that with video, at least meetings can be done without any expensive and time-consuming travel requirements. And with that flexibility, hopefully end users can get everyone to agree on meeting schedules that are the least disruptive to all involved.
3. Unreliable technology
Historically, some organizations were turned off to video conferencing because they felt the technology was too unreliable. Today, thanks to the proliferation of broadband internet and significant improvements to conferencing technology, it’s rare for calls to freeze or experience jitter. That said, with the increased reliance on virtual meetings while employees are working remotely, take the time to check bandwidth requirements, quality of service and that they carry enough licensing to accommodate users.
4. Too much required training
Advanced video conferencing technology requires advanced training, right? Wrong. Today’s video conferencing systems are more streamlined and user-friendly than ever before. If usability is a big concern for one of your customers, address it head-on. Specify products that are easy to use and, when necessary, offer additional training once the system is installed.
5. Too expensive
You’ll probably hear this one from a wide range of customers, because so many people incorrectly believe that video conferencing technology is cost-prohibitive. Of course, as with any technology, there is an initial investment. But video conferencing is unique because it provides a relatively fast ROI, thanks to reduced travel expenses, improved efficiencies, better customer support and more.
6. Lack of large conference room space
Conference rooms of the past were large, outfitted with huge tables, multiple chairs and an array of conferencing equipment. While such implementations are still commonly used, many businesses have modernized their meeting spaces and transitioned to smaller, more affordable huddle areas for virtual meetings. Some organizations are even giving executives access to their own small private meeting rooms. Another change is shifting away from structured seating and tables to multifunction office furniture that permits clients to convert video conference spaces into training rooms.
Regardless of your customers’ objections to virtual meetings, the last year has proven that conferencing technology, if properly implemented, can not only function as an adequate proxy for in-person meetings, but provide many benefits.