Video conferencing vs. Audio web conferencing

Organizations are generally confused whether to use audio web conferencingor video conferencing to communicate with their clients, stakeholders,members and all other relevant individuals. Both types of conferenceshave their own advantages and disadvantages, and it is essential toanalyze the needs and requirements of an organization before choosingon one of these conferences.

Audio web conferencing uses the latest VoIPtechnology to transmit voice over the internet. This facilitates abetter voice clarity and reception. Further, VoIP technology is verycost effective since it converts the voice into packets and then sendsit across. This ensures that only the relevant part of the conversationis sent across and the silence part is left behind, thereby saving onthe internet charges. Latest equipments such as Cisco conferencingbridge enable the facilitation of an increasing number of members tothe conference without affecting its quality. Further, Cisco conferencing bridge offers additional features such as a scheduler and auto dialer to improve the productivity of a conference.

Video conferencing equipment, on the otherhand enables the transmission of video images across the internet. Thisacts as a close replica to a physical meeting, thereby producingsimilar results at a much lower cost. Video conferencing equipmentworking on the revolutionary VoIP technology further facilitate thetransfer of data, files and presentations during the course of aconference. This is particularly helpful in corporate meetings andmeetings with clients who are located at a far away place.

Now, which type of conferencing to choose would depend on the specific requirements of the organization. Audio web conferencingis more suitable to smaller organizations that don’t have a frequentneed to conference and do not require transfer of data, files andpresentations during the course of the conference. There have been alot of technological advancements in the field of audio conference, anda lot of new products such as wireless headsets have come up that allowunconstrained mobility during the conference. If there is a frequentneed to have conferences with important members such as clients andmembers then video conferencing would be the ideal choice since itprovides a similar atmosphere as that of a real meeting. Moreover,technologically advanced video conferencing equipmentsuch as a high resolution web camera or a TV screen that cansupportmultiple members, can further enhance the effectiveness of avideo conference.

Since both the conferences have their ownadvantages, it is advisable to carefully analyze the needs of yourorganization and then take a decision regarding which conferencingsystem to set up.