Is it possible that teleconferencing will replace business travel...really?

Okay, I know this really isn't about building material software but since this is what I do for a living I thought it was worth talking about.

I read this article/blog regarding business travel and how it's being effected by this current economy. Not only has things slowed down because the sales aren't there as much but also, companies are looking to trim down their expenses. Tele-commuting, tele-conferencing...these could be the way to go if you're looking to cut expenses. I think it might help you if you're in the middle of an implementation to consider more Tele-Conferencing tools as a solution to the expense of having your software implementer come on site.

It's true that nothing replaces face time. It's very important to see the people you're talking to, to look them in the eye can tell you a lot about how much of the training is actually sinking in. However, this economy is not exactly concussive to regular travel. When you consider the average, mid-week, business trip cost around $800 in travel expense let's take a look at what it costs to outfit your organization with some simple video conferencing tools. Now the world of HD has come to our doorstep and it looks VERY cool. At $300K it's more than a little cost-prohibitive (traveling for business is looking better again, right?) The thing is, you don't' have to go HD just to get your face in front of someone. Microsoft has a decent desktop sharing tool that has some functional video conferencing tools as well. At $15 a month, it's quite affordable. You add a simple web cam ($100 or less) and you can do video conferencing for much less than traveling.

Nothing is going to replace real, face-to-face contact with your clients. Which means it's not a perfect solution but it can help us all get through this current economic climate.

Here's the article that inspired this blog: http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090206/1218463673.shtml