What is Telepresence and Why Does Your Company Need It?

Telepresence is basically a group of technologies that allows someone to interact with someone else almost as if they were in the room with them even if they are on the other side of the world. This means that the technologies of telepresence allow the users to experience the communication with their senses in much the same way if they were standing in front of them.

As well, users of telepresence can manipulate the technologies to affect the communication they send and receive to the remote location. These technologies allow the flow of information to travel back and forth in both directions. The telepresence technologies are especially popular and useful in the area of videoconferencing used extensively in large corporations that have contacts and employees all over the world. Much of this technology is via video and creates very sharp images and clear sound for excellent communications.

Another wonderful advancement of these technologies comes in the form of mobile collaboration. Smart phones have moved in and taken over so that what was started in the office can continue on the road. The power and convenience of telepresence technologies is unparalleled and considered a necessity by many mega companies.

There are substantial benefits to using these technologies besides just being able to communicate clearly via remote locations. The bottom line is money. When it comes to large companies in particular, they can get more done in less time via telepresence technologies. The companies can reduce the amount of travel spending, create less environmental impact, improve their employees' lives in general by cutting down on absences from home and ultimately improve employee productivity.

Instead of traveling long distances for a face-to-face meeting, personnel can now use a telepresence system, which brings each member of the meeting into the telepresence “room.” Everyone can see and hear everyone speak to every one else in the meeting. Of course, this saves enormous amounts of time and money for the company and its staff members.

Telepresence conferencing is far superior to phone conferencing and the visual abilities greatly enhance the communications between the members. Human beings perceive communication by many cues that go well beyond verbal. Body language and facial expressions are a critical part of that communication.

The use of mobile collaboration of telepresence systems is no less impressive or valuable to a company. The mobile system combines the use of video, audio and other advanced capabilities so that an employee can use their smart phone or other hand-held device and participate in a multi-party conference in real time. This is another cost effective way for companies to keep their people informed and up to date. It also allows their staff to solve problems more quickly, prevent downtime, increase productivity and improve customer service.

The telepresence technologies are extremely versatile and many types of industries are using it as well as businesses large and small. So, if someone asks you “What is telepresence” you can tell them it's a set of revolutionary technologies that has an endless stream of possibilities!

Securing A Video Conferencing Facility From Whygo

How much would it cost your business to arrange a seminar or a conference with your staff and clients? Include coordinating the travel time, hotels, meals, transportation costs, and days lost in productivity. The expense escalates exponentially as the number involved increases. Now think how it could be if you could have communication across long distances with video and audio contact, perhaps even graphics and data exchange, at your own office. All parties merely travel to the nearest video conferencing facility and, after the meeting, return to work or home.

Whygo is a videoconference room broker. We provide the network you need to communicate effectively with your specific staff and clientele. The venues you are working with will be briefed on your requirements and do their best to provide you with a successful videoconference experience. The technology and tech support would be provided with many other perks as well.

Whygo's Worldwide Video Conferencing Facilities

There are over three thousand facilities across the globe, spanning all time zones. These locations are offered to the public on a fee-for-usage basis. They vary in size and technological detail, both clearly labeled when you use the search feature on the Whygo website.

The first step in the simple process is choosing a location. As an example, a research group at Chadron State College in Nebraska, US would like to brainstorm with colleagues in Singapore. A quick search shows that there is a site in Chadron that has a room capacity of 62 (you don‘t need that much room, but it is reasonably close), can operate all 24 hours at prices varying according to time slot. The range is currently $395 to $480 an hour and the facility has flip charts, hands free phone, internet, and whiteboard (a shared document that can be marked during the session). They will cater biscuits (cookies), tea and coffee, and water. A room coordinator will be available to make sure the equipment is on and operational, greet the incoming attendees, troubleshoot, and answer questions about the facility.

The technology available is clearly marked yet unintelligible to those not in the IT field. You have the advantage of on-call support staffs who can help you determine if this facility will meet your requirements. It seems to be what you need, so now you see if your colleagues in Singapore have a similar site within their reach.

Video Conferencing Facilities In Singapore

There are twenty five sites in Singapore! Which one is the best for your brainstorming session? Once again, the support staff at Whygo will help you figure it out. You don’t need as large a room; there are only 8 researchers in Singapore. The site at the Chevron House will suffice; it handles up to 8 people and provides the technology you prefer for your conference. This fee will be between $265 and $385 an hour. Both sites are available all 24 hours so it is a matter of deciding when both teams can sit down and talk for an hour to work out some details in your project. Once you know when you want both rooms, it is easy to book both locations and acquaint yourself with the material on the Whygo website on video conferencing meetings and tips.

For less than the cost of one plane ticket from Nebraska to Singapore, everyone on this research project has been able to present opinions, argue points, show data, negotiate difficulties, and communicate effectively in a video conference facility that enables them to focus on their work rather than the technology.

How Whygo Makes Telepresence Technology Seamless

The human side of business, the visceral connection that develops with personal interaction, is the soil that enables business transactions to grow and bear fruit. A business that limits its clientele to local residents has this asset naturally, but those who wish to expand their range must use a variety of tools to maintain that personal contact. In the past, representatives of a company needed to travel to another location so they could have face-to-face contact with a prospective client. The relationship would then be maintained by various limited ways until the traveling rep could schedule another visit. That human contact would strengthen bonds nurturing the seeds of potential business relationships. Unfortunately, sending staff on regular business trips has become increasingly costly. Airfare has risen, time involved with travel has increased, and the personal cost has affected morale by upsetting the work-life balance essential to being effective.

One Company That Provides Telepresence Facilities

Telepresence is an impressive tool for cultivating relationships with team members and clients to reap a harvest of opportunity for your goals. If you have an IT team and facility with the proper resources, then you can do this in-house, but most businesses would rather invest themselves in the actual connections with client and team. An ideal video-conferencing tool would be worldwide, utilize technology that is current and consistent for all involved, be available at all hours for multiple time zones, and have instant support for any issues. Maintaining this type of facility for a single business would be prohibitively costly since you must also ensure equal technological access for the other party. Whygo is an excellent way to achieve the goals of human connection in business. With this tool, a company can access all the benefits of an in-house video conferencing facility for all parties with very little trouble. According to their website, Whygo offers multiple options for you to book public video conferencing facilities. This will allow you to increase productivity and strengthen your staff morale by providing a better work-life balance as well as reducing your carbon footprint. Regular users can have branded systems that help schedule bookings including links from your own website.

Whygo's World Class VC And Telepresence Operation

There are 4 global operation centers enabling your business to function globally. The centers work together to give seamless service. The website is clearly laid out with a mere 4 steps to book a video conferencing room:

• find a location,
• select a center,
• customize your meeting,
• and confirm.

Telepresence, the ‘Rolls Royce’ of video conferencing, is a seamless high-definition life-size video combined with high-fidelity acoustics in a room built to give the experience of realism. This ‘absolute best option’ is ideal for complete communication of facial expression, body language, and voice inflection. You will feel that every participant is sitting in the same room or at the same table. Many lesser forms of communication lose some of the detail that telepresence captures. If you do not need that ultimate level of communication, Whygo offers other video conferencing services as well. You can choose the tools that will help your business become firmly planted in the soil of human connection and reap an abundant harvest.

Global Video Conferencing Makes Business Communication Easier

Today’s business climate is global. A call to customer support could be in an alternate time zone, the items you purchase locally could come from the other side of the world, and co-workers often do their daily tasks at entirely different facilities. A global economy affects the local market, and communication is the oil that makes the engine of that economy run smoothly. It is essential that effective communication occur between the customer and business, employee and boss, management and labor, and any of the other relationships that make up a functioning market. As that market expands globally, that communication becomes vital. Miscommunication results in a loss of relationship and the benefit of that relationship; lost productivity, lost sales, lost clients, lost profit.

The Ways And Means Of Modern Communication

There are many ways to communicate today. Email allows words to be read and considered before replying but lacks the inflection of voice and face to clarify the words’ meaning. Internet chat allows instant verification of meaning…

”did you intend to say this?” “No, I meant…”

which can help. Similarly, a phone call allows instant verification of intent. But those methods lack the ability to share visual aids and see facial expression in real time and again, lose a little in communication. They also are limited in the ability to interact in a group.

How Businesses Communicate In The Global Market

The business meeting is traditionally the way an organization communicates with workforce and clientele. This allows face-to-face interaction, sharing of documents and presentations, immediate clarification of questions, and potentially the most effective conducting of business. However, in a global market, one would then need to have business meetings in a global format. How can such a meeting be held without involving considerable time and cost in travel arrangements? The rising cost of airfare, time spent away from family and daily assignments, hotel and other costs all make coming together prohibitively expensive, yet a global business meeting is still a very good idea.

Global videoconferencing is a solution to this dilemma. Whygo, a videoconferencing broker, has multiple options to book public video conferencing facilities. The Whygo website has clear explanations of all the options available for your business, from individual connections in a virtual meeting room to increasing your current boardroom video conferencing capabilities and beyond, networking over 300,000 video conference facilities worldwide. They are open 24 hours a day in all time zones and can work seamlessly together to give you same region bookings, billing, and support. The Whygo operation closest to your venue will work with the venue you desire to connect with to ensure they can respond faster and more efficiently than any of their competitors.

Global Video Conferencing Options Abound

The abundance of options for global video conferencing is confusing to those who do not regularly deal with the details. This is where customer support gives you the edge over your competitors…the staff of Whygo is available at all times with live support to answer all your questions and ensure you the global communication your business needs to communicate effectively in your meetings and keep the engine of your business running smoothly.

Former BCD Travel Exec Developing 'Global Videoconferencing Network'

Global Videoconferencing Network (GVN) is aiming to implement the world's largest publicly available video conferencing and Telepresence network. 20,000 location within 5 years.

Click Here to read a great write up on Business Travel News.

Whygos Take: We are working closely with GVN to integrate video conferencing into the travel booking process. This is a market that is reluctant to move to new technologies as they are eroding their current bottom line. However we firmly believe that with some guidance and the right tools, video conferencing will be a viable travel alternative offered to all business travelers in near the future.

Click here for latest press release.

Thirty-two Screen Telepresence Interop Call Successful

As the heading suggests, we are getting VERY close now to easy interoperability of videoconferencing technologies...if Ben Fineman and Internet 2's tests have anything to say about it.
In brief, 32 screens connected with a mix of Cisco Telepresence single and multi screen, legacy HD Tandberg, HD and SD Polycom, Lifesize and even desktop clients like Movi and Vidyo...and the feedback was positive.


Whygos Take: Great test and very good result. The next big question for us is how long will it take for MSP's to automate that for everyone? 

Click here to read full details

Conferencing as business travel alternative?

Interesting stats on conferencing and more so external meetings.

http://www.businesstravelnews.com/Business-Travel/Business-Meetings/Articles/BTN-Research--Remote-Possibilities/