Is This Real Life? The Current State of the Business Meeting

Numerous telecommunications methods are available to everyday users of the World Wide Web: emails and instant messaging, conference calls and video conferencing, web casts and web conferencing, video interviewing and video conferencing — wait, I said that already! As you can see, the list goes on and on, and with the abundance of technology that allows us to telecast ourselves into offices thousands of miles away, doing business from a distance has become easier, faster, and — most importantly — cheaper.

It’s basic economics: the supply of telecommunications technology has increased, which has caused the price of these services to decrease. In fact, these types of Web-based communication services are now basically “free” and seen as requirements by many consumers.

However, despite the increase in telecommunications technology available to businesses, the rate of domestic business travel has steadily increased, and it’s expected to continue. The economic downturn in 2008 caused business travel to plummet from 461.1 million trips to 434.3 million trips in 2009.  Since 2009, business travel increased by only 2% in 2013, but it’s projected to increase by another 6% by 2017. These percentage increases seem minute, but they suggest that telecommuting technology isn’t enough to put business travel on hold, which brings me to the importance of face-to-face meetings. No, not face-to-face via Skype or a Google Hangout. We’re talking IRL (that is, in real life).

The Current State of IRL Meetings

Meeting IRL, face-to-face, whatever you want to call it, is beneficial to your business for numerous reasons. Business professionals surveyed in this infographic from CT Business Travel and NeoMam Studios seem to agree upon the importance of meeting face-to-face:

• 87% of professionals believe face-to-face meetings are essential for sealing a business deal.
• 95% of professionals believe face-to-face meetings are key to successful business relationships.
• 47% say they have lost a contract or client because they didn’t meet them face-to face enough.

However, 48% of business owners admit to spending less time meeting clients in person compared to five years ago. Go ahead and blame the economy for this one, but whatever you do, do not blame the millennials. In fact, millennials are all for meeting face-to-face, despite what you may have heard: 80% of millennials reported their preference for meeting face-to-face. This digital age, often scolded for relying a little too heavily on technology, isn’t as opposed to face-to-face communication as you may think.

The Current State of Virtual Meetings

Telecommuting technology is designed for those working remotely to feel as if they are right there in the office. Some of the most popular technologies are actually being issued by employers to help their workforce work remotely more effectively. A recent PGi survey found that:

• 91% of employees have been issued company laptops by employers;
• 76% of employees have been granted VPN (Virtual Private Network) access to company data by employers;
• 75% of employees have access to web conferencing tools;
• and 62% of employees have been issued cell phones/smartphones by employers.

These numbers show just how much telecommuting is taking over the workforce, and it’s not just for remote workers. These Web-conferencing tools are for in-office workers too, and they’re allowing companies to conduct business with organizations hundreds and thousands of miles away without ever meeting!

With so many obvious advantages, like saving time and traveling costs, virtual meetings are starting to seem like a replacement for IRL meetings. However, not everyone agrees:

“Asking if virtual meetings will replace live meetings is like asking if singles’ chat rooms will replace real dating. Human face-to-face interaction is, and will continue to be, the most effective form of communication.” – Spencer Jarrett, InVision Communications

Spencer has good reason to highlight the necessary face-to-face (F2F) interaction we need in communication, especially when virtual meetings don’t require the attention and interaction like F2F meetings do. In fact, 69% of people admit to browsing social media during audio-only conference calls. Another huge issue with telecommunicating is not being able to decipher non-verbal cues when emails are used: 60% of people regularly misread the tone of the message when communicating via email or phone.

Is Meeting IRL Better than Meeting Virtually? Find out here…

Originally published on Recruiter.com

Maren Hogan

Maren Hogan is CEO of Red Branch and general Bad@$$

Maren Hogan is a seasoned marketer and community builder in the HR and Recruiting industry. Maren started Red Branch Media and, before she hired all the smiling faces you see below, she ran it on her own. In marketing for over 15 years, she has deep experience in strategic campaigns and a long-term, results-based operational approach.