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Create A Virtual Workspace
The Situation
A slowed economy and the events of September 11th have grounded many business travelers, forcing them to look at a range of options to meet with clients and business associates. We have entered a new era of communications where more economical and convenient travel alternatives are sought by management teams around the globe to more effectively conduct business.
Travel is no longer the first, or only, meeting option. As the economic recovery continues, it doesn’t look as though travel budgets will bounce back to previous levels. As businesses become more adept at utilizing real-time communication and collaboration technology like Web conferencing, many more meetings traditionally handled in person are now done online.
While travel costs play a key part in business travel, productivity is a major benefit of virtual work. According to a study sponsored by MCI called “Meetings in America,” sixty-nine percent (69%) of respondents preferred conferencing to traveling because it saved time and was a more efficient way to meet. Virtual work gives people the power to collaborate with co-workers and associates from around the world, instantaneously, through the use of real-time text chat or voice and video chat.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) cited virtual work in lieu of travel because of a reduced corporate travel budget. Even if travel budgets increase, no one can buy more time.
Web conferencing is now the fastest-growing business communications tools, with nearly seventy-four percent (74%) of respondents having used Web conferencing technology. Almost all (95%) respondents who have worked on virtual teams enjoyed the experience and found themselves to be more productive.
Steps to Building a Virtual Workspace
1. Companies must have complete management and employee acceptance to successfully implement a virtual office.
2. Create a user-friendly destination for employees to engage in virtual meetings and instant collaboration sessions.
3. Educate employees on benefits of virtually connected offices and employees
4. Schedule moderated chat events for official corporate announcements, staff meetings, etc.
5. Setup impromptu tools for virtual office (IM collaboration, group chat/collaboration, etc.)
People have become more accepting of virtual offices as technology continues to take shape. In fact, most look forward to the opportunity.
The Digi-Net Solution
In the not so distant past, we believed that meeting face-to-face was the only way to build trust and rapport. Tools that weren't used extensively five years ago -- like e-mail, cell phones, audio/video conferencing and instant messaging -- today have garnered widespread acceptance. Web conferencing and collaboration are naturally the next technology to join this list.
The “Meetings in America” study found that working in a virtual office actually strengthened business relationships. Surprisingly, fifty percent (50%) of those surveyed considered face-to-face meetings to be a waste of time. As Web conferences and virtual offices become more prevalent and the status quo, the ratio will begin to increasingly favor virtual tools over travel.
As companies grow and expand, face-to-face meetings become more and more difficult to schedule and conduct. Digi-Net’s technology solutions can connect multiple offices and locations from around the world instantly. Instant collaboration, improved productivity and decreased travel costs are direct benefits to either supplementing or replacing corporate travel budgets with virtual work.
Virtual workspaces and Web conferencing have grown more and more popular with recent advances in Web conferencing technology. Instead of people going to work, work is going to the people. Nearly forty-eight percent (48%) of the surveyed work force has engaged in a Web conference. Virtual work and Web conferences have changed the way much of the workforce conducts business.
Why DigiChat?
DigiChat AV Enterprise is the key ingredient in creating a successful virtual workspace. Aside from the obvious cost savings, the working virtually is better than face-to-face meetings for aligning teams, keeping meetings focused and saving time. Powered with chat, instant messaging, VoIP/Video collaboration and BBS/Listserv functionality, DigiChat is the ultimate solution for taking the traditional office and/or meeting to the Web.
DigiChat can be used for a shareholder conference to announce financial results and it can be accomplished by using its moderated chat solution. Instant collaboration can be achieved via DigiChat’s powerful instant message engine and combined with file transfer capabilities allows for an even richer collaboration experience. BBS/Listserv capabilities and a population awareness tool connect people even when not online, which further demonstrates the effectiveness of the DigiChat AV Enterprise solution as a virtual work tool.
Digi-Net’s Virtual workspace tools are attractive to businesses and employees for the following reasons:
1.) Reduced Corporate Travel Budgets
2.) Better Work-Life Balance
3.) Improved Job Satisfaction
4.) Increased Productivity
5.) Improved Work Quality
6.) Post 9-11 Travel Fears Addressed
7.) Easily Connect Multiple Locations
Armed with new technology and proven best practices, we have embraced more cost-effective ways to connect on a human level with people anywhere, anytime. The DigiChat AV Enterprise solution enables customers to conduct business as usual without having to pack up and take meetings on the road.
With the addition of voice and video, DigiChat AV Enterprise is the most complete and feature-rich collaboration tool available. Key features for companies looking to deploy a virtual workspace include:
1.) Real-Time Text Chat (video and voice/VoIp) Collaboration
2.) Support for Secure (128 bit SSL) Password Protected Rooms
3.) Support for Multiple, Independent Departments
4.) Support for Group (many-to-many) and Instant Message Type Chat
5.) Population Awareness (who’s online, who’s available, etc.)
6.) File Transfer Support
7.) Cross-Platform Support (application or browser)
8.) Logging and Transcript Capabilities
9.) Fully Brandable/Skinnable
10.) Firewall/Proxy Friendly
11.) License or Hosting/ASP Deployment Options
To add the latest in Java-based chat technology to your Web site or for a more detailed list of features, please contact our online community specialists at (877)-404-2428 or go to http://test.digi-net.com/technology/digichat/index.html.
