"We’ve had a video conferencing solution installed, but it’s rarely used.  How can we get a better return on our investment?”

Without knowing the specifics of your situation, we can only give you general advice.  Here are a few reasons why video conferencing services aren’t used more:

• Staff aren’t trained properly or don’t feel confident about using the facilities
• The conferencing equipment isn’t set up properly and managed or is managed by the IT department, where no one has a great interest in making it work
• There’s no great incentive to use the facilities, so everyone keeps going the same way they always have
• No one monitors the usage, or champions it within the organization

"What’s the difference between video and web conferencing anyway?"

Historically, web conferencing started as a solution which allowed sharing of documents via the web, with audio conferencing (dial-in by phone) enabling discussion.  With convergence, some of these solutions now offer limited face-to-face viewing.

Originally, video conferencing referred to fixed video or set-top boxes, which allowed people to meet visually, rather than just by audio.  Wider availability of web cams and laptop cameras are dispensing with this equipment and smaller companies are entering the market.

“Will there be any disruption to my business when we introduce your conferencing solutions?"

No, in most cases it’s a seamless transfer. If there is any additional work to be done we will inform you prior to confirming the order.

"How secure are your conferencing solutions?”

Our conferencing solutions have a range of security measures designed to keep your collaborative discussions as secure as possible.  Please ask our Account Managers about this when you discuss the requirements of your organisation.

“How can you give me assurances of reliability?"

Because we use a number of tier one suppliers, if the service isn’t good on one network we can instantly offer you an alternative.

"How long do I have to sign up for?"

There are no contracts or commitment clauses. We believe that if our services and rates are good you will not want to switch.

“We’re worried about our conferencing costs.  Is there anything you can do? "

There are several ways of cutting conferencing costs, but these obviously depend on your existing situation.  Our first position would be to look at the costs of your provision.  Our size allows us to negotiate excellent rates with some of the largest worldwide providers (up to 80% discount on BT prices) so we will probably be able to save costs there.

We can also examine whether providing conferencing solutions over IP, rather than ISDN might help – businesses that conference globally can cut their video conferencing costs substantially.

Thirdly, datacom offers video conferencing via the Managed Service Provider model (we advise on the solution; you buy the equipment and support it) – which provides substantial savings over other service models eg CASP (conferencing application services providers), where the provider buys and manages all the equipment on site.

"Other providers offer cheaper calls. Why select datacom?"

When comparing different rates, make sure you are comparing like for like. We don’t compromise on quality and offer complete clarity of costs.

"Does your service cover the whole country?”

Yes. We can chose from a range of tier one suppliers to find the one that’s best for you.

“What’s your global coverage like?”

Our global offering covers most of the main capitals and countries in the world.  If you have specific requirements, please discuss this with us.

There will always be some areas where conferencing solutions don’t work, but if there are IP/Broadband limitations, it’s often possible to revert to ISDN.  In future, mobile or satellite conferencing solutions are likely to be introduced to overcome these problems.