Introduction
In the past few years, there has been a rapid change in the world of internet and telecommunication sectors. The way of communication has changed from using postal letters and fixed telephone lines and embraced the use of electronic mail (E – mail), fax, telefax and mobile telephones.
The above-mentioned innovations have helped in rapid economic growth and development of the economies of many nations around the world and more specifically in Africa. As time goes by, so does the change in technology. The purpose of this paper will be to come up with a unique technological innovation that the company can invest in order to meet the needs of the clients and the suppliers. The need for faster communication and quick decision-making process is the reason as to why the company will embrace the video conferencing technology. The paper will give supporting evidence as to why the organization should settle for the stated innovation and how the technology will benefit the organization and make the company have a competitive advantage over her competitors. The advantages, disadvantages, and challenges that the organization might encounter in the course of rolling out the project will be discussed. The equipment and machines to be used in the project will be mentioned in the paper. The research paper will briefly discuss the different phases that the project will go through, i.e. the product life cycle.
The paper will then give recommendations and suggestions as to what the company can do to improve on the quality of service delivery. In conclusion, the research paper will look at all the key points discussed in the course of study.
Video Conferencing
In any organization, effective communication can determine the success or failure of the projects being implemented. Video conferencing one of the latest technologies to hit the business world and for the organizations that have embraced it, there has been tremendous improvement in the activities of the respective organizations. According to Kayne (2010), video conferencing is a technology that uses video and voice to connect two or more users who are located in different geographical locations around the globe. The communication that takes place during such meeting is real-time meaning the users may feel as if they are in the same room and in such a situation, it is easy for the members to make concrete decisions and sign contracts.
Reason for the Choice of the Technology
For an organization that has clients and suppliers from all over the world, there was need to come up with a system that will ensure there is fast and effective communication between the organization and all the relevant parties. By adapting to video conferencing, the company will be able to hold meetings with suppliers and consumers and come up with a mutual agreement on sensitive issues. In addition to that, the technology will ensure that the board members are able to hold boardroom meetings even if one of the managers is not around. The advantage for this is that, it will save the company many travel expenses especially for its international clients and suppliers.
There are different types of video conferencing models that the organization can adapt to depending on the nature of service required
Types of Video Conferencing
Gough & Rosenfeld have observed that there are three main types of video conferencing; personal, business and web videoconferencing (Gough & Rosenfeld, 2006).
Personal Videoconferencing: This is video conferencing that takes place between two people and the nature of discussion is more of personal than professional (Gough & Rosenfeld, 2006).
Business Video-conferencing; this is the model that the organization will adapt to improve its communication approach. This type of conferencing involves the board members of the company and the business collaborates (Gough & Rosenfeld, 2006).
Web Videoconferencing: Web video conferencing takes on a social approach, some of the software’s that are used in this form of conferencing are Skype, yahoo messenger and twitter (Gough & Rosenfeld, 2006)
Components of Video Tele Conferencing
For successful implementation of the VTC (Video Tele Conferencing), the following components must be installed in both the organization’s boardroom as well as that of the clients and suppliers; video input, video output, audio input, audio output and data transfer (Perey, 2001). It is however important to note that the cost of installation of the equipment should be footed by individual companies.
Video Input: For an organization that will connect with clients globally, the company will install webcams in its boardroom that will be used to capture the images of the members during the meeting and transfer them to output devices stationed at the clients offices.
Video Output: In order to receive images from the other side, the company will invest in state-of-the-art projectors to serve for this purpose.
Audio Input: The Company will invest in codeless microphones for audio communication, in case of any presentation; the organization will use DVD players and camcorders for the purpose.
Audio Output: The most notable audio output devices to be used are speakers. The company will install speakers around the boardroom to serve for that purpose. Special headphones that can interpret messages from one language to the other will also be installed. The devices will be used if the two parties cannot communicate using the same language and there is need of an “interpreter.”
Data Transfer: This is the most important component when it comes to VTC. The organization will heavily invest in a dedicated and reliable wide / local area network (LAN or WAN) for this purpose. For a successful VTC, the internet connection has to be stable and reliable and one that can transfer data at a fast rate. Apart from financial investment in the data transfer, the company will also ensure that the I.T staffs responsible for this task are well qualified and experienced.
Advantages and Disadvantages of VTC
Being on the most used communication tool by business, the video tele conferencing has its advantages and limitations. Moore (2008) has given some of these and they are;
Advantages
Convenience: Despite the time difference in many nations around the globe, it is possible for meetings to be conducted comfortably as long as the different parties agree on the best time. The advantage of this is that it will save to company hundreds of dollars that they would have spent on air tickets and other expenses to go for meetings.
Real Time Interaction: The VTC allows business partners to have the “office atmosphere.” A client in New York, supplier from Japan and the manager in Cairo can see and hear what the other party is expressing just like in a normal meeting.
Presentation: The VTC allows the members to give power point or other visual and audio presentations as the meeting is going on. If it is a business proposal, the client can explain data and await approval. In addition to that, there are virtual white boards that allow members to contribute to a given topic and come up with a solid solution.
It is for the above advantages that the organization will settle for the project. This will give the organization and upper hand over its competitors because the company will be in constant touch with its clients / suppliers alike.
Limitations / Disadvantages
Cost: The financial cost of implementation of such projects may be too high for the company to afford. The cost for the importation and installation of the input and output devices can “eat” a big percentage of the company’s budget, this means that the company will have to put on hold some of its activities to fund the project. Apart from the purchase of physical equipment, the purchase of special software’s for the project may also cost a fortune.
Communication Failure: Apart from the normal verbal communication, different nations use different sign languages for communication. By using video conferencing, some communication signs may be misinterpreted leading to a serious communication failure that might have a negative implication on this business. In any meeting, eye contact is very important, however when using webcam it may not be possible for the different parties to keenly observe each other’s eye contact.
Apart from the mentioned key limitations to the success of the project, another limitation is that it will be hard for the organization to include its clients / suppliers who might be in the rural areas where there is unavailability of such technologies in their meetings. This can have negative impacts on some of the decisions made by the company.
The Roll out Process
The project will start by fast rolling out the initial phase that will deal with clients locally. If the project is a success and the local clients / suppliers give a satisfactory feed back then the project will go to the next phase where the international clients / suppliers will be incorporated in the meeting.
Recommendations
The process of implementing such a project can be costly and throw most activities of the organization in disarray; therefore, all departments of the company should work hand in hand to ensure that they get value for their money, (the accounting, human resource, and the I.T departments). A market research should be conducted to ensure that quality equipments are purchased and affordable rates.
The organization should also ensure that its I.T department is well suited for the task of managing the systems that would have been put in place. By so doing, the organization might save itself many repair and maintenance expenses.
Summation
It has been mentioned in many forums and seminars that the backbone for economic growth and development lies in the ICT and telecommunications infrastructure of the nation / organization. Video conferencing is major communication tool if well utilized by the company it can greatly contribute to the performance of the organization on local and international scene. This research paper has extensively dealt with video conferencing and all that the company needs for successful implementation. The hardware and software components required have been discusses, the importances of the project to the organization have been analyzed, and how they will help, the company stay ahead of its competitors in the job market. The paper has closed by giving a few recommendations that the organization can use to ensure the success of the project.
References
- Gough M & Rosenfeld J (2006). Video Conferencing over IP: Configure, Secure, and Troubleshoot. Amsterdam: Elsevier
- Kayne R (2010). What is Video Conferencing?
- Moore D.T (2008). Advantages and Disadvantages of Video Conferencing. Web.
- Perey C (2001). ABCs of Videoconferencing.