How Audio Conferencing will help businesses during COVID-19 Situation?

COVID-19 affects over a hundred countries and the lockdown conditions with social distancing introduce a shift into how you interact with people. Interactions are vital for businesses that are now permitted to reopen but with restrictions. Your employees can keep working from home. Office attendance is permitted but employees must maintain a certain distance. You cannot sit across the table and have a lengthy discussion with employees, vendors or customers. Talk from afar and wear a mask at all times is the new mantra. Audio conferencing brings together everyone, regardless of whether they are in office or at home and lets you proceed with work as usual during the pandemic lockdown.

Whisper and yet be heard with marvelous clarity

When video conferencing is the tool everyone implements why stick with or choose audio conferencing? Audio clarity is one of the most convincing reasons to stay with audio conferencing instead of video conferencing. Technically competent audio conferencing software developers go to great lengths to incorporate features such as automatic volume control, background noise reduction, echo cancellation and high definition audio through the use of superior codecs and protocol implementation. You can whisper through your mask and yet be heard with crystal clear clarity.

You just cannot have a chat or conference in which the speaker has to repeat himself because of lack of audio clarity and breaks in audio.

Keep it on all the time

Image an office environment where you have employees separated from each other by several feet. If they must talk then they have to raise their voice which can be disturbing to others. Instead, keep the audio conferencing system on all the time. Two people can talk at low voice even within the same room and carry on with work without disturbing others. They can use smartphone with headset, desktop or laptop and converse at low volume.

Two people connected to the conference can have a private chat. They may be in the same room or be located at home. It is as if you are all in one room. You simply press the number on the screen assigned to an employee to engage in private chat and no one else will be disturbed or can overhear. Keeping it on all the time means you do not have to dial to talk. Press the button and that is it. The closest comparison is a radio station you tune in to. Keeping the conference on all day is like that. Anyone who wishes to broadcast to all other participants can do so or they can choose to talk with specific members.

Customers will love conferencing

A small business may be operated by a single person. However, larger businesses have a hierarchy of employees handling various responsibilities. Suppose a customer calls. A customer service representative picks up the phone. Should there be any query that they cannot answer then they are likely to consult their superior while putting the customer on hold. Instead, go the audio conference way. Customer calls. CSR picks up. If necessary a superior officer can join in the conference call and resolve questions.

It costs less

Remote working is the new norm during the COVID-19 pandemic and that status quo is likely to be maintained. If you use video conferencing it does have benefits but it is also expensive. Video consumes high bandwidth and you will run up huge internet usage bills. Though audio conferencing lacks the visuals, it does help your employees stay connected. Audio does not impose load on internet bandwidth consumption. You pay less even though you use it throughout the day.

Lets you multi-task

The good thing about video chats is you can view the other person and interpret body languages as well as gestures. The bad thing is that if you take part in a video chat or conference you must focus exclusively on it. Audio conferencing is better in that you can have an ongoing chat with a colleague or customer while you go through emails or examine papers or work on a Word document.

It is not just for business!

Audio conferencing is versatile. Business is one area where it is indispensable. Then there are other uses too such as conducting training sessions and podcasts. It can be used to conduct annual general meetings and for legal proceedings. Hospitals and healthcare will find it indispensable to stay coordinated. Transport and logistics is another segment where conferencing lets you have up to the minute information.

You will need to pick a suitable Audio Conferencing Software provider who can set up a subscription model fast, in less than a day, and let you run business as usual during COVID-19.