At the same time, another video endpoint in Middletown will provide video clips and graphics throughout the session. Video communications expanding According to Telespan, a leading teleconferencing research firm in Altadena, Calif., sales of videoconferencing units are soaring. A study by 3M Meeting Network shows many managers today spend 50 to 80 percent of their average business day in meetings. At the same time, managers need to collaborate more with colleagues in other locations. Another 3M Meeting Network study found 74 percent of respondents reporting they had some meetings involving participants in remote sites, compared with 25 percent in 1989.
Visual cues provide clarity and understanding.
Videoconferencing is more convenient, less expensive and faster than travelling for a short but important meeting. USAA, a leading insurance and financial services company serving present and former members of the U.S. military, uses videoconferencing to link its eight regional offices around the United States. USAA, with headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, primarily uses the technology for training, focus groups and job interviews. At the 1997 NBA Draft in Charlotte, N.C., for example, the NBA hosted a videoconference discussion about the Draft among NBA coaches and general managers from five different parts of the country. The NBA also uses videoconferencing to communicate between their offices in New York, New Jersey and Paris.