Web Conferencing Consulting

What is Web Conferencing? The next major wave of conferencing technology, delivers live and interactive visual presentations (PowerPoint slides, software demonstrations, Web tours and whiteboards) via the Internet to groups of two people to more than 1000. Because most Web conference applications are browser-based, no special software or hardware is required to participate in a Web conference.

There are a wide variety of products in the Web conferencing market and diverse pricing structures. KEP Consulting can assist your company in the research, assessment and implementation to ensure you pick the right collaboration product or services.

1. Conduct a communications audit. During the audit, review how key business stakeholder groups currently work with one another. Who communicates with whom? How do they communicate? How often? What approaches do they use: face-to-face, videoconferencing, audio conferencing? What role do information channels play? Is staff aware of the full range of communications options? Is staff aware of the best ways to utilize each medium? Does information flow upward, downward, and sideways well?
   
   
2. Identify the tools and processes that will help your organization meet key business needs. To identify these tools and processes, the team must start with a solid understanding of the business functions and workflow, and then map communication tools and processes that will:
   
   
   • Streamline the decision making processes
   • Include key stakeholders
   • Physically facilitate the necessary functions
   
   If there are requirements to deploy consistent training programs across diverse geographies, a combination of videoconferencing, web conferencing, and streaming tools might be appropriate.
   
   
3. Create communications guidelines. Build a decision structure that provides advice on selecting the right communication tool. Important questions to ask include:
   
   
   • How many individuals will participate in the meeting and where are they located?
   • Do the meeting participants know one another and how well?
   • Is the subject matter controversial?
   • Will the meeting participants be required to make decisions as a group, or collaborative mode during the meeting?
   • Will participants need to take actions following the meeting?
   • Will the meeting participants need to share data - PowerPoint presentations, diagrams, spreadsheets, etc.?
   
   
4. Develop and implement a training and adoption strategy. Provide opportunities to expose new users to the options, share success stories, and as appropriate, review new technologies under consideration for feedback. Involve a user committee in all major testing processes.
   

Clearly, organizations and teams have many tools at their disposal to communicate and collaborate across the extended enterprise. The big question, of course, is how to leverage these tools to maximize their benefits and, ultimately, the ability of the organization to communicate effectively. Given the strategic importance of good collaboration, companies will be well served to take specific steps toward developing good collaboration implementation and training plan.