Glitch-Free Online Meetings

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1 ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS

2 Table of Contents > > Executive Summary...3 > > Virtual Meeting Support Increasingly Burdens IT Help Desks...5 > > One Platform-Agnostic Solution Meets All End User Requirements...9 > > Conclusion: Why IT Groups Should Adopt the Latest Online Meeting Tools > > About GlobalMeet & PGi: The information contained in this document represents the current view of Premiere Global Services, Inc (PGI) on the issues discussed as of the date of publication. Because PGI must respond to changing market conditions, it should not be interpreted to be a commitment on the part of PGI, and PGI cannot guarantee the accuracy of any information presented after the date of publication. This White Paper is for informational purposes only. PREMIERE GLOBAL SERVICES MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, AS TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS DOCUMENT. Complying with all applicable copyright laws is the responsibility of the user. Without limiting the rights under copyright, no part of this document may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), or for any purpose, without the express written permission of Premiere Global Services. Premiere Global Services may have patents, patent applications, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property rights covering subject matter in this document. Except as expressly provided in any written license agreement from Premiere Global Services, the furnishing of this document does not give you any license to these patents, trademarks, copyrights, or other intellectual property Premiere Global Services, Inc. All rights reserved. 2

3 Executive Summary The Top Reasons an IT Help Desk is Contacted to Support Online Meetings > > Inability to install software required for meeting entry. > > Confusion on the usage of a certain feature or function. > > Attendees struggle with meeting participation. > > Lack of on-demand support for host and guests. With over 100 million U.S. workers using personal computers (PCs), it s no surprise that today s fast-growing use of virtual meeting technologies enables workforce mobility, maximizes productivity and reduces travel costs. Executives from businesses of all sizes whether start-ups or multi-national corporations are increasingly using Web meeting and other collaboration tools that allow people to effectively interact online using audio, video and desktop-sharing capabilities. However, despite all these advantages, many of today s Web meeting technologies have shortcomings: Some carry a hefty price tag, and many require attendees to download cumbersome software onto their computers and figure out how to navigate complex interfaces. Few products offer direct live suppport for both host and guests adding to participant frustration. Sometimes business meetings are delayed or interrupted as participants struggle to figure out how to correctly use a meeting software s many functionalities, such as joining the meeting or sharing materials with other participants. There s a growing demand among business owners, managers and employees to have access to Web meeting software that s user-friendly and intuitive to navigate. Apple Inc. s success with popular consumer technologies, such as the iphone and ipad, has raised the bar for user interfaces of all sorts of technologies, including business information technology. Coined consumerization of IT, more and more popular consumer technologies are working their way into the business world as people realize that the technologies they use at home are often more capable and easier to use than what s provided in the office. One example is Google s cloud-based program, Gmail, which is being adopted by more businesses seeking a user-friendly yet multi-featured platform. Implementing easy-to-navigate technologies in the workplace also helps relieve pressure on the IT help desks, which are facing bigger time constraints: A recent report by leading technology analyst group Gartner Inc. found that through 2012, the average handle time of an IT service desk request will increase 15%. 2 1 Harris Interactive Survey for 1E, Sept Coyle, David M. and Kris Brittain. Do You Have the Right IT Service Desk Staffing Ratio? Gartner. August 19, ID G

4 Executive Summary A recent report by leading technology analyst group Gartner Inc. found that through 2012, the average handle time of an IT service desk request will increase 15%. This report first explores the macro environment that has made virtual meeting and collaboration tools, such as remote desktop-sharing, so essential and effective in today s business world and the increasing burden virtual meetings place on IT help desks. It then looks at the three main advantages today s most-effective Web meeting solutions have in empowering end users to conduct successful meetings. The first advantage is that using cloud-based technology, when software and applications are provided as a service over the Internet, makes it significantly easier for end users to access the meeting information and collaboration tools they need via the Internet. The second advantage is that an intuitive interface design empowers end users by making the Web meeting technology more navigable and, thus, more effective. The third advantage is that virtual meeting tools leveraging cloud-based technology can provide greater flexibility and offer more user-friendly features, such as live on-demand support. This report will further discuss how effective Web meeting technology can reduce the amount of IT support needed by employees who use it. Finally, the report provides a product comparison of the leading providers of virtual collaboration services. 4

5 Virtual Meeting Support Increasingly Burdens IT Help Desks How Cloud-Based Solutions Reduce IT Support Needs Using effective cloud-based Web meeting tools can potentially decrease the support time required by an IT help desk by 50%. Here s how: Let s say a company with 500 employees spread across three continents currently hosts at least 400 meetings a month, whether internal or external. If the IT help desk currently provides support for 25% of these meetings, 150 requests at an average cost of $20 per request it would cost an organization $3,000 per month or $36,000 annually. Moving to a next-generation tool that provides meeting solutions over the cloud with direct live support, an IT group could expect a 50% decrease in requests within 60 days, an approximate savings of $1,500 a month or $18,000 annually. This figure doesn t take into account the reduction in time devoted to software downloads, maintenance and upgrades. Today s business landscape is dotted with companies striving to keep pace with an increasingly global marketplace, while also struggling to maintain productivity and profitability. A turbulent economic climate combined with a variety of factors squeezing corporate profits, frequent business travel has become cost-prohibitive for many companies. It is from this environment that virtual meetings have emerged as a viable alternative. It s one of the fastest ways to communicate and collaborate with people across multiple locations. And more executives are becoming adept at engaging and collaborating with their team members, clients and partners by holding meetings online. But despite the clear advantages, many Web meeting participants run into problems when they try to download and use Web meeting software. Each software program is different and not all of them are user-friendly. Choosing the wrong provider say, one based on outdated technology or one that lacks live on-demand support could frustrate and confuse the end users, unnecessarily burdening the IT help desk with more requests for support. The majority of virtual collaboration tools require that the meeting host frequently the account holder schedule the virtual meeting and then secure a dial-in number, a Web link and a passcode, which must be communicated to participants. Then, on the meeting day, the host must open the virtual meeting prior to the others joining and be present throughout the entire meeting to ensure it runs smoothly. The host often is responsible for making sure everyone can log into the meeting and access the audio, video, desktop-sharing and other controls needed to effectively participate. There are many potential snafus that could derail the time that executives have carved out to convene. Increasingly, the help desk is spending a significant amount of its time either troubleshooting or supporting Web collaboration tools. The most common issues include: 1) Users are unable to download software due to lack of knowledge or technological issues, or because they don t hold administrative rights; 2) Guests or meeting participants struggle to access meetings, resulting in them joining late; and 3) The host or presenter is unable to share the screen using remote desktop-sharing. Additional common meeting participant challenges include forgetting the dial-in or passcode number, having to upgrade or install a compatible browser, or being unable to join the video and screen-sharing portion of the meeting because they didn t download the supporting software. 5

6 Virtual Meeting Support Increasingly Burdens IT Help Desks According to Gartner, end user requests with the IT desk cost an organization an average $20 per request, with employees contacting IT on average 1.2 times per month. 3 For a company with 500 employees, this equates to approximately 600 requests per month. Assuming 25% of the requests, or 150, are related to Web collaboration support, these requests would cost the company $3,000 monthly or $36,000 annually. So, given all these potential challenges and snafus, how does one define the success of a virtual meeting? From the perspective of an IT help desk, a successful online meeting is generally one not requiring their support before, during or after saving the organization time and money. Three Main Advantages: Virtual Meeting Tools that Empower Users According to Gartner, IT organizations are looking to reduce service and support costs, increase end user productivity, align themselves closer to the business, and deliver enhanced user satisfaction. 4 Detailed in the following sections are three compelling advantages of how the latest generation of Web meeting and collaboration tools is the better choice for businesses today. Advantage #1: Cloud-Based Virtual Meeting Solutions Reduce IT Workload Cloud computing is making it easier for businesses and consumers to access the tools they need. For this reason, there s been an explosion of cloud-based applications over the past few years. Gartner forecasts that global cloud services will reach over $100 billion in sales by Many companies are taking advantage of cloudbased computing solutions by moving storage of their digital content and applications from PCs to the Internet. In the case of software, this is referred to Software as a Service (SaaS), which can be accessed by businesses and their employees through a Web browser. The section below takes a closer look at how cloud-based virtual meeting collaboration tools ultimately reduce employee dependence on the IT help desk. On-Demand Access Shifting to the cloud allows IT departments to decrease infrastructure capital investment costs, while increasing agility and scalability; additionally, IT staff and end users don t have Key Takeaway #1: The advent of SaaS-based virtual meeting solutions addresses today s evolving workforce s mobile tendencies and needs. Moreover, the SaaS delivery model removes the infrastructure needs and the associated costs of Web meeting software installation, maintenance and support, along with removing the need for hosting meetings over the IT department s internal servers. to install software onto computers or make upgrades. Rather, the SaaS deployment model provides on-demand access to virtual meeting applications that users can access instantly via the Internet a true value-added benefit to IT. SaaS-based Web meetings are available within a moment s notice and, because applications are updated automatically, users can access the most current version of the program. SaaS-based virtual meeting collaboration tools provide many other benefits to the end users. They eliminate software downloads, which often causes problems for meeting participants and can interrupt or delay meetings. 3 Coyle, David M. and Richard T. Matlus. Driving the Adoption of IT Self-Service. Gartner. ID Number Magic Quadrant for the IT Service Desk. Gartner. Oct ID G Simpkins, Jason. The Bright Future for Cloud Computing is Becoming Much Clearer. morningmoney.com. 23 September Web. October < 6

7 Virtual Meeting Support Increasingly Burdens IT Help Desks Key Takeaway #2: Today s innovative online meeting and collaboration tools, based on intuitive interface designs with on-demand access to live support, are easier to use, thereby eliminating a myriad of potential technology challenges and empowering the end user to effectively use them, limiting the necessary time for training, deployment and support. Advantage #2: An Intuitive Interface Design Simplifies Use According to Gartner, 40% of IT service and support requests can be resolved through [end user] self-service, [while] only about 5% actually are. 6 This underscores the importance of providing employees with virtual collaboration tools that are accessible and user-friendly. The more intuitive a tool is, the more likely it will be embraced by employees and will reduce the support services required by IT. For virtual meeting tools, this means providing a toolbar whether for audio or video that is clear and quick to navigate and provides users with the utmost ease in scheduling, conducting and handling any post-meeting responsibilities. Moreover, today s most-effective virtual meeting tools provide some features that make them less complicated than the older generation of tools. For instance, instead of requiring dial-in numbers, the latest tools can dial participants directly and use a persistent URL address to avoid the extra hassles required by older, more cumbersome tools. Additionally, today s tools may include a feature that provides live chat support for all participants while a meeting is in session, further minimizing support needs from the IT help desk. Together, these aspects simplify the process and the next-generation features allow hosts and participants to join a meeting quicker and provide a higher probability of a meeting success. 6 Coyle, David and Richard T. Matlus. Driving the Adoption of IT Self-Service. Gartner. ID Number

8 Virtual Meeting Support Increasingly Burdens IT Help Desks Key Takeaway #3: A host of useful new features makes the meeting experience more enriching for participants and gives them access to capabilities that other Web meeting providers may not offer. An added advantage beyond the ease of these tools is their higher probability of adoption, allowing the benefit assigned for the product to be realized and maximizing IT budgets. Advantage #3: Greater Flexibility and More User-Centric Features The emergence of new and better communications technologies enables workers to be mobile and work remotely using an Internet-enabled personal device. Cloud-based Web meeting applications complement this mobility by allowing anyone with an Internet connection to participate in virtual meetings, regardless of their location. Moreover, cloud-based meeting tools can provide more features than non-cloud tools because they are automatically updated, so don t require a new software download every time a new feature is added or enhanced. Here s a look at some powerful features provided by the new generation of Web meeting tools: Scheduling, starting and managing meetings from the desktop with an add-in for Microsoft Outlook Joining or hosting a Web meeting from anywhere with a phone and Internet connection Simplifying navigation with a toolbar consisting of the most frequently used tools Switching from an audio call to video and desktop-sharing with the click of a button Sharing screen in crystal-clear quality and personalizing meetings with webcam video for all participants Accessing live support resources during a meeting Recording meetings Connecting globally with international support The GlobalMeet Toolbar for Microsoft Outlook 2003 or higher provides users a simple scheduling capability for all of their meetings. The toolbar mounts in the standard Outlook interface and is managed as a standard Outlook toolbar. For Outlook 2003 and 2007, the toolbar is installed as an additional toolbar. In Outlook 2010, the toolbar is installed as a separate ribbon and is titled GlobalMeet. 8

9 One Platform-Agnostic Solution Meets All End User Requirements Today s best virtual collaboration and meeting tools recognize that end users work across various platforms and have their unique needs when it comes to accessing and conducting meetings. Users of Web meeting and virtual collaboration technologies span various industries and sectors and use many different types of devices to access meetings such as a Mac, PC, Linux, smartphone or tablet device, or a combination of these. Meeting tools must then be platform-agnostic so they meet the needs of any type of business no matter how its employees conduct meetings. Product Comparison Understanding how virtual meeting tools compare to each other can be confusing. The below table simplifies this by comparing the features and benefits offered by today s leading virtual meeting tools. The comparison addresses technical, user and business needs. It also includes pricing, allowing for the convenient, high-level evaluation of a product s value. Product Comparison Table National Vendor A National Vendor B System requirements Download required for meeting guests No Active X or Java Active X or Java Vitual meeting set-up Max number of participants Passcode or dial in required No Yes Yes Auto dial out Yes No Additional Cost Integration with Microsoft Outlook Yes Yes Yes Persistent personal web URL Yes No No In meeting features Video conferencing Yes Yes Yes One click to switch from audio to video Yes No No Live chat support Host and Attendees Host only Host only Live on-demand support Host and Attendees Host only Host only Mobile apps ipad/iphone Yes Yes Yes Android No Yes Yes BlackBerry Coming soon No Yes Pricing Monthly plans $49* $49 $49 Audio minutes Unlimited Unlimited 10,000/month Toll free rate for minutes (Domestic) $.05 per min no minimums $.07 $.15 per min $.075 $.12 per min *Lower monthly plans available. 9

10 Conclusion: Why IT Groups Should Adopt the Latest Online Meeting Tools As workers continue to rely more on mobile technologies and expect access from wherever they happen to be, they will need virtual meeting tools that provide them flexibility and ease of use. Solutions that work the way people do are apt to be more powerful and user-friendly. They are designed to empower the end user, support more successful meetings and eliminate the technology issues that require support from the IT help desk. While online meeting tools in general enable commerce and allow global businesses to operate faster, more efficiently and more productively, the latest generation of virtual collaboration tools allow IT staff to offer a more-flexible and lessproblematic platform. These SaaS virtual meeting tools also provide an intuitive design that enables meeting participants to more easily utilize all features of the service without the frustration they might experience from other services with more-complicated design. Ultimately, this is revolutionizing the way people meet and connect online. As a result of more successful and engaging meetings, it reduces the support needed from IT, allowing IT staff to reallocate resources to other types of technological issues. CIOs and IT group leaders who recognize the potential impact of the latest generation of technologies are the ones who will be bestpositioned to benefit from more productive and effective virtual meetings. While this report does not estimate the exact reduction of IT help desk support an organization will achieve when it adopts the latest generation of online meeting and collaboration tools, it does highlight how these tools can increase user adoption by empowering end users and, thus, minimizing the time and cost involved with supporting those tools. 10

11 About GlobalMeet & PGi: As a global leader in virtual meetings technology for nearly ten years, PGi believes that meetings should be better. That s why we invented GlobalMeet to help companies around the world, of all sizes, in every industry, to have better, more enjoyable and more productive meetings. PGi delivers easy virtual collaboration solutions that make sense, with tools that everyone can use. Now serving 75% of the Fortune 100, we understand what it takes to make meetings valuable and engaging experiences whether you re a new small business or an established global enterprise. Virtual meetings help businesses reduce travel costs, stay mobile and go green. With the right technology, advice and tips and mobile meeting apps, PGi helps make every meeting matter, thereby: accelerating productivity in your business, simplifying communications with your customers, prospects and employees, and increasing your sales and marketing effectiveness. Learn More Visit us today at View customer videos, product demonstrations, and get the details on all of our global meetings and communications solutions. About Us The world collaborates with PGi. Our advanced meeting, conferencing and collaboration solutions energize people and organizations to connect more meaningfully and work together more productively. PGi is headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia with operations in 24 countries worldwide. PGi The Terminus Building 3280 Peachtree Road NW Suite 1000 Atlanta, GA pgi.com ENERGIZE YOUR CONNECTIONS 11 American Teleconferencing Services, Ltd