When it comes to conference calls in the enterprise, there\u2019s a list of common frustrations and irritations that plague almost every call from bad connections and background noise to slow downloads for viewing a shared screen. They\u2019re humorous interruptions at the best of times, at the worst, severely disrupting \u2018call killers.\u2019<\/p>\n
Worse yet, these disruptions are costing businesses billions through lost time and diminished productivity.<\/p>\n
We wanted to better understand the practices and behaviors that contribute to this, and so commissioned a survey of 1,000 professionals from the United States and United Kingdom who regularly participate in conference calls. The resulting Enterprise Conferencing: User Behavior & Impact Report<\/a>, looks at attitudes toward conferencing, comfort with conferencing technology, as well as its perceived benefits and challenges.<\/p>\n DOWNLOAD THE REPORT<\/a><\/p>\n Here\u2019s what we found:<\/p>\n With the average conference call running about 38 minutes, we found that 15 minutes of each call is wasted simply getting started or dealing with distractions throughout.<\/p>\n This wasted time ends up costing US and UK businesses over \u00a326 billion ($34 billion), a cost which has increased 46% since 2015 (up from \u00a314 billion).<\/p>\n Dial-in remains the primary way business people participate in conference calls, regardless of whether they have access to web or video conferencing tools. Of those surveyed, 61% of people (68% in larger companies) report that they still typically dial in to their conference calls.<\/p>\n Despite its growing prevalence, video conferencing has not yet reached mainstream adoption. Although, 88% of those surveyed believe that video conferencing has a place in certain situations such as interviews and training, only about half said it was useful for day-to-day conference calls. Furthermore, only 12% said they feel as comfortable on video calls as they do on audio.<\/p>\n Learn more about why dial-in dominates<\/a> over video and web conferencing.<\/p>\n The continuing high usage of dial-in for joining conference calls presents a significant security challenge to businesses. While 70% said that it\u2019s quite normal to discuss confidential information on conference calls, more than 50% said that it\u2019s also normal not to know who\u2019s on those calls.<\/p>\n Learn more about the continuing holes in conference call security<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to co-CEO, Steve Flavell, the answer is pretty straightforward. In order to \u201cmove users away from dial-in, businesses should seek an alternative that addresses the needs of mainstream users without overwhelming them with complex features.\u201d<\/p>\n Learn more about\u00a0bridging the gap between modern collaboration tools and user adoption<\/a>.<\/p>\n For the full list of findings and additional insights, read our\u00a0Enterprise Conferencing: User Behavior & Impact Report<\/a>.<\/p>\nLost time = lost money when it comes to call productivity<\/h3>\n
Dial-in continues to dominate over video and web conferencing adoption<\/h3>\n
Security is lacking even when confidential information is shared<\/h3>\n
So, we\u2019ve identified some of the problems. What\u2019s the solution?<\/h3>\n