I often need to share something on my desktop with several remote customers, vendors or colleagues. I prefer face-to-face communication, but time and expense don't always allow for that.

Phone calls are a great alternative. Some conference calls work even better, but sometimes you just need a picture to save "a thousand words."

At Nubrek we market a Web application, and it's challenging to convey the effectiveness of our tool over the phone. Several months ago, we decided to take the plunge and invest in a Web conferencing tool.

Web conferencing tools allow people to host meetings on computers. A person sets up a meeting on one computer, and attendees access and view the meeting remotely through different computers, provided they have current Web browsers and high-speed Internet connections.

At first glance, you might not think your business needs a Web conferencing tool. But when was the last time you had to show someone how to read a transaction report or help process a charge through a customer's online gateway? With Web conferencing, you can share browsers, PDF reports and presentations. You can also walk participants through a procedure online.

Common extra Web conferencing features are real-time polls for polling attendees and markers or pointers for highlighting or pointing to specific areas on the screen.

There are many ways to use online Web conferencing tools. I've used them to give presentations from my desk and from airport gates. On occasion I've even given a presentation at a customer's site and used a Web conference to help tie in remote offices. Web conferencing can also be used for:

Training: If you have a new product to use in house, all employees can log on for the demo or training.

Taped demos: Web conferencing tools can tape conferences, so anyone unable to make the first viewing can catch up later.

Interactivity: The person holding a meeting can pass control to another user. This way everyone has an opportunity to present. All meeting participants can also chat via a simple instant messenger (IM) tool during the meeting if they wish to have a side conversation with the presenter or another attendee.

Sales: Whether you're selling an online shopping cart or helping users configure the merchant services component of an application, Web conferencing is a critical tool for performing demos remotely. Perhaps you just want to walk a customer through an online product brochure. Using this, you can control what the customer sees and when they see it.

Customer support: Web conferencing is an effective way to provide customer support. If customers have requests, they can hop onto a Web meeting via a link from a home page to a Web conference.
Product rundown

Tips and tricks

Here are several shortcuts and tips we've found to enhance our Web conferencing:

Give attendees 5 to 10 minutes before the actual meeting time to get the Web conferencing application installed. Otherwise, your meeting will be delayed.

Screen resolution is important. My laptop has a high resolution. Before Web conferences I reduce it to 1024 x 768 to make sure the conferencing pages will fit on all screens.

Use your own phone line or conference line to hold a Web conference and conduct meetings. This can radically reduce conferencing rates.

Use a computer video capture program, like Macromedia Flash, to record online sessions or trainings.

Hold smaller sessions. When you're doing a demo with a few people it's easier to keep a pulse on the audience. If you must demo to a large audience, try to use the polling feature to tailor your presentation to the audience.
Wrap-up

The more we use Web conferencing, the more uses we find for it. At the end of the day, technology can save you money and time, but it is important to make sure the tools you use enhance customer satisfaction and your bottom line.