Since its conceptualization, the fax has played a very integral part in the success of businesses. It has become a basic necessity for any company, regardless of whether it is a new one or a one that has existed for decades. Even with the availability of e-mail, the fax tops the list as one of the most common methods of exchanging information and engaging in business transactions. The only downside to receiving fax messages is the stand-by time that requires you to wait before you actually get the message. In this fast-paced world that we live in, time is of the essence.

Service providers have developed a method to remedy the stand-by time problem. They have taken into consideration the mobile power of e-mails and the necessity of receiving fax messages quickly.

Once you have been assigned an e-mail account, you can access your e-mail without a hitch, wherever and whenever, as long as you have access to an Internet connection. Nowadays, aside from the standard e-mail service, you can sign up for a service wherein your fax messages are sent to an online account. These fax messages are then broken down into data and sent to your e-mail address.

With wireless technology and the accessibility of the Internet, you can access your fax message through your e-mail address, whether you are having a snack in a fast food restaurant or having coffee at your favorite café. A laptop, preferably with wireless technology, a mobile phone with GPRS capabilities, a handheld device that has an Internet connection; or a blackberry device all serve as mobile devices that allow you to receive your fax messages on the go.

If you sign up for the Internet fax service, you may opt to receive a notification messages via SMS that a fax has been sent to you. With the innovation of the Internet fax, you need not be confined to the four corners of your office to receive important documents.

PDA phones are gaining popularity these days, and it's not a big mystery as to why. There are several distinctive advantages for switching over to a smartphone. Here's a short list of them:

1. You can have all your appointments and obligations concentrated in one calendar - on your PDA phone. This way, if you are notified on your phone that a new appointment has been set, you can immediately update your calendar.
2. You can Carry less weight - you don't need a cell phone and a PDA separately.
3. Less technical hassle, less upgrades and less hardware to take care of.
4. Be stylish are cutting-edge!

So now that we're convinced about the great advantage PDA phone has over the traditional PDA and cell-phone, how do we go about choosing one? There are dozens of models on the market, from manufacturers such as Blackberry, Samsung, Palm One and HP. So it's important to know how to find what you are looking. So what are the important guidelines one must consider when getting a smart phone? Let's have a look at a few choosing parameters experts point out:

1. Reliability - does it work for many months and year with low maintenance and only few malfunctions? Does it have too many soft resets? Does it have any installation issues? You can find out more about that in different forums that relate to the device you are looking at buying. Don't buy and PDA that has serious and repetitive reliability issues.
2. Design - is it small enough to be carried around easily, yet comfortable enough to work with? Is it east to press the keys and operate? PDA phone that is hard to operate may be a real nightmare.
3. Quality - Is the cell phone quality good enough? In some smartphones, the cell-phone part was a bit neglected. So you get a great PDA, and a mediocre cell phone. If a good quality cell phone in important to you, don't compromise on this subject.
4. Compatibility - is it compatible with enough software and hardware applications to make it a useful tool? Remember that if your PDA phone is a great device but is not compatible with high quality software than it won't do you any good.

There are more parameters to making the right decision and choosing the right PDA phone for you. Consulting with current owners of the products you're interested in and reading reviews can help you gather important information.

The global economy demand new ways to collaborate within and across companies and across national, cultural and linguistic boundaries.

The outlet of collaboration tools for the Internet is huge and the vendors’ approach to collaboration is often more technical and focused on the richness of features rather than the organizational role of cross site collaboration. To choose the best tool one should consider the nature of the collaboration and find the tool that works best in a certain setting. There is no tool that is suitable for every possible collaborating situation. The setting for collaboration within a group should be crucial when choosing the tool.

A traditional way to collaborate is the asynchronous way where the participants don’t meet to carry out the task. Colleagues do part of the task in a sequence, one after another. The group is responsible for the result, and it is possible for one person to compensate for another person doing slight work. This approach is most suitable for routine work where both task and results are very predictable. When communication within the group is needed, email, instant messaging, fax or telephone is used to clear up issues.

Often people used to routine work continue to do work in this way though a more simultaneous collaborative mode could give a better result. Hierarchical organizations in traditional industries often continue to work this way and thereby loose competitive power. It is a paradox that groups like those described above often are near each other without taking advantage of more effective collaborations methods.

In other areas simultaneous work with predefined patterns is a better approach. Each participant has a predefined role with known tasks to perform. Immediate and accurate coordination and a certain degree of specialization are necessary. Each task performed is predictable, and each participant knows when to act. An example is a cross department meeting to make decisions upon an investigated issue where all participants have specialized knowledge important to the decision making.

Simultaneous work with no predefined patterns often occur in creative processes where two or more persons work together to create a result. Immediate and accurate coordination is necessary, and all participants can act on each other’s moves and bring new aspects into the scene. The overall result is based on each participant’s knowledge, experience and imagination and everybody can take part regardless of his or her role.

Cross department teams in flat organizations can carry out very complex and innovative projects where continuous collaboration is necessary. Tasks are often carried out simultaneously among the group members, and frequent ad hoc meetings are necessary to coordinate and correct each other’s performance. The quality of the work is often dependent on how quickly the whole group or part of the group can make decisions to meet deadlines.

The relationship between RFID technology and ID cards is close and personal. While both types of identification work extremely well individually, their efficacy together is amazing. For example, while it is conceivable that even the best ID cards can be forged, or lost and used by unscrupulous individuals, a card using RFID technology offers numerous protections.

If a card is lost, but has an RID tag, it can easily be tracked. While this may not lead to the apprehension of the individual who originally took it, it could lead to the card itself, and any damages could then be reversed.

Another, simpler way that RFID technology helps in the use of ID cards is via readers, the strongest of which can scan information up to thirty meters or more away. This displaces the tedium of a physical reader and allows people in the area to use the system more effectively.

This is especially important in work environments and places like schools with a high volume of people. If people simply have to flash their card at a reader, this speeds up traffic a great deal. Besides work and school environments, RFID technology and ID cards work in many other ways as well.

A scenario that this combination would prove extremely capable at aiding would be traffic crossing tolls on bridges. An ID card could have an RFID tag that would allow for a prepaid toll card. The driver would then flash the card at the reader as they drove by; they would only have to slow down, not stop, and wouldn't have to fumble for change or money.

In fact, RFID tags are used in this way already, although without the ID card, in the Bay Area as an optional payment method for traffic crossing the Golden Gate Bridge. Called the 'FasTrak' the tag is mounted in the window and operates on a prepaid system so all the car has to do is slow down to be read and then continue on its way.

The areas in which ID cards and RFID technology can be combined and used are many, and their increasing use together portends greater levels of security for those in work, school and other environments.

ADSL is fast becoming the standard method of broadband Internet access, with its growth far outstripping that of cable. However, there are some downsides to DSL that you should be aware of.

The first downside is that ADSL pricing can be very variable – not just between ISPs, but within the same ISP in different areas. This is because most ISPs have only installed their own equipment in a limited number of local exchanges, and are continuing to resell wholesale services for others. This can often double ISPs’ advertised prices! Unless you realise what’s going on, the situation can be very confusing, and ISPs make little effort to explain it to their customers.

If you’re a long way away from the telephone exchange, the speed of your ADSL connection may suffer, as ADSL is very affected by physical distance. The further it has to travel, the weaker it gets. This fact makes ADSL very unsuitable for use in rural areas, where it often isn’t available.

ADSL is also affected by how many other people are using your line. In a busy area, at peak times, there may be noticeable slowdown, especially if your neighbours also have ADSL and you are both have top-speed connections.

A downside with ADSL specifically, compared to other forms of DSL, is that ADSL downloads much faster than it uploads. If you frequently send files to people, or you want to host a website over your connection, this can be a big disadvantage, as you will be required to upgrade to the more expensive business services to get a decent upload speed.

Another disadvantage of ADSL is that you must have a traditional phone line, meaning that you can’t take advantage of cheaper cable phone lines or internet telephony instead. This can be a relatively large fixed cost each month, often making cable a more economic choice when it comes to looking at phone service, TV and internet access together as a package.

ADSL is cheap, and it’s getting cheaper. There’s a reason for this: it’s called local loop unbundling.

Behind that rather cryptic name lie all sorts of laws and controversies. Put simply, local loop unbundling is a consequence of the dismantling of national telephone monopolies, such as Britain’s BT and America’s AT&T, forcing the owners of the wires and exchanges to allow equal, fair access to their competitors for a set price.

Previously, ADSL providers had to pay the local monopoly telecoms provider to activate and use an ADSL line. Local loop unbundling means that the independent companies can now get access to the telephone exchange to install their own equipment, avoiding having to buy and resell the monopoly’s services.

The advantages of this are easy to see. Countries with local loop unbundling have seen an explosion in broadband take-up rates, as the new companies often not only sell Internet access for a lower monthly fee but also have much lower connection fees.

Local loop unbundling has led to an explosion of investment in equipment and, at the same time, fierce competition and steep price cuts to customers in areas where the equipment has been installed, with some ISPs even starting to offer free ADSL in some areas to people who sign up for their telephone services. Even at low prices, the companies only need a few hundred customers per exchange to break even, and they can easily choose to only install their equipment in heavily-populated areas if they want to.

So how do you tell if you can get this cheap ADSL in your area? Unfortunately, it’s a matter of shopping around and entering your postal code into each ISP’s website – because each ISP has to install its own equipment into the exchange, the extent of their coverage is very variable.

If you’re considering broadband, the chances are that you have two options: ADSL or cable (there’s also satellite, but it’s only really worthwhile when the other two are unavailable). Given that, then, you’re probably interested in just what the difference is, and which one is better. Read on.

The main difference between ADSL and cable is that ADSL uses your existing phone lines, while cable uses dedicated cables laid by a cable company – the same ones you can use to receive cable television transmissions.

Putting all the scientific stuff aside, ADSL and cable have clear upsides and downsides. With ADSL, you’re using a line for something it ultimately wasn’t meant for, and there is a top speed that you can’t go over (what it is depends on the quality of the physical line). If you’re a long way from a telephone exchange, you may find your connection very slow. Generally, however, ADSL is very cheap, and the healthy competition in the market means it’s getting cheaper all the time.

Cable, on the other hand, is devoted to what it does, with no telephone legacy to support. It can offer higher transfer speeds, even if you’re far away from the exchange. Can you guess the downside? It’s expensive.

So should you get ADSL or cable? Well, really, the answer largely depends on where you live. First, check how far you are from the telephone exchange – if it’s a long way, you shouldn’t even consider DSL. Then check what the prices are like at the cable provider in your area, as some are much more reasonable than others.

Ultimately, you have to decide what’s best for you based on local factors, but there are some websites out there to help you make the decision – dslreports.com, for example, is very good. Don’t commit to a connection until you’ve searched the web to see what its customers say.

When making conference calls, it's important to make sure first of all that everyone is seeing eye to eye on the technology that's going to be used. Sometimes, more traditional investors and older corporate managers may have a problem with appreciating new technology, so when using high-tech conferencing software, you may find yourself using the audio conference call features most frequently.

Remember back when teleconferencing was still new and corporate entities were still adjusting to it? You may come across that sort of psychological resistance when trying out new Web conferencing software. At any rate, your job is to make sure your audio conference call proceeds without a hitch!

A good audio conference relies foremost on the integrity of your connection. Are you and the other members of the conference all using fast connections to hook up to the Internet? Fortunately, a lot of audio conferencing software can adjust to the speed of the linkup of each individual user, so that even if the connection is relatively slow, he or she can still avoid missing out on key parts of the exchange.

The integrity of the software itself is also important. Do you have reliable, flexible software that doesn't crash or conflict with certain business-central programs? Does your software operate across a variety of platforms, and are there any restrictions on usage? In certain cases, enterprise-level conferencing software is paid for via subscription, which means you can't use your software anymore once the license you have purchased has expired. You have to renew the license, or seek another provider.

Audio conferencing isn't exactly outdated, given today's advancements in messaging technology; it still has its distinct advantages. For one thing, it's lightweight, so that a large number of people can connect to the central server via their software, without putting a strain on either the server or their computers. For another, software made purely for audio conferencing is inexpensive!

In some cases, it can actually be free! Modern chat messengers such as AIM, MSN and Yahoo allow free VoIP calls via headsets, and all you and the other person need to have is the same version of the free downloadable software. This works especially well for small groups, or one-on-one discussions. However, there are some security concerns. Free audio chat clients are generally insecure and if any important information is to be transferred online, they might get lost or hijacked along the way. For high-profile conferencing needs, purchasing professionally made enterprise-level Web-based audio conference call software is still the best option.

The only way to keep up with the latest about Self-Publishing is to constantly stay on the lookout for new information. If you read everything you find about Self-Publishing, it won't take long for you to become an influential authority.

Even if your best friend owns a top publishing company, giving you an immediate "in," this does not guarantee publishing success.

First, you have to write a quality book that has a clear target audience. And your book must answer a common problem or need that audience shares. Then you have to develop a marketing plan, and stick to it for at least two years.

Let's begin with the process that should commence before you write your first word. Begin by reading A LOT. Read both books you passionately love and books you can't seem to make it past page five. Then figure out what the author did in the book you loved, and what was wrong with in the book you couldn't finish. Write down these points so they are crystal clear to you. Read other people's books for inspiration and to discover what you should avoid as a writer.

The next step is to plan out your book. Narrow down your subject, and then divide it into chapters. Each chapter should address a specific aspect of the problem your book is going to solve. In each chapter, break the specific aspect down into several parts. This will help your readers take in your information a bit at a time instead of overwhelming them with every bit of information clogging up the pages until they feel like they're about to go blind. It's not quite spoon-feeding the information to your readers, but it's close.

The next two steps are obvious. Write your book and then revise it. And then revise it again. And perhaps again. Of course, writing is extremely hard, and writing a book can seem like an impossible task. There are many books out there that give you guidelines to help you become familiar - and even love - the process of writing and revision. Find a number of books about writing. Better yet, find a number of books about writing the specific type of book you aspire to write. These can serve as roadmaps on your writing journey.

Once you've written your ebook and revised it at least twice, show it to someone else whose opinion you respect. If you're lucky enough to know a good editor, see if you have something to barter for him or her to go through your manuscript. Or join a writing group and let the other members critique your work.

Then take all these ideas from other people, and revise your manuscript one last time. And then stop! Put down that pen! Get your hands off the keyboard!

One of the most important steps to actually producing a book is to know when to stop writing and tinkering with it.

You've finally written your ebook! Pop open the bubbly! Give yourself a night out on the town!

Okay, now that this necessary celebration is out of your system, what do you do next?

How to turn your ebook into Profits

If you base what you do on inaccurate information, you might be unpleasantly surprised by the consequences. Make sure you get the whole Self-Publishing story from informed sources.

Ebooks are a revolutionary way to publish your book without incurring the costs of print production. All you need is a relevant and targeted subject and some inexpensive software, and you can transform your manuscript into a book.

The problem, in terms of actually seeing any profits from your ebook, is that the market is overwhelmed with ebooks, and many of them are not worth the time it takes to download them. Just because the ability exists to easily produce an ebook, doesn't make it good writing.

Make sure your book does not simply rehash old material. You will injure your credibility as an author by claiming to offer valuable new insights and disappointing your audience with material they've read a zillion times before. So spend enough time writing and revising your book to make sure it's of the highest quality and presents the most current information. A good book will eventually sell itself; false claims about your book will make it extremely difficult to sell any future books you may write.

Assuming you have determined that you do indeed have a quality product that answers some question or need of your target audience with NEW information, how do you know how much to charge for it? Rule number 1: Set a price for your book equal to its value. An under-priced book will only give the impression that your book isn't worth very much.

To figure out a fair price, estimate how much time you put into creating it and how difficult it was to transform the necessary information into understandable and engaging writing. Figure out how much your time and effort is worth, and then price it accordingly. The goal is for you to be adequately compensated for your talent, your time, and your effort.

Once you've figured out a price that is high enough to convey the value of the book, but not so high as to be out of the reach of your target audience's mean budget, then it's time to offer it for sale on your website. To attract sales, you will need to develop a promotional campaign, particularly if you are an unknown author.

There are multitudes of books about self-promotion that will guide you in your efforts. Choose a plan that is both creative and professional. Learn how to write a catchy yet informative press release, and send copies of your ebook to sites that specialize in ebook reviews.

Learn how to write powerful sales copy, or hire someone to write it for you. This is an essential. You absolutely need excellent sales copy to sell your book. Make sure the copy includes all the reasons your target audience needs your book, and the benefits they will derive from buying it.

Use graphics in your promotional materials. Beautiful graphics have the power to instantly convey the quality and value of your ebook. Graphics can also convey the amount of valuable information the book contains, and your careful attention to detail. Professional graphics sell professional books. They reassure the customer that the product is what it claims to be.

Consider excerpting chapters for articles. You can offer these tidbits for free on your website as a sort of demo of your book. Include an order form for your ebook at the end of the excerpted articles.

Finally, when you set-up your download link, make sure to simplify the process. It's a good idea to offer a few bonuses that make your book even more enticing to purchase, but make sure the bonuses are valuable and high quality. Too many bonuses that are basically a load of useless stuff will compromise the impression your audience has of your ebook. The goal is to convey to your audience that they are getting a quality product for a good deal. That means applying restraint, especially when it comes to adding bonus items. Too much free stuff offered diminishes your credibility.

Make sure your book is a quality product. Make sure it is relevant and current. Develop an effective marketing plan that includes excellent sales copy and excerpted articles. Then offer your book for sale, and wait for your audience to discover you!

The first thing you need to know is what is Broadband access? Broadband is defined as any data transmission that exceeds 600 bits per second. There are also residential and commercial versions of broadband and they are very different from each other. This is in terms of price, size and ability and, for the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on residential. For business, even a small business, they are much further ahead with a T1 line, but that is a different story.

There are three primary versions of Broadband Internet access available to the typical residential subscriber. The three kinds of broadband are DSL, cable and satellite. Each has its pluses and minuses and you should be familiar with them because these differences will help you decide which service is best for you and your individual needs.

DSL Digital Subscriber Service

Local and national phone companies offering broadband access offer this service. It accomplished the required data transfer rates by using two separate channels. One channel is used for data and one is used for voice communications. This allows them to push more information through the same size pipe.

The first advantage that most people like is that their phone calls do not interrupt their Internet usage or the other way around also works. You can achieve the higher speeds (128Kbs to 24,000Kbs) that you need to take advantage of most of the offerings on the Internet. The costs are also low, which for some is an advantage. For the best speeds with DSL you need to be within 2Km(1.25 miles) of a central office, beyond that and your speed drops dramatically. DSL is offering by most phone companies (although it is normally the most expensive option) as well as both local and national carriers.

Cable

This is exactly what it is, a coaxial cable of the same variety you use for receiving your cable TV signal. Your local cable company provides this service. Speeds are generally 1.5MB, 3MB and even 5MB in some markets. Your area has to have access to cable service in order for you to be able to have cable Internet service.

This is known as an always on service in that you are always connected and that is a two edged sword. You have instant access to everything that you want and it is a bad thing because the bad guys also have instant access to your system. It is highly recommended that you use a firewall and anti-virus software to protect your system from those that are up to no good.

Satellite

This service is available through companies like DirecTV, Dish Network and Hughes. They provide access to the Internet through both a phone line and a satellite dish. The upload is achieved using a phone line and the download side is through the satellite dish. This will mean longer time to upload files and faster times downloading files.

The advantage to this is that you only need access to a phone line and a satellite subscriber service. This frees you in having service anywhere there is a phone line installed. The disadvantage to this is that, during high wind events or severe storms, you may lose your satellite service and, thus, your Internet access. Also note that many satellite providers will LIMIT how much you can use the system over the month, and when you reach that limit, they will "throttle" your connection down to a much slower speed.

Note that even the top-end satellite systems are not going to be as fast as the majority of DSL or cable options. Also note that some things are not available to you with satellite Internet service, such as the ability to use VOIP phones. VOIP will not work reliably on a satellite connection, simply because of what is called "latency", or the time it takes for the signal to get processed after it goes to the satellite and comes back to earth.

Teleconferencing has now become a critical communication method to help businesses conduct meetings and save both time and money. Teleconferencing includes audio conferencing, Web conferencing and videoconferencing among others.

Whatever name it is called by, in a business set up, teleconferencing is still a tool used by business to conduct business. As a result it still has an element of formality. Besides, there may be individuals who are uncomfortable with the whole set up of talking through machines or to images on the screen, instead of to a flesh and blood person.

This may result in some amount of discomfort to the participants. So, what can you do to make teleconferencing an enjoyable experience, and make it more personal and informal for all concerned? Here are some techniques that can be applied.

REVVING UP: A conference call is just another meeting, only it uses more technology. Once you understand this, you can put the participants at ease, by following all the basic of a good meeting preparation and etiquette.

If there is a purpose of the meeting or a definite agenda, make sure that all participants are aware of it well in advance. Check up with the participants that they have the necessary meeting notes and basic date, time. This will help to ease the atmosphere as the participants will get the feeling that the conference call is just another meeting, and not a strange and formal encounter with technology.

Do remember to provide materials in advance. These may include plans of alternatives, reports, evaluation matrices, cross-sections, or other visuals. Often in videoconferences the materials may be on-screen but are usually difficult to read unless a participant has a printed document for reference. So make sure that all the participants have the hard copy in hand. These will smoothen the way for all the participants in the teleconference.

SWEET AND SIMPLE: Use the simplest teleconferencing solution for the meeting. There are a wide range of teleconferencing solutions available, but many are highly complicated. Do match the right solution to the meeting need. Not only will this minimize costs and maintain efficiency, it will not create a sense of awe among the participant, or faze them with the complexity.

If the teleconferencing solution is user-friendly and simple it will go a long way in making the participants feel at ease. Using easy conferencing tools is a not only beneficial from the set-up and preparation point of view, but will provide a high degree of convenience and familiarity to the users, making the system seem more friendly and informal and personal.

QUALITY MATTERS: Make sure that even if the teleconferencing solution you have opted for is simple and inexpensive, it is good! There should be no compromise on quality at all. Imagine what would happen if the participants can’t understand what is being said! This will not only make them tense and the whole meeting will go waste. You can consider using a handset phone, instead of a cell phone or speakerphone.

ONE FOR ALL: Make sure that the teleconferencing tool you use involves all the participants. This will give the personal touch and let all the participants feel that they are not being sidelined by the technology.

Use PowerPoint presentations, share applications with participant, and allow a lot of chatting with opportunities for question and answer sessions between participants and between the leader and participants. Remember that audio interaction makes dialogue more lively, personal, and interesting.

MODERATION REQUIRED: Make sure that there is a moderator around during the teleconference. This moderator may be member of the business or even from the agency, which is providing the teleconferencing solution.

This will immediately make the participants feel at ease and give the teleconference a personal touch, especially as the participants will feel there is someone around to immediately refer to their needs and queries. A moderator can also prevent the teleconferencing from becoming chaotic and will make the participants feel more at ease.

The main point to remember is that although teleconferences are somewhat formal events that need prior planning for maximum usefulness, they are informally to encourage participation and the exchange of ideas. So by keeping the following points in mind, teleconferencing can become an informal and personal experience. All it requires is a little effort and planning, which will yield the most benefits.

A teleconference is a meeting (conference) held over a distance (tele), hence the name. It is a tool for businesses to communicate over long distances. Using the telecommunications technology, two or more parties meet from two or more locations.

The technologies that come under for teleconferencing include video conferencing, audio conferencing, and data conferencing.

With the amount of money that businesses are spending on these technologies increasing, it is obvious that the importance of teleconferencing in the corporate business world cannot be ignored.

Teleconferencing technology allow businesses to have meetings over long distances, conduct business briefings, employee training sessions, conduct interviews, organize workshops and seminars, just about everything between employees who cannot easily come together.

It is most commonly used in the business environment for distance staff meetings, distances learning and training, and job interviewing. So, teleconferencing definitely makes a business more efficient and helps the business to save money.

How you may well ask. Let us consider the following points.

NO MORE FOOTLOOSE: With teleconferencing, a business can save a considerable amount on travel expenses. Communication will be by using the telecommunication methods, which is more efficient and convenient.

An organization’s employees don’t have to move and travel from one place to another incurring expenses. Staff meetings, learning, training can all be conducted over teleconferencing, reducing employee movement to the minimum.

APPOINTMENT TIME: Businesses can utilize teleconferencing for recruiting and interviewing potential employees. One of the benefits of teleconferencing in the recruitment process is that the business has the ability to interview more candidates for the same expense. This reduces the cost of flying the candidates over for the interview.

In addition, interviewers from more than one geographical location within the same business can participate in the interview process, in a team effort, without the hassle and expense of travel to a central site. Result is tremendous cost saving.

FACE-ON- FACE-OFF: With teleconferencing providing the facility of conference calls, business employees do not have to personally meet each other face to face. Conference calls make information exchange between offices, employees or from one business location to another very simple, with just the click of a button.

No cumbersome meetings to organize or lengthy mails to compile. In fact, teleconferencing has reduces the personal meetings between employees to the bare minimum unless really necessary. This has also reduced the disruption of work and time in attending meetings or reading and replying to mails. And definitely, the cost of teleconferencing is much less that a formal meeting!

THE NEED IS SPEED: Web-conferencing techniques are also available with teleconferencing. This allows the easy conducing of meetings and making business plans. With the help of applications like Excess, PowerPoint, businesses can benefit by transmitting images from one place to another in a matter of minutes.

Also, web conferencing includes instant messaging servicing that can allow businesses to use instant messages to communicate or set up specially designed chat rooms to conduct discussions, meetings and planning of projects.

GROUPIES NO LONGER: One of the major advantages of teleconferencing is its potential to reduce the cost of group meetings. The most obvious benefit of teleconferencing is that of staff meetings of dispersed personnel within the organization.

This usually takes the form of management meetings, where personnel meet from different hierarchical levels of the business, to review management objectives, performance, goals, or other management issues. With teleconferencing, this process gets simplified with less movement of staff and no need to arrange the formal set up.

Teleconferencing can also be used as a means of sharing information, such as product design, within the same hierarchical level of the business. This can help your business save money by saving time required to convey data and information to different groups within the organization.

THE CUTTING EDGE: More and more businesses are using teleconferencing to secure a competitive advantage. This competitive advantage results from both tangible and intangible benefits. Definitely when teleconferencing is used in place of traditional business travel, there will be a tangible benefit of cost savings to the business organization.

However, there are also reasons for teleconferencing that may not yield calculable benefits, yet contribute to the competitive advantage of the business. For example, it may be possible to allow more frequent staff meetings within the business because expensive travel is not necessary.

The bottom line is that with teleconferencing, businesses can communicate with relatively less expense. Teleconferencing saves precious time and money, which are essential to the profitability of a business. There definitely will be initial expenses involved with setting up the necessary equipment and technology, but it provides tremendous saving in the long run.