Video Key to Online Meetings, Blue Jeans Survey Finds

by Jeffrey Burt

According to the survey, 87 percent of people want to connect with their bosses or subordinates over video, rather than through technology without it. Most (65 percent) want all of their online and remote meetings to be done over video, and 73 percent want sensitive HR discussions to be done over video.

The same essentially holds true for meeting with those outside of the company. Eighty percent say they prefer to meet or speak with clients or potential customers face-to-face over video, and 68 percent prefer meeting with a vendor or partner in the same fashion.

A vast majority of survey respondents—85 percent—say they want one service for all of their remote meetings.

By a large margin, business people like the idea of taping meetings. Eighty-eight percent say they have disagreed with a colleague on what had happened during a meeting, and 99 percent say it would be useful to have the meetings taped. Ninety-eight percent would record their meetings if possible, and 27 percent would like to have every meeting recorded.

What do the survey respondents want to record? Twenty-eight percent want to record what Blue Jeans officials call the “ah-ha” moment, when an idea came to light. Another 12 percent want to record their ideas before the boss takes credit, 8 percent want to record a shouting match between participants, another 8 percent want to record a co

Seventy-six percent of respondents say that meeting participants are less likely to pay attention if they’re on a Web conference that doesn’t have video.

Web conferences can be confusing: 62 percent say it’s difficult to know who is coming into the meeting and who is dropping off without video.

Some of the things people admitted doing while on Web conferences include preparing food or eating (30 percent), writing personal emails or text messages (59 percent), and using the bathroom (28 percent).

Thirty-four percent said they had taking another call during a Web conference (sans video), while 10 percent admitted to checking an online dating site.

Sixty-four percent say customers don’t like Web conferencing, 46 percent say Web conferencing is outdated, and 68 percent say Web conference participants aren’t fully engaged. Others say installing the software is a pain (59 percent), that it’s difficult to see if people are paying attention (74 percent), it’s hard to know who is speaking (60 percent) and it’s hard to understand what is being said (46 percent).