Web conferencing as a general-purpose business tool has evolved and grown in adoption and usage over the past few years. While many think of web conferencing as a large enterprise application, in reality, Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) users are inclined to wards it. Citrix Online asked Wainhouse Research to conduct an independent web survey to a portion of the Citrix GoToMeeting Corporate customer base. The goal was to identify which applications and underlying motivating factors are driving SME’s to use web conferencing, what SME users think about the results they have achieved, and whether the technology has become essential for conducting business.
While there are some similarities in the applications and motivation for using web conferencing between organisations of all sizes, this survey reveals there are also some key differences. Specifically, SME’s have embraced web conferencing for their own set of reasons, most likely driven by their unique set of circumstances; the need to achieve bottom-line results while relying on a minimum of in-house resources. Smaller organisations also tend to be quicker in adopting new ways of working then their large enterprise counterparts.
The survey data reveals that SME’s have embraced the use of web conferencing to the point where it has now become the medium of choice for conducting meetings, while large enterprises prefer to meet in-person. While both groups use the technology to drive business processes, SME’s are much more aggressive in using on-line presentations and demonstrations to drive revenue by facilitating meetings with customers and prospects. The ability to include more people (reach), save travel costs / time, and thus increase productivity are the major motivating factors for SME’s to use web conferencing.
Web conferencing has become vital in this role, with 3/4 of SME’s reporting solid-to-dramatic growth in usage. Customers are satisfied; over 2/3 of SME’s believe the technology delivers a high-to-very-high return in value. When given the opportunity, several SME’s stated that web conferencing has taken on such an important role in their organisation that they could no longer conduct business without it.
The survey base believes the top factors to consider when choosing a supplier of web conferencing technology are ease of use, reliability, support, a flat / low-cost pricing model, and security. Overall ease of use and strong screen performance are top feature priorities.
The Wainhouse Research study has identified how and why smaller organisation use the on-demand model for Web conferencing to gain immediate advantage in the constant battle to achieve bottom-line results with minimal resources.
Unlike large enterprises, these smaller companies report they meet online using Web conferencing more than any other method including in-person or audio-only meetings to drive revenue or conduct business. Benefits that are valued most by SMBs include the capacity to quickly scale sales and marketing, and reach global audiences on demand. In fact, a number of respondents indicate that Web conferencing has become so vital that they couldn’t conduct business-as-usual without it.
“Considering that SMBs constitute about 99.7 % of U.S. businesses, comprise approximately 44 % of the overall U.S. private payroll, and are responsible for more job creation than any other sector of the marketplace1, Web conferencing is proving to be a strategic business tool,” reports Alan Greenberg, senior analyst and partner at Wainhouse Research. “Next-generation Web conferencing solutions give SMBs the capability to impact local and global economies as never before possible.”
Survey Highlights:
- 'Outbound' Web Conferencing applications that involve customers and prospects are most important to SMBs
- 75% of SMB respondents believe the ability to involve/reach more people and save travel costs and time are major reasons to use Web conferencing; 59% say it makes meetings more productive
- 55% of SMBs (and 44% of large enterprise respondents) say that in addition to the more predictable improvements in business practices, Web conferencing enables users to solve problems they could not solve before
- 69% of all respondents use Web conferencing to enable new meetings that could not be held in any other way due to cost constraints, timing and several other issues
“The majority of companies polled indicated they are increasing their use of Web conferencing, and are enjoying a high to very high return in value,” said Greenberg. “Though companies of all sizes use Web conferencing to drive business processes, SMBs are much more aggressive in using online presentations and demonstrations to drive marketing and close sales by facilitating meetings with customers and prospects.”
Ease of Use: A Web Conferencing Solution 'Must Have'
Because small businesses are often strapped for time and IT resources, the respondents cited ease-of-use as the most important consideration when choosing a Web-conferencing solution. In order of priority, meetings must be easy to start, have superior screen performance, ensure reliability, offer a clear predictable flat-fee model and offer strong security.
“With simpler, better ways to connect to prospects and customers online, businesses can unlock their sales and marketing power to drive the business forward, eliminate the high costs of travel and fuel consumption, and ensure a superior customer experience,” said Mike Mansbach, vice president of product marketing at Citrix Online. “Now, no prospect or client is too far away to reach with just a few simple clicks of the mouse with Citrix GoToMeeting and Citrix GoToWebinar.”
While there are some similarities in the motivation for using web conferencing between organisations of all sizes, this survey reveals there are also some key differences. Specifically, SME’s have embraced web conferencing, elevating its use to the point where it has become the medium of choice for meetings (large enterprises still prefer to meet in-person). This finding represents a shift in attitude on the part of SME users, far outpacing other meeting technologies
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