Polycom Industry View

A recent survey by Coleman Parkes Research of 400 executives across Europe reveals a growing need for face-to-face video collaboration to improve productivity, reduce travel costs, and achieve better work-life balance. 

The study spotlights the contrast between the shrinking value and growing use of business travel, as well as executives’ dissatisfaction with the current travel-intensive model of conducting business meetings, the study reveals a need for a better approach. Video conferencing and telepresence solutions from Polycom improve productivity and reduce travel expenses, disruption, and stress.

Heineken, one of the world’s leading brewers in terms of sales volume and profitability, has benefited from using Polycom video conferencing solutions to reduce travel and boost productivity. “As a global organization with 24-hour activity, Heineken continuously collaborates on production processes, new products and operations,” said Ed Kroes, technology consultant in Heineken’s Global Business Process and Technology. “Through voice and video conferencing solutions from Polycom, the efficiency of our meetings has been improved. As a result, we have achieved significant cost savings related to travel expenditures and increased employee productivity.”

Key findings included:

• Half (51%) of all short-haul domestic business flights taken by executives were for regular meetings.
• One-third (33%) say that many meetings they attend could be conducted by video conference. ·
• Four in 10 (40%) reported late arrival for an average of 2.5 meetings for the year because of travel-related delays.
• Nearly one-third (30%) of executives spent three weeks out of the office in 2010 on business travel.
• One-quarter of the executives interviewed reported feeling stressed by plane travel.
• One in 10 said they had missed a wedding anniversary, and an equal proportion reported missing a child’s birthday.