You might think that in person interaction is important in your business and perhaps you’re right. After all, it’s much easier to read the thoughts and impressions of a client or customer if they’re sitting right in front of you. Let’s not forget that just over seventy percent of communication is body language. At the same time, though, it’s fair to say that the world has changed a great deal in recent years and it seems that in that duration face to face meetings have become less important. Here’s why:
We Can Do It with the Help of Technology
Do you really need to interact with someone in person if you can see them on an image display so clear it feels like they are right in front of you? These days it’s possible to set up a conference room with graphic displays or VR technology that can make it feel like you’re in an actual conference. The medical industry has certainly picked up on this. If you learn about telemedicine software you’ll quickly discover that doctors no longer have to see patients face to face. Instead, they can diagnose and prescribe treatments from a distance. It’s not the only industry where this is happening either.
Businesses Aren’t Set Up the Same
In the past, all businesses ran from either an office, a factory or a store. These days, however, things are a little different. Instead of setting up your business in an office, you might instead run it from your home. It’s one thing to invite a customer or client round to your office. It’s quite another to invite them to your house. For one thing, it looks unprofessional and for another? Well, you may value your privacy, and if you keep having clients around the house, you certainly won’t be getting it.
Costs Are Crucial
There is no doubt that those face to face meetings were costing a lot of money. Just think about international businesses where clients and business partners might be anything up to half a world away. That’s certainly going to drive your expenses up, isn’t it? It would be much easier and cheaper if the business transaction could occur completely online. That’s exactly what’s happening these days. You won’t often see a business man or woman heading on a plane to China for a one-day meeting. Not when they can have the same meeting for a cost as cheap as a high-speed internet connection bill.
It’s Not Just Business
Business interactions are defined by society, and we certainly don’t appreciate the value of face to face meetings in the modern world. If you’re in university, you’ll mainly be communicating with lecturers through email or even Skype. In dating, you’re probably going to be talking for a while over Facebook first. Everyone seems perfectly happy to communicate without the interaction in person. So, one could ask why businesses should be any different?
As you can see then, face to face meetings are no longer relevant in the business world. And, while some workers may cling onto them, they do so, quite literally, at their own expense.
