Business meetings are a part of regular operations for any company, and while having successful business meetings may seem simple enough, the truth is there are several components that can make this a difficult task to accomplish. However, leaders of small and medium-sized businesses today have more tools at their disposal to help them accomplish this task, such as virtual office phone solutions from AccessDirect that can be used to connect with remote employees or business associates. A virtual business phone system is particularly useful for conducting international meetings, where gathering in person is not an option. Regardless of the type of meeting, it is essential to take the right steps to ensure they go off without a hitch and do not waste time and resources.
Some Tips for Successful Business Meetings
On a smaller scale, modern communication solutions ensure that employees have more incentive to hold successful small business meetings so that they do not spend more time than is necessary. In a recent ChicagoNow article, contributor Ryan L. Sievers indicated that the average American business person spends nearly 60 percent of the work day engaged in meetings, which is the equivalent of 1,180 hours per year or 148 business days – or in other words, five months of a person’s life each year.
“Interestingly, meetings tend to be one of the most complained-about aspects of our daily business lives, but also a ‘fact of life’ that most people have resigned themselves to just tolerate and try to muscle through,” Sievers wrote. “The reality is that a successful meeting is vitally important to a successful enterprise, of any kind. But, most companies do not proactively work to drive good meeting behavior and demonstrate how to efficiently use meeting time.”
Meeting more effectively
With meetings making up such a significant part of the regular work week, it is more important than ever to have the right tools and practice the best behavior. If a meeting is not run effectively, then employees can wind up feeling overwhelmed as they struggle to accomplish other tasks. As Sievers explained, in order to have truly effective meetings, people need to come together to productively engage and collaborate.
Writing recently in an article appearing on Business 2 Community, business strategy expert Jeremy Raelin shared numerous tips for successful business meetings, recommending that the meeting location be set and the date and time selected as far ahead of time as possible. This will allow all participating parties to discern whether there will be any conflicts as well as provide sufficient time for administrators to gather the appropriate tools to facilitate a seamless experience. Raelin also noted that planning ahead can be a good idea as this allows time for numerous reminders to be sent out.
AccessDirect’s PBX telephone system is an excellent solution for everyday business operations, as it is ideal for facilitating essentially any type of conversation. Raelin explained that today’s corporate environment has evolved with people scattered across many diverse locations. For companies looking to bring together meeting participants located in many different geographies, a virtual phone solution can be the most cost-efficient and effective means of connecting with people and meeting more effectively.
