LifeSize video offerings

The business benefits of videoconferencing — and its easily understandable nature — are making for fresh conversations outside of the IT department according to LifeSize Communications.

Tim Fulton, LifeSize Communications ANZ country manager, says videoconferencing is a technology chief executives and senior management understand. “If you try to talk security to them, they get scared and you can see the lights go off. But videoconferencing isn’t scary. By its nature it’s visual and it’s a business enabler they can understand.”

For resellers, he says it’s the ‘the thin end of the wedge’ that can be used to drive into new businesses, as well as up-selling and cross-selling to current customers.

“And once you’re in there and have provided a system that works and drives cost savings, you can go back to the chief executive and say ‘we were responsible for transforming your business with videoconferencing, now we’d like to talk to you about these other things you can do to improve your business’.”

He says much has been done in recent years to address issues which in earlier days saw videoconferencing often providing a poor, and expensive, experience.

Fulton says partners who ‘are really winning’ in the videoconferencing space are the ones who have embraced the technology and are using it internally. “They can discusswith their clients how their sales team no longer have to go into the office for the weekly meetings, how the boss now delivers meetings streamed live, that can be viewed anywhere…”

Fulton says a lesser talked about aspect is how it can ‘help keep your people honest’. “There can be reluctance from some bosses for staff to telework. If they have a video client the boss can see them at their desk if need be.”

As well as traditional customer premise offerings, LifeSize has solutions for managed service providers and, with its LS Connexions, a cloud offering sold through the channel.