The steps to take when arranging a videoconference are:

Yes! One of the benefits of videoconferencing is the ability for both ends of the conference to see and hear each other. This gives the participants the feeling that they are meeting face to face. Video conferencing also saves time by allowing meeting participants to eliminate travel between another campus or site.

Videoconferencing is a more cost effective communications tool in that you save time and money by not having to travel long distances for meetings.  There are off course scenarios where it is more cost effective to fly so we will outline the cost effectiveness in various scenarios.

• Scenario #1:  National Booking:  (Client in SA and 1 Delegate in SA)
• Scenario #2:  International Booking:  (Client in SA and 1 Delegate in UK)
• Scenario #3:  Multi-Point Booking:  (Client in SA and 1 Delegate in UK and 1 Delegate in USA)

That would be an absolutely "No".... You would need to use a solution that supports these protocols. It will be H.323 or SIP with SIP being the leader and H.323 being old.  Skype is proprietary as most IM Video Call solutions are.

Videoconferencing is a cost-effective communications tool used by a variety of users to save time and money. 

Examples include:

• corporate board meetings
• legal depositions
• quarterly meetings
• presentations
• sales meetings
• seminars
• training

Firms doing international sales find videoconferencing to be very efficient way to promote their products. Due to the high cost and time required for travel, many high-level job interviews are being handled through video conferencing.

In addition, videoconferencing has become popular for court reporters and legal teams for a variety of depositions and hearings.

Videoconferencing can speed up business process and procedures in the same way that the fax and the e-mail have revolutionized the way we share information. Enterprises that fail to use modern communications technologies run the very real risk of falling behind their competition.

Tangible benefits are most easily related to actual cost savings. The most obvious quantifiable saving is the cost of travel and the cost of the time wasted during travel.

This does not take into account intangible benefits, which include:

• Greatly improved communication between remote sites both within a company and between suppliers and customers
• Reduced pressure, stress and fatigue from travel
• Shorter product/project development times (this can be worth millions when it reduces time to market and/or improves the quality of the product or project)
• Reduced time of meetings as the principle often applies when visiting
• Immediacy of contact between people
• Rapid face to face resolution of urgent situations
• Ability to seize opportunities within narrow time frames
• Faster and better decision making
• Increased executive productivity
• Broadcast of key messages throughout the company

Unfortunately not. Certain countries do not have communication agreements in place with all international connection points. In cases such as these, Bureau Connect will attempt to arrange alternative bridging of the conference using alternative communication protocols such as IP.

There are various cost factors to consider when making use of public videoconference services.  The basic charge would be for the public room rental, usually billed for the first hour with additional time utilized billed in 15 minute increments.  Other charges would include the communication charges over ISDN, bridging or gateway charges if so required and a scheduling fee per room booked.

 The conference should be planned along the following guidelines to reduce costs where possible:

• Room Rental - book your room during office hours as the room rental is more expensive after hours.  Try to keep within the booked time as any additional time in the room will be billed in 15 minute increments.
• Communication charges - if the booked room needs to dial to the remote site over ISDN, the cost will be billed to the client.  If the booked site receives the call over ISDN there will be no additional charges.
• Bridging charges - if two sites are not able to connect over ISDN a bridging facility can be booked to connect the call.
• Gateway charges - if two sites are not able to connect as they run over different mediums of communication, a gateway service can connect the call.
• Scheduling Fees - a scheduling fee is charged per conference site booked.  The more changes that occur during the booking cycle to more scheduling fees will be charged.

The client pays for the booked time.

The client will be billed in 15-minute increments.

• Arrive at the venue 15 Minutes prior to the start of the videoconference to familiarize yourself with the room and equipment. 
• Distribute meeting documents to all parties taking part in the videoconference before the meeting. Introduce all the participants.
• Do not whisper to the person next to you - everyone will hear you! 
• Remember that during connection you may be transmitting your picture and audio before you receive any.
• Do not tap microphones, move them around or bang/tap on the table. Be careful not to cover microphones with papers. .  Avoid shuffling papers or tapping objects near the. 
• Speak and act naturally - use verbal and visual cues .. Be aware of transmission delay pause for others to comment. 
• Avoid distracting side conversations switch cell phones off! 
• Be camera conscious ... Not self-conscious! 
• Adjust the camera during the videoconference using zoom and pan controls on the remote to keep things interesting!
• Avoid Busy Clothing
• Do not wear white - avoid busy patterns or flashy jewelry that will reflect light! 
• Grooming is important in terms of hair and make-up
• In a large meeting, always nominate a chairperson.
• It is harder to interrupt in a video call and remote sites need to have the opportunity to enter discussions.

• Only use a PowerPoint slide or other PC graphic if it is really going to enhance your presentation. Don't use PowerPoint as a replacement for your own notes. Graphics, graphs and headings are fine but try and avoid slides with just bullet points.
• Text should be at least 24 point - bigger if possible.
• Backgrounds should be as plain as possible without losing your identity completely.
• Page numbers, headers and footers are too small to be read - delete them.
• Use a pastel background - blue or green works well. The lighter the color the better but not white as it tends to glare.
• Use a dark colored text such as navy.
• Avoid using glary colors such as bright orange on charts. Pastels work best as long as they are a contrast to the background color.
• Don't put anything too close to the edge of the slide as some systems loose the edges when they are converted.
• If your far end has a single screen then they may have a small 'picture in picture' in the screen. You can design slides with the bottom right corner blank but it is easier to ask the far end to turn off the 'picture in picture'. Most systems have the ability to rotate the 'picture in picture' around the screen but those that don't usually have it fixed in the bottom right corner.
• If you are using a method where the image of you is lost, return to your image at regular intervals so you maintain eye-to-eye contact with your audience.
• Practice operating the system beforehand so that you can easily manipulate the image seen at each end during the conference.