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Business as usual

Due to the air-traffic flow disruption caused by the volcanic eruption in Iceland, many companies are finding themselves using the likes of video conferencing technologies to keep their businesses running. According to Regus, a 108 percent usage increase of these devices was seen in the UK and a further 18 percent increase was noticed in Europe.

Polycom has seen the use of video conferencing and telepresence solutions hit an all time high during the last two weeks. Many organisations are turning to technology as they seek to communicate with staff and remain productivity levels while the imposed flight restrictions remain in force.

Polycom’s customer Regus, which operates the largest global network of 2,500 publicly available video conferencing rooms and a growing list of immersive telepresence suites, has experienced a recent increase in usage of 108 percent in the UK and 18 percent across Europe. Regus facilities in Aberdeen, Manchester, Edinburgh as well as Gatwick and Heathrow received the highest demand as stranded travellers sought methods to maintain ‘business as usual’.

‚The truth is that too many organisations still lack the correct business continuity planning for times when communication becomes more challenging, meaning customers and overall competitiveness suffers,‚ said Mike Swade, VP EMEA at Polycom. ‚The volcano and other recent incidents like H1N1 have been an eye opener to many organisations about the potential business impact that can be caused by external influences.‚

Regus is expecting further high levels of enquiries for video communications as organisations strive to maintain international business communication during the on-going aviation crisis.

‚Companies using visual communication are better prepared to deal with international crises like this and the ROI benefits are immediate. With no clear signs of when this will end, businesses need to look at alternative ways to communicate with staff, partners, suppliers and customers. Flying around the world for a meeting is no longer necessary or efficient,‚ said Swade.

Companies wishing to see the ROI benefits of video conferencing and telepresence can use the following tool from Polycom to calculate what savings they could make in the future: http://www.polycom.eu/products/resources/roi/en_roi_green.html

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