How we decided to opt for the video conference system :

FIB equipped itself with a video conference room allowing the weekly coordination between our offices of Hradec Kralové (Czech Republic) and Brussels.
This system is giving us the possibility to save 3 days of travel for a weekly meeting of 1 to 2 hours !
So, our technical staff in Brussels is weekly going through the drawings with its Czech colleagues, is giving some clarifications regarding the instructions, is solving some design problems and is possibly clarifying some regulation problems. The briefing of some of our technicians, some of whom are well known by our customers, is also sometimes done thanks to this system.

What can be viewed with this system ?

The equipments we possess give us the possibility to directly view some drawings, diagrams, pictures or sketches, some eventual annotations, some objects, some videos and some PC presentations !

And of course, we also have the pleasure to see each other and to talk simultaneously face to face, what is very useful, particularly when the need for describing an object, a principle or a drawing is arising !
A pout, an astonished face or a “yes” made with the head is allowing us to see if the colleague we are talking to has well understood our explanation.

If of course this does not replace a handshake and if the delicious smell of a tasty meal cannot be transmitted, the possibilities offered by this system have already proved their worth several times !

Some application examples ?

- Meetings for the preparation of proposals
- Site coordination meetings
- Presentation or clarification of a product
- Discussions about drawings (layouts, electric drawings, and so on)
- Discussions about some regulation or technical problems
- Commercial meetings

The video conference and the Internet : a complementarity !

The Internet : an answer tomorrow … maybe ?
The video conference : a comprehension of the problem today, for sure, and the guarantee that everybody has understood everything !

The Internet is allowing the exchange of files but the lack of interactivity in the framework of an intensive exchange “question-answer” is making the process quite slow.
The issuer is sending his message but will the latter be understood ? When is he going to have an answer ? And finally, the receiver often needs to get more precisions about the initial question.

In such case, the video conference is offering the possibility to accelerate the process of detection of the problems and to immediately make sure either about the good comprehension of the problem or about the elaboration of solutions on both sides.

Lastly, the explanation to the customer can be made to him as a “live course”, what makes it possible to clearly understand the development of the answer or to immediately focus on a point that is a bit obscure. In fact, the Internet allows to gather the data and files in order to prepare the meeting on the basis of similar documents !

The video conference : organize yourself and all will have the opportunity to take part in it !

A video conference has to be prepared !
Both parties must have agreed previously on the agenda and on the documents that will be used during the session.

Lastly, preparing the meeting in advance and gathering the “strategic” forces for the meeting is leading to the fact that the latter is very often better structured than classical meetings. It is also obvious that thanks to it, both parties are calling up “the best of their team”’ at quite low costs and so is the quality of the meeting sometimes superior to the simple visit of one delegate “who should know everything” !

Is it necessary to equip yourself with such a system ?

The answer is “no” !

Some perfectly equipped rooms can be found in many cities (business centres) and some big hotels (generally mentioned in the “Golden pages”) are offering this type of service.
The price for the location of a video conference room amounts to approximately 365 EUR for half a day, excl. communication costs.

As the cost of the international phone communications has been significantly reduced in the last few years, the price for such communications has become perfectly reasonable. Communicating through video conference is in fact using two international phone communications simultaneously.

Our representatives are ready to help you find a video conference room near your production site (see also the Web site www.viasolutions.be)

The video conference : we are ready to answer you at lower costs for both parts :

For both the customer who has to travel to Belgium or for us who have to travel abroad, this is representing a long operation that is often leading to unproductive hours. Furthermore, the colleague that is sitting in front of you is tired and does not know which questions will be asked to him !

Moreover, the time spent for organizing the stay of the specialist, the time for the travel, the hotel costs and the fact of not always being able to answer to the questions are all elements that are representing a cost that is huge compared to the communication costs !

On the contrary, having a customer who is satisfied to notice that his supplier is doing all his best to answer him with the help of his staff and the requested documents is the guarantee for a successful meeting !

Material :

In order to have a comfortable perception on screen, we recommend you to work at a speed of 256 Kbits/s on the basis of 2 lines (4 canals). Indeed, when working with 2 canals, the image is often jerky, which is quite unpleasant for the management of the movement : if we are in front of the screen, the best is to see each other clearly for a “face to face” meeting.

We can of course work with other speeds : 2 x 56, 112, 2 x 64, 128 or 224 Kbits/s.
Communication protocol : H320.
Our video conference numbers are the following ones :
+ 32 2 378 46 50
+ 32 2 378 46 51

Try to avoid clothes with lines or check. These are making the regeneration of the image slower.

Also ask for a system for the projection of documents (video camera linked to the video conference system in case of projection of pictures or drawings) and for a flip-chart on which you could draw a sketch in front of the camera. These are essential tools for a successful meeting !

And now it is your turn ! You will be agreeably surprised to discover that all the staff of the FIB headquarters (the ones you do not know and who are working with you from Brussels are numerous) will be happy to serve you better !

Maybe you will also have the opportunity to see the charming smile of our secretaries ! One more good reason to meet via video conference !