In today’s world, many retailers are short on staff and tight on money. Retailers are being forced to answer questions like, “Who is going to train the New York and Seattle stores on the same day?” And, “Do we have the budget for airfare and a hotel stay in Los Angeles?” Conferencing picks up where these questions leave off and is becoming increasingly more popular. InterCall, the largest conferencing provider in the world, discovered from their customers the five key reasons for conferencing:

Cost Savings: Retailers can save more than 30 percent each year by reducing travel and conferencing instead (CyberSpy.com).

Options: Conferencing offers a wide variety of different options such as video conferencing, web conferencing, audio conferencing, and file sharing. This makes it easy to conduct a meeting outside of the office. And with programs such as InterCall’s Mobile Assistant for BlackBerry smartphones, you can attend a meeting on-the-go.

Going Green: America’s 130 million workers generate 1.68 metric tons of CO2 per year through commuting, business travel, computer use and other related activities. Now more than ever, retailers are striving to be green. They can help reduce their carbon footprint by cutting back on air and road travel and conference instead.

Busy Bodies: With employee cutbacks and layoffs, it seems as though employees are wearing more than one hat these days. Conferencing makes it easy for one employee to train stores in five different cities in one day without ever leaving the home office.

Out of Office: Nearly 32 percent of domestic flights were delayed in 2008 with JFK and O’Hare topping the list as the worst airports in the United States (U.S. Travel Association). On the road, stuck in the airport or home sick, you can still attend the important meeting without actually being in the office. This makes it easy for employees to gain access to important discussions.

Founded in 1991, InterCall’s mission is to help people make better business connections across the world. Employing more than 2,000 Meeting Consultants, administrative and support staff, InterCall operates four call centers and 26 U.S. sales offices, and has a global reach that extends to six continents. InterCall is a subsidiary of West Corporation.

For additional information on how to implement conferencing and collaboration into your retail organization, contact Member Care.