I would like to make some comments concerning remote communication and secure video chat.
Over the last few years, this form of communication has become increasingly crucial to my business and has become the focal point of how I communicate in my business world. Even before the advent of the Coronavirus and the Worldwide disruption that it caused, I was working remotely from my home.
My main offices and fabrics warehouses are located in Manchester Great Britain and I reside in Israel and work from my home office, so I have needed good lines of communication between myself and our production facilities in Korea, China, and India. For many years the telephone was my main form of communicating with these disparate facilities, and this worked quite well with the available technology. But especially for working with the Far East, the face-to-face meeting was deemed to be an invaluable form of meeting, and I would travel to these countries once or twice a year but with the advent of better online video technology I have really cut down on my overseas travel. This is something that has been replicated throughout my business communication, it does not just relate to my suppliers but also to customers and my financial service providers whether it is my bank management team, accountants, or investment services. Having good interactive remote communication has meant that I can connect and have meaningful discussions on a range of subjects covering many different parts of my business directly from the comfort of my remote office.
As technology changed and the means to actually see and talk to each other through video chat meetings became easier and more reliable, the need to actually travel was reduced and we became more used to interacting through this medium. I must reiterate that the technology change had become the big difference as now we could clearly see each other, and also are able to show not justt tabular information, but the actual product and to discuss it with both parties being able to accurately see and comment upon it. This meant that the issues being discussed were not vague or crude, both sides could clearly see the item under discussion and are able to comment upon it. Furthermore, if needed, I can share screens with my banker or attorney securely to ensure we are clear about matters that need attention. The ability to record the video chat session and have that encrypted and archived is also extremely important for us.
The need for a clear and reliable interface cannot be clearer, this can be split into two components. The first is the actual network connection that is being used, we all try to source the best and most cost-effective option for this, but most of the time we do not have such a big choice in the market as this service seems now to be provided by a few big players.
The other part of the interface is the software that is being used and unlike the internet line, there are many companies to choose from, many of which also offer free video chat solutions. However, as someone who is not too technical, I am looking for a few requirements. Included in these are a clear and easy-to-use product, something that I can count on to work every time I interface, cost-effective, and has good backup and help when needed.
Aarran Levi
Director at VISAGE TEXTILES LIMITED