Capturing the Travel Savings from Conferencing TechnologyCapturing the Travel Savings from Conferencing Technology

A survey of enterprise execs finds less than a third actually realized savings in the first year after a major deployment.

We're kind of past the point where anybody really talks about video and/or web conferencing being implemented as a way to save on travel expenses. Largely, those technologies are being implemented, I guess, just because they can be. The travel savings are assumed and if you asked most business execs, as well as IT folks, they'd say that's a safe assumption. But is it?

A recent survey says: Yes and no.

The Association of Corporate Travel Executives, an industry group for enterprise travel planners, just released the results of a survey they commissioned of 200 execs, "When Do Web- and Video Conferencing Reduce Travel Spend?" The survey found that, "only 30% of corporate travel departments report actually reducing travel expense in the year following a major conferencing technology deployment." However, because the pressure to reduce travel expenses has not abated, the survey found that more than half of respondents say they'll rely more on online travel alternatives.

The reason for the limited ability to realize the intended savings has to do, not surprisingly, with organizational issues rather than the technology or how it's implemented. "The study found a pervasive lack of coordination between IT and travel departments," the authors, Kotler Marketing Group, wrote. "This is illustrated by the fact that most travel managers have no involvement in managing conferencing technology's use as a replacement for travel."

"On the other hand, the study data is compelling that conferencing technology can and does meet expectations for reducing corporate travel spend when it is introduced in tandem with managerial best practices," the authors went on.

Successful implementation of conferencing technology could reduce travel expenses by 20%, the survey found.

When we look at conferencing, especially video, as a replacement for travel, we often talk about it as if technology were the only factor--if you deploy the technology and do it right, people will accept it and use it, and you'll capture your savings. If you do it wrong, people will ignore it and the money will be wasted. This survey suggests that, as with so many advanced applications in the UC space, there needs to be close coordination between the technology decision-makers and line of business execs.