BRIDGEWATER, NJ--(Marketwired - Sep 16, 2013) - Brother International Corporation released results from its '2013 Collaboration and Process Management Survey,' which found over 50% of respondents are spending money on business travel that they believe could be conducted virtually via web conference.
The Hefty Pricetag
Of the 50% of respondents that travel for internal company meetings or trainings:
- 55% said that they travel at least 2 times a year for meetings that could be conducted using video conferencing
- 59% of respondents said they travel to conduct day-to-day business with colleagues located in other offices
- 38% of respondents noted it costs over $500 to travel to a business meeting or company training, and 15% noted it cost over $1,000
In a time where companies are reducing headcount and increasing responsibilities to help save money, Brother sees the use of web conferencing as an untapped cost savings tool. "Unnecessary overspending on business travel is a problem for businesses of all sizes, including mid-sized businesses," said Courtney Behrens, Sr. Marketing Manager of Brother Online. Brother Online offers businesses a suite of web-based solutions and services, designed to help improve productivity, including OmniJoin™ web conferencing.
"While some meetings are more beneficial with in-person communication, those that aren't can be hosted via collaborative solutions, like a web conferencing service with HD quality video, helping to save time and money."
Untapped Collaboration Benefits
Survey results also revealed that while small and medium sized businesses are committed to investing in technology, with 30 percent spending over $30,000 a year on IT, they have yet to uncover the potential of collaboration technology. While 90% of respondents noted that collaboration technology would make them feel more productive at work, only 50% of all respondents said that their company invests in collaboration software. Furthermore, more than half of respondents (57 percent) admitted they do not use cloud-based file sharing solutions to share documents with colleagues.
Productivity continues to be a significant hurdle SMBs face on a daily basis. 33 percent of SMB employees said they spend an hour or more each day -- about 13% of the workday -- searching for shared files, emails, and scheduling meetings. However, 66 percent of respondents said that they would be more productive doing these administrative tasks if their company offered technology at work to help them find files easily, schedule meetings quickly and securely share documents with colleagues.
"By investing in the right technology, companies are ultimately investing in their employees to help build a more productive workforce," noted Behrens.
To learn more about Brother Online, and the solutions offered to help improve worker productivity, at www.BrotherCloud.com.
Web Services from Brother
For decades, small office / home office, small and medium sized businesses, and corporate workgroup customers have depended on Brother for high-quality, value-packed business machines. Brother is now expanding beyond simply offering great hardware products, by launching the Brother Online suite of smart, web-based business services and solutions. Though OmniJoin™ web conferencing is the first such major service offering, the Brother Online suite will soon add a variety of scanning and workflow solutions, which will complement and expand the value of Brother™ scanners, printers, and Multi-Function Center® devices. For more information on Brother Online services, visit www.brothercloud.com
Survey Methodology
The Brother Collaboration and Process Management Survey was conducted in July 2013 by Survey Monkey (www.surveymonkey.com) among 350 U.S. business employees of companies containing 100 to 1,000 employees. Survey Monkey contacted respondents by email and received responses through an online survey.
About Brother
Brother International Corporation is one of the premier providers of products for the home, home office and office. The U.S. corporate office in Bridgewater, NJ, was established on April 21, 1954 and currently markets many industrial products, home appliances and business products manufactured by its parent company, Brother Industries, Ltd. of Nagoya, Japan.
These products include an award-winning line of Multi-Function Center® machines and printers. Brother also provides the number-one line of facsimile machines in the U.S. and is the leader in electronic labeling, with its full line of P-touch® Electronic Labeling Systems. For more information you can visit the website at www.brother.com.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Photography available upon request.
Contact Information:
Marissa Ramey
202-507-4717