Video conferencing is reinventing the wheel. That’s not just true for the communication industry. With what it brings to the table, companies that are fast finding ways to leverage it as part of their IT infrastructure can be looking at a whole new way of doing business. Here are some of the companies that have probably seen the light and are now already sprinting to the future:

Small to Midsize Companies

It used to be unheard of for small companies to invest in conferencing tools. They were hard to use, cost a lot of money, and required the skills of a team of IT experts to manage and run. That’s all in the past now, though. With online meetings, companies can now tap into their IT teams for different reasons. Remember how you used to request for IT assistance every time you couldn’t get a phone patch to work or if a video call was blurry? There was no report, and no meeting was possible without the assistance of an IT expert at hand. Your IT was essentially your best friend in the workplace.

Then came better technologies. Cloud-based solutions made online meetings easy. You no longer needed help when installing the software. All you had to do was download the program, follow the instructions for activating it, and you were good to go. Designed to work on different platforms, you can even easily connect to a meeting with your iPhone or Android device, says Channel Life. That cut a lot of costs out for big companies, from hefty upgrades, costly maintenance fees and a better, wiser use for internal IT resources. It also allowed small to midsize companies that didn’t use to have capital to now join the fray. Offered at low cost, web conferencing gave small companies, especially startups, the chance to finally play with the big guys.

Healthcare Companies

At Millicent & District Hospital and Health Services Inc., a hospital in Australia, the board is already considering the addition of video meetings in order to reduce travel for patients, especially for those who are up for surgery, ABC News reports. Consultations typically require patients to travel for hours, if not miles. Video solutions can eliminate that step, allowing patients relief and cost-savings. Plans to offer consultations via video can significantly improve patient welfare as well as make better use of each doctor’s time. When doctors need to do a consult and reach out to other specialists in the field for support, especially for urgent medical cases—where an accurate diagnosis within the first 24 hours can make a crucial difference—video can make that consultation happen that much faster. Doctors don’t have to waste time on traveling or waiting for the case file to arrive. They can send the files through an online meeting and, right there and then, review images or data to figure out what the right diagnosis is. Industry leaders like Blue Jeans offer video conferencing setup for IT infrastructure that hospitals can easily put into place, with less hassle and costs.

Recruitment Companies

Hiring companies are also one of the first few businesses that took one look at online conferencing and took to it like a duck to water. One of perks of the system is that it has made it possible for HR teams to access global talent pools. Human resource companies that had serious trouble hiring the right employees from local talent pools could now access qualified talents all across the globe. In addition, with online meetings, initial interviews could now be carried out online. There was no longer any need for applicants and HR personnel to be at the office. Interviews were easy to schedule and keep, even with both parties at home or elsewhere. It also made recruitment tasks go easier. HR teams could only rely on resumes, photos, and calls in the past in order to decide if they should proceed with an application or not. This way, initial interviews can help push an applicant further or make it easy for recruiters to separate prospective ones from the rest of the pile. That also leads to shorter hiring cycles and recruitment costs.

Universities

Of course, companies aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the benefits that this technology has to offer. Universities are also investing time and energy in creating offsite classrooms. It’s an excellent way to address the shortage of students, especially for certain classes. Now, schools can share students and faculty via video classes. Imagine one classroom, with a teacher and a few students, and another classroom in a campus perhaps a few states away. Because of collaborative features, teachers and students alike could discuss and tackle assignments together. Students could even be partnered with offsite classmates for presentations.

Conclusion

As more discover the benefits of this technology, it’s clear as day that greater consumer interest will continue to drive user adaptation even further, hopefully toward even better and cost-effective systems. For now, all we can do is wait.