Whether it’s customer enquiries pinging into your inbox or dialling into meetings on a WFH day, it’s easier than ever to do business without leaving the comfort of your desk.
Modern businesses have to use the latest tech to keep up with clients’ and employees’ increasingly flexible ways of working. But even Steve Jobs, the man behind the iPhone, understood the importance of the original ‘face time’. As he said, “There’s a temptation in our networked age to think that ideas can be developed by email and iChat. That’s crazy. Creativity comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions.”
Here are three ways meeting face to face trumps emails or calls:
1. It’s much clearer
Often, it’s not what someone says but how they say it, and that’s the case across all human interactions, whether we’re talking about a date or a work meeting.
A well-known University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) study found that 55% of communication effectiveness comes down to non-verbal cues such as eye contact and gestures. Words alone can be misinterpreted – research compiled by CT Business Travel found 60% of people regularly misread the tone or message of an email or call.
2. Everyone’s more engaged
If you’ve ever been on an audio-only conference call and zoned out for a quick scroll through your emails or social media, you’re not alone: 70% of people have admitted to doing it. Meeting face to face, even if on a video call, means people are more accountable and therefore more engaged.
3. You seem more credible
Meeting face to face builds stronger relationships. It might feel like an old-school concept, but it rings true across generations. Research shows that 80% of digitally savvy millennials still prefer communicating with colleagues face to face.
Cross head / So are video calls the answer?
Video calls are a step up from email and phone, but they can’t replace meeting in person. A Skype call might seem more cost-effective in the short term but going the extra mile to physically meet brings a whole host of extra business benefits.
Here are another five reasons to meet in person:
4. You make a better first impression
First impressions are important and enduring, so skip the awkward wave on a pixelated video feed. Handshakes are exclusive to real-life meetings and a good, strong one says a lot about a person. Plus, all handshakes stimulate the brain’s reward centre, making people more cooperative.
5. It’s easier to read body language
Video calls lose many nuances of body language and emotional cues. However good your camera and connection, the screen will crop out hand gestures and, when calling as a team, having multiple people in one frame makes it difficult to see individuals.
6. Avoid inevitable tech failures
We’ve all been there. Dodgy audio, frozen video feeds, accidentally talking over each other – even the best video-calling tech has problems (watch this video for a hilariously relatable sketch). Prevent time delays and stilted responses by chatting in person, where conversations flow and it’s easier to gauge people’s responses.
7. Personalities shine through
In-person meetings allow more opportunity for humour, asides and small talk. Coffee breaks and pre-meeting catch-ups can lead to useful informal discussions, as well as general bonding and relationship building.
Seeing an office also gives insight into a company’s culture. Are you visiting an open-plan, scooter-riding campus or a traditional corporate boardroom?
8. You get more done
With all the decision-makers in one room, stuff gets done. In particular, creative productivity increases. Research compiled by Great Business Schools found that on average, an in-person meeting generates 13 ideas, while a virtual meeting generates 10.
9. Some situations just need a personal touch
Making the effort to attend an in-person meeting shows mutual respect, which is particularly important for:
* Pitching new business and negotiating contracts. Getting in front of a client is the best way to pin down that deal. A study in the Harvard Business Review proved that face-to-face requests are 34 times more successful than emails. Instant, real-time reactions mean complex negotiations can be sorted with one conversation, instead of a long email chain or several phone calls.
* International and cross-cultural business deals. Questioning if one meeting is worth that pricey plane ticket? Long-distance relationships require work – and that’s no different in business. It’s easy to feel disengaged due to the physical distance, which makes face-to-face meetings key in setting up or improving long-term working relationships. It’s also the best way to carry out negotiations when there are different languages and cultures involved.
* Recruiting. Our judgement is much better in person (it all comes back to the importance of body language), which is why interviewing face to face is the best way to evaluate the skills of a prospective hire.
Ready to head out and about for your next big meeting? Check out Gett Business Solutions for hassle-free rides.
Image credits: Stocksy
