The world of the twenty-first century is one that moves faster than ever before. We want our news fast, entertainment on demand and our audio and video content delivered instantly. When speed is the name of the game, everything – business technology included – must adapt to keep pace.

One of the greatest steps forward that has been made in that field is the introduction of live video streaming to the conference room or office. With an increasingly global marketplace, corporations now source materials and labor from all parts of the planet, but the need for real, face to face, human interaction has not waned. If anything, the rapidly moving pace of the modern world has only increased the need for conversation and collaboration in business. Real-time audiovisual communication is one way this need can be met that considers cost, time constraints and overall efficiency and serves up a solution to every problem.

What Is Streaming?

According to Tech Target, a stream is video content that is compressed and sent via the internet to be experienced by a viewer in real time. What this means is that while creators are presenting their content, interested viewers can watch events unfold as they occur, even from thousands of miles away. The concept of the stream has revolutionized the way we experience world events, online media and indeed the world. When something happens in China for example, Americans can learn about it as it takes place. This creates an entirely new educational, political, scientific and social climate that we would have never been capable of navigating just a few decades ago.

All the receiver or viewer needs in order to enjoy media as it’s created is a player, which is any application that hosts streamed video. This can be included in the software of the device they use or may be an additional application or downloaded program, but there are dozens of these resources available for users of every type of technology.

The application of streaming media varies widely from user to user, but the primary usage is entertainment and journalistic coverage. Artists use live video of performances to include audiences that would otherwise be unable to enjoy their music in that format, while reporters cover breaking news via online outlets that bring the facts to their viewers before cable networks can. This has created a higher demand than ever for real-time content, and companies like BlueJeans can show their clients how to put this demand for live streaming to work for their business.

How Can Streaming Work for the Workplace?

There are many benefits for those who choose to utilize streams for businesses applications. Customers and clients enjoy access to content and interaction with their favorite creators that have not been available previously, while companies large and small enjoy the consumer feedback that live broadcast can provide. When asked, potential consumers had much of this feedback to offer to PostPlanner.com, and to any professional considering using these services. Some of that feedback included the following opinions, all based in market and field research:

• The sense of transparency and timeliness offered by streamed media is an invaluable resource to any brand.
• Real-time customer interaction should not be viewed as a fad. It satisfies a real need and brings businesses into the here and now.
• Advertising is easier when demonstration is possible, and this platform is designed for demonstration.
• Streaming builds community, increases empathy and fosters relationships between creators and their audiences.
• Offering a look behind the brand name at the people who run companies and corporations helps to humanize these entities, and kindles trust in these people.
• Answering consumer questions and addressing customer concerns is easier than ever with these services.

While live, broadcasted audio and video has been around for a very long time, streaming is a concept that has leapt into the forefront of the public consciousness in recent years. With so many aspects of life now rooted in the internet, it only makes sense that a major outlet for communication and entertainment is now using that same network to share the information and ideas that we as a society need to share every day.

One of the best ways that business owners and representatives put this platform to work for them is through the virtual conference. Whether the meeting is internal, such as an employee conference or educational session or external, such as demonstrative promotions, advertising or direct interaction with consumers and clients, the streams held by businesses always have a purpose. That purpose is to improve the goods and services that each business provides and to enhance customer experience and employee understanding.

Social Media Examiner tells us that the most modern approach to promotion of any kind is live engagement. Today’s corporate world runs on quick and concise communication, and that’s true of businesses both large and small. Finding the best way to apply real-time audiovisual technology to each situation is only part of the equation, but as media trends continue to develop so do market research professionals and their approach to using tools like streams to keep up with the perpetual movement of the working world.