The web-conferencing market in Hong Kong is set for significant growth and will continue to evolve as customers become more concerned about functions and usability.
With the popularity of mobile devices and social networking applications, web conferencing providers will focus more on creating easy-to-use solutions and integrating existing communication tools with new applications.
Eileen O'Connell, regional sales director of BT Conferencing, says the key drivers for companies deploying web conferencing are convenience, effectiveness and concern about the environment.
'Web conferencing fits somewhere between audio and video conferencing, and now offers integration to audio and desktop video capabilities to enhance the meeting experience,' she says. 'Five years ago, the expectations of conferencing tools were much lower, but we've seen great improvements in all aspects, [and] that has driven up usage.'
Her view is shared by David Hooper, information worker business group leader for Microsoft Hong Kong. 'In the past, most customers would focus on reliability and quality, but now they tend to be more concerned about usability,' he says.
Hooper says most customers use web conferencing primarily for internal collaboration to help daily business operations. 'We are seeing a trend heading towards different business areas such as sales and marketing, business partner communications and internal training,' he adds.