Web conferencing or face to face: what's better for business?

I think there is value in web conferencing. In particular when you want to get a group together because it can be much more cost effective. Depending on the nature of the meeting however; face to face may still be the way to go. I know that my generation (boomer) is getting far more comfortable with technology and accessing it more frequently to do business but if possible, I still prefer face to face because it is more personal. Those who are behind us (younger in age) have grown up using technology, so if this is your audience, then web conferencing may be preferable. Again, it also depends on the nature of the communication with another person. For instance, any time there is disappointing or bad news to deliver, conferencing, in my opinion, would not be the way to go.

Kellie, you make a great point... I would never deliver bad news (firing, pay cut, whatever-) to an employee over web conference... Unless circumstances were beyond control anyway.

But, in general I agree that it depends on the nature of the meeting, and what's being discussed too perhaps.

Something critical to the viability of the business? No.
For day to day easier communication, or a quick check in? Sure.

Fritz -
Both web conferencing and face2face interaction have clear benefits in getting business done.

Face2face events and business meetings will always be valuable for forging long term relationships. Online events (webinars and virtual tradeshows and events) can provide companies with a cost-efficient and effective way to communicate with large audiences. These are especially great for lead generation and the qualifying of those leads.

-Dave

Its depend on the severity of the situation. I think, It would be better using web conferencing for petty issues like day today calls. However for big business prospective its always good to have face to face meeting in order to understand other party caliber and end in mind.

How would this differ from a sales perspective (prospective client) vs. internal communication (fellow employees)?

Conferencing , be it audio , video or web conferencing has proven to be great productivity enhancing communication tools for most organizations. I totally agree to all the valuable points made by Sanjay, Fritz, Malini , Kellie and Peter.
It is unquestionable fact that Face to face communication is best form of communication because of its well known characteristics and advantages, but not to forget the same is delivered at a dear price. It was ideal in economic times when the demographics of the business operations were mostly limited. In today's dynamic environment wherein most businesses have their arms spread across the geographies, it becomes very difficult to be in constant discussion through Face to Face Meetings. The cost of traveling involved, the loss of time in traveling, loss of productive time of the employees, etc.
This is when conferencing helps, the different parties can schedule a quick meeting , need not travel or waste time . Sit at the comfort of your work station, enjoy the ease of being able to have all the necessary resources at your disposable the way you want it. Have the discussion , and get right back to work. This way there is less distraction in implementing that you discussed and agreed upon in the meetings. you don't have to make major changes to your schedule, you can always squeeze it in your tight schedule as all you are doing is making a call.

Undeniably crucial decision and announcements can not be made through a audio, video or web conference. But the various discussion and prior steps to the decision can be reached at these conferences.

My vote goes for Conferencing !!!!

Cheers Pals,
Nithya Mehta