How Video- Conferencing can help you fulfil your new year’s resolutions…

It is that time of year again… you’ve over indulged in the festive period with food, folly and fun.   Now January has managed to creep up on us and we all start to get that “let’s make this year better” feeling!

And as we all know that means it’s time to start dusting off your trainers, buying a Filofax, and starting the New Year aiming to be a slightly better person than you were last year….

So what are you looking to improve on in your life this year? And how can you be assured it won’t all have become a long lost pipe dream by the middle of February?

We have come up with some of the top New Year Resolutions and emphasise how video conferencing just helps you tick all the boxes. (And we guarantee it’s much less scary than any personal trainer at your new gym and much more enjoyable than only eating celery sticks as snacks for the rest of eternity)

-          NYR Number 1: “ I must be kinder to the planet, and do my part”
Video Conferencing makes this one so easy. What video conferencing represents is travel free meetings. This means no CO2 emissions, no cars or planes sputtering out harmful fumes. With video you can be making a HUGE difference to the planet all from the comfort of your own desk or boardroom

-          NYR Number 2: “I must spend more time with at home and with my family”
Almost all of us would much rather be home for dinner every night, enjoying time with the ones we love rather than being stuck in the office all day! And we’d definitely prefer it to being stuck in traffic or on a delayed train or plane. With video conferencing you are able to meet anyone, anywhere in the world – all from your office, near your home. Don’t let meetings add to your commute.

-          NYR Number 3– “I must start budgeting better”
(As a quick aside: We personally we believe this one should take place after the high street sales in January – that new suit will really work in video meetings anyway!)
However, if you choose to conduct even half of your meetings using video conferencing  you won’t just be saving on travel expenses… it means less hotel bills, less meal costs, less business hours lost…

-          NYR Number 4:  “I must be better – career wise”
Video conferencing is almost guaranteed to save your company money (especially if you use great services like Simplicity). But if utilised well it can also give you the edge over competitors, speed up decision making and time to market and result in a much more efficient workforce. Suggest it, implement it, use it, improve with video conferencing.

If you have any other suggestion, please let us know. Email info@questmark.co.uk

For todays blog we are celebrating the good will that the power of song can bring.

One of our favourite customers Greggs the Bakers have got into the Christmas spirit and with help from their customers over the internet they have recorded and released a Christmas single!

With a great message and proceeds to Help for Hero’s, Greggs haven’t quite got their celebrity, diva heads on.
With a single name “Not the Christmas Number One” the focus is on helping and supporting our soldiers and troops by raising as much money as possible.

Bryn Parry, chief executive officer and co-founder of Help for Heroes, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this exciting, festive project. The money Greggs raise is needed, it is being used and it is hugely appreciated; sadly, we need a great deal more. You are part of something very British and wonderful and I would like to say thank you for this and every other fund-raising event that it inspires.”

Visit the Greggs Facebook page at www.facebook.com/greggsthebakers<http://www.facebook.com/greggsthebakers>for behind the scenes shots from the filming of the video.

At Questmark we are pleased to support this great cause and hope you spread the message as well!

You may have seen our News item on this story, but it bought such joy to our office, we thought our blog followers would appreciate it as well.

Whilst Santa may have shared a great resemblance to a certain Northern Ireland colleague, the power of video was used here in such an uplifting and festive way…
Santa used video to reassure the children of a lovely primary school that he had received their letters, that their lost reindeer posters had helped in the search for Rudolf and that he would very much like some sherry left out for his arrival.

It says everything that this Christmas advent blog is supposed to.
Lets just hope Santa finds a way to deliver rainbows and smiles to some of the little girls now….

Now we just need the Easter Bunny to come on board for spring….

For our blog for the 8th, 9th and 10th we have some festive cheer to warm up these winter days and spread some light and joy in these technical days.
When Video Conferecing in used for good…

One of our top video conference uses has to be telemedicine.
Questmark have been investing and working with the healthcare industry for years and have seen first hand the benefits that telemedicine can have not only on saving lives but also improving the lifestyle of patients and their families.

A new study from the Department of Health has released it headliine findings and the results are outstanding:
“The early indications show that if used correctly telehealth can deliver a 15% reduction in A&E visits, a 20% reduction in emergency admissions, a 14% reduction in elective admissions, a 14% reduction in bed days and an 8% reduction in tariff costs. More strikingly they also demonstrate a 45% reduction in mortality rates”

With figures like this, we can be assured that more families are sharing a happier Christmas thanks to the role of telemedicine. And with these encouraging figures the potential for telecare and telehealth will continue to grow.

For the full story please see the full story at. http://www.questmark.co.uk/news/study-telemedicine-mortality

TOP 6 Reasons (Inspired by Christmas) that Video Conferencing is just plain great!

 Number 1: Snow!!! When streets are closed, your car won’t budge and frankly its soooo cold outside…. It doesn’t mean your business has to stop, or has to run with only half the staff because they live out in the countryside. Video Conferencing is so easily enabled on Laptops or PC’s your staff can join the meetings from their home. Alternatively it won’t dent all your plans if flights to New York are grounded – you can still make those decisions  before the new year starts.

 Number 2: Home! Whilst we might all love that Christmas Classic “Driving Home for Christmas” It sounds A LOT  much better on a 10 minute journey than when you are 3 hours from home stuck in traffic – trust me!  Video Conferencing means all your meetings can be done from your office and when it’s time to go home – it’s just like every other day!

 Number 3: Santa: Santa gets our number 5 spot for a multitude of reasons. Firstly, he flies all over the world using only reindeer power – as good to the environment as video conferencing.  Perfect for this giving time of year

 Number 4: Santa Again!  For a Second reason, he flies all over the world! Release your inner- Santa (though I’m not sure the beard is for everyone) and be in 5…6…10…20 places at once.

Number 5: Mulled Wine: Meetings in your own office means your bus/train/lift home isn’t disturbed and you’re colleagues in Scotland can be involved as well. All the more reason to enjoy the mulled wine at the office Christmas party!

 Number 6: Presents! Okay okay it’s not the exact same feeling of getting a lightsaber or new Lego, or the bike of your dreams. But all those benefits in” top reasons 1-5 could be yours if your organisation invests in video conferencing – And I think you’ve deserved it this year!

Hidden Games in the Cisco E20

6 days into December… 19 more until Christmas and our advent blog today is in anticipation of all those great gifts and games that will be sitting under the tree.

Our top secret tip is for those lucky workers with a Cisco E20 on their desk! Don’t think it’s just for video calls!! Hidden in the E20 there is the classic game Tetris!

This game should be used strictly at lunch times only – Though office leader boards are most definitely encouraged! So with that in mind, to access this game you very simply press the “Directory” Key ten times in quick succession!

 Enjoy!

Top video conferencing pranks

I think this blog should pay homage to the jolly Christmas prank, think The Grinch… home alone… how everyone likes the awful jokes in Christmas crackers …(or is that just me?!) 

Anyway a joke is always appreciated (alright alright there’s a time and a place, and we in no way encourage any of these in front of the boss or very important clients or for in key decision making meetings)
However, as we believe in and encourage the use of video to increase productivity and time to make decisions, you can use it to have MORE meetings; more ad hoc meetings, more 20 minute meetings just to check you’re on the same page, more quick chats (as if you would travel 3 hours for that!) 
And here I think maybe there is scope for the office joker to expand his repertoire…

Prank One: The other person can’t hear you? They’re checking their volumes, cables, crawling underneath the screen… nothing is working?! Oh because you’re only mouthing to them… 
Simple but effective, and that complete look of confusion is priceless! 
(top prankers tip: background noise gives you away a bit so phones off and make sure everyone at your end is in on it) 

Prank 2: Tricking you’re colleague into saying something rude, naughty, confessing their office crush…  and then pretend the boss had quietly walked in, pinnacle moment and heard it all,… just off camera! The face of panic – something you can’t appreciate over a phone - is brilliant! (don’t actually have the boss just of camera- that’s a bit too cruel)

Prank Number 3: Voice changing! Here’s the set up: one person on camera, one person just off screen. Prepare a simple script… the guy on screen is just mouthing the words and the team mate off screen can put his voice behind it. Really great for very squeaky voices matched with big burly men or you might have some very gruff sounding women in the office… Funny but sometimes hard to stick to the script and then the game is up.  

And Finally Prank Number 4! This one takes quite a lot of effort, and set up, but if you can pull it off- it’s totally worth it! Step One: take a photo of your office, Step Two: print it off life sized, Step 3: hang it anywhere you want! When the boss video calls in he’ll never know  youve just paused your afternoon golfing trip, he won’t realize you are still wearing your fuzzy slippers or that you’ve not made it in to the office and instead had an extra 3 hours lie in… or even use it to impress him by showing him you’re ”working late” every evening.
(A laptop and video conference software required!)

Our advent blog kicks off today! And we thought we’d begin with a reminder of what this season is all about… so here is the history of Questmark – with just a few Nativity references thrown in….

History of Questmark

Belfast born Sam McMaster (or maybe Bethlehem if we are making this Christmassy)  is the hero of this tale and here is his story and entwined within it is the history of Questmark.

Sam travelled to the city of Nottingham (not on a donkey – sad to say) in 1983 where he joined a local telecommunications company. From here his love of communication and video grew.

But we’ve jumped ahead of the story…

Sam was educated at the Belfast Royal Academy and had view to become a dentist, (the video world is very grateful that this desire faded.) For most of his life Sam has lived with philanthropic aims. He worked as a community service volunteer in Glasgow, helping children with behavioural problems. He even walked the West Highland Way from Fort William to Glasgow, and currently funds many charities abroad including setting up a school in Burma (And with Christmas in mind, Questmark have of course donated some presents for under the palm trees)

With a technical goal Sam decided to read physics at the University of Newcastle. Upon graduation Sam looked to start a career in the technical field he enjoyed so much. He joined a telecommunications company in Beeston, Nottingham. Loving the field he quickly rose through the ranks and became a lecturer in the training centre spreading his words of wisdom.

A truly awakening moment (well for Questmark’s existence anyway) was when Sam was given the opportunity to work on one of the very first video conference systems…

He never looked back! Like a shining star over Bethlehem (Or in this case Long Eaton) he followed it and opened up his first office.

He assembled his team of Wise Men (and guardian angels – so the girls get a part in the story too!) and with good will, frankincense and myrrh (we’re still searching for the gold…) and a strong mission he spread the video conferencing message.

For more messages of wisdom, goodwill and promotions, our advent blog will offer all the more Christmas excitement everyday this month!

Tomorrow we start the countdown to Christmas!! 25 days to go until everyone gets lots of presents, gets lots of turkey and has to wear those funny jumpers with knitted reindeer on the front (we’re very glad we won’t be on video for that!)

And in celebration of this wonderous time of year as we have previously announced we will be giving away a host of insider tips everyday in the run up to Christmas.

We’ve been working on some great stories, we’ve been badgering engineers for secrets hidden in video systems, we have been designing some brand spanking new special offers and promotions (batteries included) and adding a touch of sparkle to video in general…

So to find out how to get the most out of your video conference system, if you’ve been wondering how it could fit with your organisation, if you just want some Christmas cheer, or want to take advantage of the Pre-Christmas promotions or be up updated first about the post-Christmas offers…. check back onto our website tomorrow for the first of our Advent Blogs!