april2022 - 4

FROM THE EDITOR
The Future of Virtual Meetings
I KNOW MANY people who thrive on virtual meetings. They tell me work life is so much better
now that they can have meetings online in a Zoom or Teams or Google Meet format rather than
having to walk down the hall and meet with their colleagues in person like we did in the good
old days. And of course it's more than avoiding the stroll down the corridor - the ease of using
video conferencing technology has transformed the meeting process so that remote employees
can be met with, as well as colleagues and clients across town or even around the globe.
On the other hand, I hear from
equally as many people who are not
exactly on board when it comes to
virtual meetings. They make pleas to
be left off the call list - " Just send me
a quick update in email with whatever
you discussed and where I need to
weigh in. "
Modern alternative to phone calls:
If you want to talk with someone, you
need to set up a virtual meeting. You
need to be dressed properly (at least
the part that's visible on-screen) and
have hair combed, and you need to
straighten the work area behind your
desk so the background view will be
presentable. Or you can use one of
those fake backgrounds that cut off the
sides of your head every time you move.
Here's how the process goes.
Someone will email me and ask when
I have time for a quick call. I check my
calendar, and then reply in email with
a few dates and times. The call-initiator
then looks at his or her calendar and
CPA
lets me know where we have times in
common. Then there is a back-andforth
as to which of us should send a
calendar invite. Then the invite goes
out and we each get it on our calendar.
Then the time comes for the call and
we jump online and see each other
onscreen while we have our quick call,
which might last an hour, or it might be
just a five to ten minute call, in which
case we spent way more time arranging
the call when we could have just picked
up the phone (remember phones?) and
made the call that way.
Setting up the call can get exponentially
more complicated when
there are many people involved, as
the calendars have to be checked for
each potential attendee, invites go out,
frequently someone declines because
a conflicting meeting didn't get added
to that person's calendar, the call is
rescheduled.
[At this point, while writing this
piece, my phone rang! No video, no
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scheduling, just a simple phone call! I
thanked the caller profusely.]
Downsides to the world of video
conferencing include technical difficulties
(these seem less frequent to
me than they were at the start of the
pandemic, however weak internet
connections can still wreak havoc),
the embarrassment of the ubiquitous
" You're on mute " reminders from colleagues,
and the fact that many people
feel uncomfortable while on camera.
Let's get back to those who are all
in when it comes to video calls. There
is much positive feedback from those
who enjoy being able to chat visually
with people who are remote workers
as well as those who are geographically
disbursed. Not only is there money to
be saved by not having to transport
people to meetings, but geography no
longer limits who can be hired for a
job, nor does it limit where your clients
might be based.
Many people think video calls are
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more engaging than traditional calls,
and another benefit is the ability to
easily record and even transcribe the
meetings. Screen-sharing can be seen
as a plus - more efficient than handing
out a pack of papers to people sitting
around a conference table.
Whether you are a fan of video conferencing,
look forward to returning to
in-office meetings, or stand somewhere
in between, you can be sure the process
is here to stay. And thanks to the speed
at which modern technology moves, I
believe it's safe to say we will see new
features and improvements in the near
future. ■
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GAIL PERRY, CPA
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@gperrycpa
4 APRIL 2022 ■ www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

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