Crossroads 2002 A-List Award Winners

Placeware, Inc.
Mountain View, CA

Conference Center
> Web-based Conferencing

CUSTOMERS AT WORK

Global corporations deliver products and services that depend on information to make an impact. In order to communicate with, train, and collaborate with employees, customers, and partners, companies need a cost-effective means of bringing people together. PlaceWare customers are looking to maximize the value of their business communities’ time. Global manufacturers and a business services firm were among the reference customers. Common objectives included:

§ Obtaining global reach and knowledge transfer

§ Reducing travel and training costs

§ Enriching employee-to-employee communication

§ Improving the value of e-learning efforts

WHY PLACEWARE?

PlaceWare clients enable business professionals to conduct live, interactive meetings and presentations over the Internet. Users can share rich-media content and applications via PlaceWare. Meeting organizers can track participation, run Q&A sessions, and incorporate interactive chat in a live conference. PlaceWare is a managed service, and user organizations can make capacity allowances based on extraordinary events. Client organizations may still use dial-in lines for the audio portion of the conference. Individual users experience PlaceWare via their browsers

BUSINESS IMPACT

Near-term value: Customer organizations report that incorporating PlaceWare into their operations has sent a powerful message to clients, partners, and employees: “We value your time.” A number of reference customers highlighted significant reductions in travel and training costs. More importantly, they have received strong demand for the PlaceWare alternative from prospects and existing clients.

Enterprise innovation: Improved communications are critical in today’s world, where organizations are required to doing more with less. Restricting travel for financial or safety reasons does not reduce the need for alignment and collaboration. Executives recognize that focused communication remains the best way to ensure consistent frontline execution. One customer has made PlaceWare the centerpiece of a program to improve top-down communication across their global enterprise.

Technology gains: PlaceWare offers technology teams a reliable, scalable means of delivering Web-based conferencing. One manufacturer has used PlaceWare’s service to expand its e-learning initiative. In the past, on-site learning seminars took place in centralized locations three or four times a year. Since the company adopted PlaceWare, it has held more than 300 learning events in which people from all over the globe have participated.

SUCCESS FACTORS

Project strategy: In larger organizations, it is critical to determine a process for administrating PlaceWare conferences. A number of companies reported that this was a necessary step to ensure that demand was properly addressed.

Learning: Companies report that the PlaceWare tool is easy to use. However, making people aware that the tool is at their disposal remains a challenge. Companies advise that a user education program is the only way to start changing behavior.

Resources: PlaceWare continues to improve its recording and archiving options. Organizations that have archival storage and reuse as a top priority should investigate the complementary resources or services required to support these activities.

Fit: Global companies with a highly distributed workforce should consider PlaceWare as an addition to their employees’ office suite.

COMPANY INFO

PlaceWare, Inc., is a private company with 240 employees.

888.526.6170
www.placeware.com
Published: January 2002