THE CHALLENGE
The Air Force Association has nearly 100,000 members and 200 chapters throughout the country and overseas. Because the leadership team is widely dispersed, hosting important board, council, and committee meetings typically meant incurring travel expenses for both members and the Association.
With pressing meetings already on the calendar and a need to rein in costs, AFA was determined to reduce travel expenses without jeopardizing productivity. Adding to the challenge was the fact that many of the organization’s volunteers are not tech-savvy, and they use their personal devices and networks with different browsers and operating systems to communicate.
With a limited budget, the AFA needed a high-quality, responsive, easy-to-use video conferencing solution with a unified user experience — one that all its volunteers, alumni, and employees could adopt and use to set up their own meetings without having to train on a complex traditional teleconferencing solution.
saved per meeting on average
THE SOLUTION
The AFA tried various systems, including a desktop-based web conferencing solution and a voice-only mobile solution. These options lacked quality and adaptability across different browsers, operating systems, and devices, and users were unable to share content easily.
The AFA then turned to Vidyo for its video conferencing needs. “I read up on Vidyo, and my CIO did some research and said it was a great system,” explained retired Gen. Larry Spencer, AFA President. “We implemented it, and I’ve got to tell you, it’s been a lifesaver. More specifically, it’s been a money saver.”
With Vidyo, the AFA can conduct remote meetings that are just as effective as in-person meetings. The Vidyo platform architecture is designed for highly reliable and resilient performance, even over variable Wi-Fi networks, low-bandwidth connections, 4G, and the internet. Thanks to this design, volunteers in remote areas can join a meeting as if they are in the same physical room as other participants. The high-quality video and audio enhance the meeting experience for all involved.
In addition, the software is easy to use: AFA employees and volunteers simply go to the organization’s website and download the software with a single click. They can also invite outside guests to join their video conference with a shareable URL, with no downloads or installations necessary for the guest.
“We chose Vidyo because the technology is designed for reliable and consistent performance over mobile,” said Yorkshire. “As a nonprofit with limited resources, we needed the simplicity and affordability of a cloud-based solution that could reliably connect us visually, regardless of how and where our employees and volunteers are calling in from.”
RESULTS
The AFA’s cost savings since implementing the Vidyo cloud solution are significant: The organization saved $50,000 – $70,000 per meeting by using Vidyo instead of in person meetings.
As a direct result of implementing the Vidyo cloud solution, the AFA recently successfully conducted its board of directors meeting with remote participation, which has never been accomplished as easily without the hassle and expense of travel.
In addition to the cost savings, the use of Vidyo also allows the key initiatives that the AFA undertakes to be executed much more efficiently. The fact that team members can connect face-to-face from anywhere with a simple click of a button has dramatically changed the speed and ease with which the AFA can deliver on its many programs.
“We chose Vidyo because the technology is designed for reliable and consistent performance over mobile,” said Yorkshire. “As a nonprofit with limited resources, we needed the simplicity and affordability of a cloud-based solution that could reliably connect us visually, regardless of how and where our employees and volunteers are calling in from.”
Today AFA is more productive than ever, thanks to Vidyo, delivering quality programs and benefits to its members before, during, and beyond their time in uniform.
FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES
Vidyo’s cloud solution has transformed the way AFA conducts internal and external meetings on a day-to-day basis, and the organization is eager to explore additional video collaboration use cases to improve its meetings’ effectiveness and productivity and further increase the company’s cost savings.
“In the future, I’d love to explore using Vidyo to host webinars,” says Bridget Dongu, AFA Director of Communications. “Our members across the country are always looking to us to offer them professional development, so if we could record useful information and have them simply log in and listen, that would be a great solution.”
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