| Wachovia Chooses Telepresence
Wachovia chooses to innovate with TelePresence; the technology will substantially change the way Wachovia employees communicate and collaborate across large distances
Wachovia Corporation, the parent company of the fourth-largest bank and third-largest brokerage firm in the United States, has completed its first deployment of TelePresence conferencing rooms. Wachovia is deploying the solution in an attempt to enhance collaboration and productivity within critical business functions.
The first deployment includes two fully operational TelePresence systems connecting Wachovia’s Charlotte, North Carolina, headquarters with the company’s Richmond, Virginia, location, which also serves as headquarters for Wachovia Securities. Wachovia envisions multi-site meetings between additional domestic and international sites and within executive offices, following its successful pilot.
The company launched the pilot to enable virtual face-to-face meetings across multiple locations as an innovative approach to address Wachovia’s increasing geographic presence. The bank needed a way to connect to its branch in Charlotte, North Carolina, which did not have a hub airport and, therefore, had relatively few flight options, as well as one of its major sites in San Antonio, Texas and on others across the country in California.
Jim Ditmore, Wachovia’s chief technology officer, said: “We are using TelePresence to help our people be more productive with their time. We continue to grow geographically, and while there will always be the need for in-person meetings in our business, our employees now have a viable alternative to getting on a plane and being away from their families. We think this kind of flexibility further improves our differentiated customer service and overall competitiveness.”
Jim Ditmore also said that if TelePresence proves effective the bank likely would put a system in each of its major corporate sites.
Jim Kittridge, Wachovia Senior IT Leader and Telepresence product manager, said: “We are proud of the fact that through implementing TelePresence technology and reducing travel needs, we can support our goal of expense reduction while also furthering our corporate commitment to environmental responsibility. This technology will substantially change the way Wachovia employees communicate and collaborate across large distances.”
Jim Ditmore said Wachovia would use a number of metrics to measure the system's effectiveness. Obviously, the occupancy rate of the TelePresence conference room would be the first, because it would show how many workers didn't have to travel to be present at a meeting, he said. The bank also plans to survey those workers to determine how many trips they avoided as a result of using the conference room and what productivity they feel they gained.
Telepresence solutions are available through Direct Visual from a selection on manufacturers.
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