Skype is an alternative, free form of internet-based video conferencing popular in the home.

Why then do people pay? Because paid-for services, often up to £30-40 a month, will use open interfaces which allow you to connect with users of other systems.

The next two stages of video-conferencing are room-based – which typically allows several people to be displayed on one large HD screen with data on another.

This costs £10,000 upwards for infrastructure and then a monthly service charge of perhaps £100 a month.

EyeNetwork brokers rooms across the world to allow companies without their own space to video-conference.

The service is frequently used for recruitment or by court services for remote testimony.

The top echelon of video-conferencing, often costing £100,000-plus, is immersive, where other ‘attendees’ appear as though seated at the same table.

Keith Gyford, managing director of First Connections, says the ROI for video-conferencing is remarkably fast if companies choose the right kit. The key point is to ensure that it is actually used.

“ROI is typically three to four months. One Government body saw ROI in 20 days, despite all its travel being within the UK,” says Gyford.

Case study: British Telecom

BT is a leading supplier of commercial conferencing products and, therefore, has a vested interest in ensuring its success.

Since introducing conferencing technology five years ago, aligned to flexible working, it has saved more than 11 million kilometres and 2,800 tonnes of CO2 for company car, rail and air travel.

In 2011, its use of audio and video-conferencing increased by 27%.

Teleconferencing is used to manage and support its 9,400 home- workers, including its Openreach engineers.

Through these and other efficiency measures, BT cut its commercial fleet mileage by 9.5%, and fuel consumption by 10.8% from 2007-2009.

In addition, sales of its conferencing services to companies have saved an estimated 53,000 tonnes of CO2 and
helped customers avoid 717,000 face-to-face meetings over a 12-month period, according to BT.

On average, companies are saving £256 in travel costs per meeting, which equates to a total saving of £180m.