Traffic volumes are on the up, travel costs are rising and congestion charges will force managers to review what constitutes an 'essential' journey, but by a ratio of three to one, panel members believe that the e-world is no substitute for face-to-face meetings. This is particularly the case for sales staff and their prospects and clients, and for maintenance staff and engineers who have no alternative but to drive with their tool kits to customer sites.
However, for internal meetings and particularly international communication, panel members see video-conferencing playing an increasingly important role in reducing, if not eliminating, corporate travel.
Rather like the uphill struggle of the first fax machine salesmen (Client: 'What use to me is a fax machine when none of my contacts has one?), video- conferencing will only have a serious impact on corporate communication when every office has one.
Until then, no supplier will choose to ignore a potential customer just because it does not have video-conferencing technology. And that means a salesman needs to be mobile – and therefore equipped with a company car.
Moreover, the company car is not just a business tool but also a valued part of an employee's remuneration package, although the vast majority of comments highlighted the essential nature of business journeys to organisations. The perk car may have faced tough challenges in recent years under the business mileage-based company car tax system, but the essential user company car still appears to be the premier route to communication even in today's hi-tech economy.
Do you see video-conferencing replacing the need for company cars?
Yes: 25%
No: 75%
'Where meetings are being held within the UK it is more beneficial to have people together as there are always other items of business to discuss. Video-conferencing comes to the fore more when you are interfacing with others from overseas.'
Barry Taylor, Kleencare
'Video-conferencing won't get my display stand to Blackpool for the conference.'
Steve Skelly,
Rowley Ashworth
'THE company car is predominantly provided as part of a package which is not necessarily required for the job. But when the new technology 'totally' works, travelling for work will reduce.'
Rik Lenney, Astec Projects
'PEOPLE will still want personal contact meetings; the company car is also a 'benefit' and its future is more likely to be influenced by tax and other factors; and video-conferencing is still expensive and has limited use.'
Richard Warner, company secretary, Seco Tools
'AS video-conferencing technology improves, it may progressively reduce the mileage required of company cars. But the advantages of face-to-face contact cannot be ignored.'
Reg Dixon, Niftylift
'VIDEO-conferencing will reduce the number of meetings. However, I do not believe it will truly eliminate them due to the benefits of face-to-face meetings. I don't think video-conferencing is a very real threat to the company car.'
Phillippa T Caine,
company secretary, CORGI
'CURRENT technology and forthcoming products can and will reduce the need for business travel. The last fuel shortage probably accelerated investigating the alternatives. Maybe to a lesser extent congestion charging will continue that drive. Now is an ideal time for businesses to review their strategies.
Phil Redman, manager, UK Fleet Management and Forms & Print Departments, IBM
'WHEN video-conferencing becomes available at low cost it should help. However, it can never replace face-to-face discussions. In our business, area managers will still need to visit the outlets to assess standards, etc.'
Nigel Trotman, central services manager, Whitbread
'VIDEO-conferencing has hardly made a dent in air travel spend, despite the impact of cost, time and Al Qaeda.'
Paul Owen, manager, administration services, Rio Tinto
'YES. Video-conferencing may replace the company car – congestion charging in London will hit companies hard.'
Nigel Crane, facilities manager,
Dudley Jenkins Group plc
'NOT in the short-term but this will probably accelerate as systems become more sophisticated and traffic congestion worsens. The most effective congestion reducer currently was the scrapping of the mileage-related benefit-in- kind tax bands. The opposite effect is being achieved in the cash-for-car Inland Revenue mileage rates which at 40 pence per mile and 25ppm are still generous for most company cars and encourage drivers to make those unnecessary journeys.'
Barry Lingard, fleet manager, Leisure Link
'VIDEO-conferencing is an excellent facility and for many drivers a very viable alternative to what would otherwise be a tiring journey. There is little doubt that with a combination of road charging and an already congested road network, video-conferencing will very quickly become far more popular. If Government is serious about green issues then it is probably time to introduce incentives for video-conferencing where such a facility will reduce journeys and pollution.'
John Clarke, Fleet Services – South, Telewest
'VIDEO-conferencing reduces the need for so many visits to customers and we use it to avoid lengthy and expensive overseas visits. Certain functions can be adequately performed without the need for a face-to face-meeting, but however sophisticated the technology, there is no real substitute for physical meetings.'
Jeremy Spring, Pechiney
'HOW are technicians supposed to deliver and configure equipment via a video-conference? It can help reduce journeys and wasted time but meetings are not the only reason that people use company cars to travel.'
Ian Smith, group accountant, CpiO
'VIDEO-conferencing will never replace company cars but it should help reduce the need to use them so often. There are many benefits from reducing the need to physically meet. Mileage and wear and tear, and thus costs reduce. Congestion and emissions are also reduced. Company cars are still a work tool for some and cannot be eliminated, but we could use them more wisely if conferencing facilities were part of accepted work practice.'
Carol Green, transport co-ordinator, Anglian Water
'THE whole issue of mobility within the UK has got to change and this point is made more relevant in today's climate of ever-increasing traffic congestion. We must make more effective use of our business activity time. It is logical to consider video-conferencing, thus avoiding unnecessary journey time and cost. However, this must be taken in context and in the bigger picture the use of the company car to facilitate meetings will inevitably still be a prime requirement.'
Peter Eldridge, fleet manager, Motorcare Holdings
'COMPANIES must look at video-conferencing as part of day-to-day business. We have the facilities which are working well, and more and more conferencing is taking place.'
Diane Miller, fleet manager,
Kingston inbusiness
'VIDEO-conferencing is not yet a part of the desk-top communication process in most companies but as it becomes more commonplace it will form a part of every company's green transport plan. On its own, I do not see it replacing any company cars.'
David Mullins,
administration manager,
Slough Estates plc
'I CAN see video-conferencing replacing some car journeys but not all. Our company already does this, but obviously this type of communicating cannot replace face-to-face meetings.'
David Bent, national fleet manager, Fowler Welch
'MOST companies that have invested in video conferencing have limited facilities which would prevent multiple meetings taking place simultaneously, often the equipment is a chore to set up and the end result is far less satisfactory than a face to face meeting.'
PJB Details supplied
'VIDEO-conferencing may replace 'the need' for company cars, but not 'the demand' for company cars.'
B.P. Details supplied
'VIDEO-conferencing definitely has a part to play, but I cannot see it replacing the company car. Customers would prefer to see a rep face-to-face if considering placing an order. If say an engineer has to repair a part on a machine, he has to be there in person.'
Audrey Milne, fleet manager, Bayer
'VIDEO-conferencing is a useful tool and many more companies are seeing its benefits. It is possibly reducing the amount of travel throughout the UK and the world although I fail to see how it will replace the company car. We are a national company and there is still the need for staff outside London to carry out their business in the area of the country they work in. As international property consultants visiting clients is an important and vital part of our business and therefore video conferencing will not replace the company car in our company.'
Ann Tydeman, FPD Savills
'THERE will still be a need for company cars. However, companies are looking at alternative ways of working, including telephone and video- conferencing. Certainly, we have looked at this within the RNIB and greater use is now being made of teleconferencing because of the disruption to the rail network following recent incidents'.
Alan Miles, administration & data protection manager, RNIB UK
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