Service transformation - managing a shift from business travel to virtual meetings

It has been shown that the potential for environmental, and financial improvements through the increased substitution of inperson meetings by virtual communication is considerable. However, it has also been shown that this potential is not automatically realized by investing in the technology that can enable virtual meetings. This paper describes two case studies that explored the factors that influenced communication and meeting behavior. A number of drivers and barriers for virtual meetings are identified, and, in addition, measures are proposed to improve the utilization of virtual tools for business communication. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved