Conferencing News Press Release

Meetings in America II: Corporate America's Internet Usage Boosts

Verizon Conferencing Survey Shows Internet-Savvy Professionals Use the Web for a Variety of Business and Meeting-Related Tasks

Chicago, July 21, 1999-American business professionals are improving workplace efficiency-thanks to an increased reliance on the Internet, according to a Verizon Conferencing study on Internet usage among technology-savvy business people. Internet technology, combined with evolving workplace practices, presents organizations and individuals with new, efficient ways to meet and conduct business-and balance personal and professional lives.

The independent study, "The Internet's Impact on Business Productivity and Individual Work Habits," surveyed nearly 300 Internet-connected business professionals on their Web usage. The results show that American businesses are rapidly embracing the Internet as a tool to facilitate communication, collaborate with others, and improve productivity. More than half of the respondents say the Internet is central to their companies' daily business practices; only 13 percent say their company limits or discourages Internet use.

A majority of survey respondents use the Internet for a variety of business tasks. For instance, business travelers use the Web frequently to access online maps (94 percent), obtain flight information (89 percent), conduct research on other companies (82 percent), make hotel reservations (67 percent), and purchase airline tickets (58 percent).

Many of those surveyed derive business benefits when using the Internet: 68 percent say it reduces costs; 63 percent say it improves customer service; and 61 percent say it reduces travel. Additionally, more than 50 percent of respondents say using the Internet has personal benefits, noting that it helps improve job satisfaction and quality of work, and reduces stress.

"Many businesses that were early adopters of the Internet used it to reach constituents, conduct research and communicate with others. However, its bottom-line benefits were difficult to gauge, taken more on faith than fact," explains Tim Reedy, vice president of marketing for Verizon Conferencing. "Today, the Internet is creating new opportunities for businesses of all sizes and dramatically impacting the work habits of their employees."

Use of the Internet helps business people work productively when they're away from the office, according to the study. When on business travel, four of five respondents said they used the Web to access a corporate network or intranet, and more than half used it to make or revise travel plans. The Net also helps traveling business people keep up with personal responsibilities: two thirds purchased products on-line during business travel; 43 percent banked on-line; and 26 percent managed their investments on-line.

While most business professionals already use the Internet to help plan business trips, an increasing number are also using it to participate in meetings and collaborate with others. In fact, more than a third of respondents have participated in Internet-based conferences, where presentations are shared and viewed over the Web. Web conferencing enables hundreds of people at dispersed locations to meet as a group, using only an Internet-connected PC and a separate telephone line. Because no one needs to travel to attend, companies save time and money.

Other uses of the Internet for meeting-related tasks include:

• 75% have e-mailed a presentation to meeting participants
• 46% have met via online chat
• 40% have participated in a distance learning session
• 29% have attended a virtual seminar

Tips for Effective Internet-based Meetings
With electronic meetings on the rise, it's more important than ever to know how to make them as effective as possible. Here are some guidelines:

• Prepare, prepare, prepare. When it comes to meeting productivity, a little extra prep time can go a long way. Preparation for an electronic meeting is just as important-if not more so-as when a group gathers face to face. It's important to have a meeting agenda and distribute in advance (include meeting date, time, and assigned phone number or pass code, if applicable).
• Keep it simple. Attention wanders during meetings-even more so in electronic meetings. Use the visual power of the Internet to reinforce key points and organize presentations into short segments so the audience can better retain information.
• Use audio to your advantage. With the absence of face-to-face contact, it's important for the meeting facilitator to introduce him/herself and all meeting participants. Make transitions easy to follow by providing vocal cues to introduce new segments of the presentation.

"The Internet's Impact on Business Productivity and Individual Work Habits" survey was conducted on behalf of Verizon Conferencing by Socratic Technologies, Inc., a market research consultancy that specializes in interactive market research such as Web-based surveys and usability studies. The sample was drawn from Socratic Technologies' Socratic ForumÒ registered database of persons, resulting in a total of 281 qualified respondents during a 10-day period in June 1999. This study is a follow up to Verizon Conferencing's 1998 "Meetings in America" study, which took a comprehensive look at trends, costs and attitudes toward business travel and meeting habits.

Verizon Conferencing is the fastest-growing conferencing entity in the world, according to Telespan Publishing Corporation. It helps companies meet more effectively, reducing travel costs and increasing productivity. Verizon Conferencing provides audio, video and Net Conferencing, equipment sales and support, as well as Tele-management services to complement customers' electronic meeting needs. More information on Verizon Conferencing can be found at http://e-meetings.verizonbusiness.com/.

Verizon Business is a global leader in communications services with 1998 revenues of more than $30 billion and established operations in over 65 countries encompassing the Americas, Europe and the Asia-Pacific regions. Verizon Business is a premier provider of facilities-based and fully integrated local, long distance, international and Internet services. Verizon Business global networks, including its state-of-the-art pan-European network and transoceanic cable systems, provide end-to-end high-capacity connectivity to more than 40,000 buildings worldwide. Verizon Business is traded on NASDAQ under mci. For more information on MCI, visit the World Wide Web at http://www.verizonbusiness.com.