Checked emails. Scrolled through your Facebook feed. Ate breakfast. Read news headlines. Took a nap. Paid bills. Played a video game. Filed your nails.

Now, raise your other hand if you have ever done any of these things while viewing an online webinar presentation.

If you have, you're not alone. Being absent while present--or present while absent--is a common problem associated with conference call and webinar technology. Which is why, for really important meetings, people still make the effort to meet in person.

The problem with meeting in person is that for dealers with more than one location, it can be expensive and time-consuming. When your stores are all in one city, an offsite meeting can take half a day, or longer if traffic is bad. If your stores are in separate cities, a meeting can take a full day or two, plus the cost of airfare, hotel and meals. For larger auto groups, the hard costs and time associated with travel can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars every year.

What if you could eliminate most of that expense and save days of productivity, yet still get the benefit of face-to-face meetings?

Say hello to videoconferencing.

Video technology has come a long way in the last few years, and some forward thinking dealers are using it in innovative ways to collaborate and save time and money. If you haven't taken a serious look at the ways video can benefit your dealership, you may want to add this to your "To Do" list.

While on a videoconference call, staff must be present in every sense of the word. There's a huge difference between talking to someone on the phone and looking into a person's eyes. It creates a different dynamic and increases the level of interaction. Cameras convey facial expressions and body language, both important factors in effective communications.

One way to have online meetings is with Skype for Business. In 2011 Microsoft acquired Skype and spent years integrating it with their enterprise Lync platform. In 2015 they launched Skype for Business, a relatively low-cost and easy way to hold videoconference calls for small groups of people. The downside to Skype is that calls are usually initiated via a person's computer, so unless you have a private office, it may be distracting to co-workers and customers in a dealership.

An alternative to Skype for Business is to have videoconferencing equipment set up in a conference room. Typically this includes one or two large HD screens and cameras. This allows individuals and groups of people to gather and meet with other individuals and groups of people in another dealership.

Dealerships are finding this set-up to be a successful replacement for in-person meetings. Auto groups are currently using videoconferencing for the following types of meetings:

• Multi-site departmental meetings; i.e. monthly or weekly F&I, sales, service, accounting, partner meetings and more
• Benefits rollouts
• Trainings
• Face-to-face coaching

How much money could your dealership save if you eliminated the majority of employee travel time and costs?

If you haven't considered videoconferencing for your dealership, give it a try! The only drawback to a videoconference meeting is that you can't share the donuts.