In a short period of time, video conferencing has become a major part of doing business. The startling rate that companies have embraced its use might be motivated by low electronic equipment costs or possibly the ridiculously high price of gas. Whatever the rational, businesses are reaping the benefits of doing video conferences instead of face-to-face meetings. Now that it is here, we find that we have just scratched the surface in terms of what we can do with it. Video conferencing does a great job of connecting people spread far and wide in a way that justifies its use over physical meetings in all but special cases. However, if we think outside the box, there are plenty more ways that video conferencing can help us get things done.

In a business environment, it can be easy to get in a rut. We do the same things every day, usually at the same time. This is why people can be resistant to change or fail to imagine new ways of doing business. It is possible that great uses for video conferencing have been overlooked, simply because the old way works fine. It may be fine, but what if we can do it better?

Take your standard job interview, for example. Usually, you sit down with a multitude of people, one at a time, for hours on end. It can be an all day, or even all week ordeal just to hire one good qualified person. What if you could do things differently? You already do the hiring process differently from the past in almost all other aspects. You post the job listing online. You sift through emails and download resumes. You do everything on your computer until the actual interviews.

If you were to use video conferencing instead, think of how many more job applicants you could get to in a day. If all your applicants are sitting at their computers, waiting for your image to appear to begin the interview, you can go through the list so much quicker. You can still read their body language, look them in the eye, and get a good feel for their personality.

What about customer support? How could it benefit from video conferencing? In the first place, your business would stand out from all the other companies with this new way of taking care of your customers. Secondly, your customer support representatives will be able to connect on a much more personal level than ever before.

Both your representatives and your customers will have a different experience than usual. Your representatives will be able to see the customer's attitude. Are they really helping this client? Is the client getting frustrated? Are they actually doing the things the representative is telling them to do? For the customer, since they can see the person they are begging for help - or complaining to - they will see the sincerity - hopefully - in the representative's face. It would also banish the quiet, common fear of the average customer; that the representative is laughing at them, or bringing their friends in on the joke.

Video conferencing is used by the Justice Department for both witnesses and the worst criminals. With video, witness can be in a safe location and still testify. Dangerous criminals can still be present at their trial, but without ever leaving the security of their cell.

Hospitals use video conferencing to help share the wealth of knowledge of their finest doctors. In remote locations, a video conference is setup in an operating room. Then doctors back at the hospital can lend their insight and guidance to the doctors doing the surgery far away.

For those who play video games, video conferencing can add to the gaming experience, if not improve it greatly. With faster paced games, video conferencing is not as beneficial, while at the same time, teamwork and communication is lost without audio conferencing. Slower games from World of Warcraft to even Chess would be enhanced by the addition of video.

Possibly the best of unusual uses for video conferencing is in the education system. Children, no matter how remote their school is, can receive talented speakers into their classroom. In fact, many classrooms cannot afford to have famous people visit, but with the magic of video conferencing, one person can speak to thousands.

The most common uses of video conferencing are widely accepted and used, but there are many more avenues to explore. How can video bond your accounting and sales departments together? Could it smooth and improve your shipping system? What role could video play in the restaurant industry? Whatever your business is, there is most likely a unique role that video conferencing can play. You just have to imagine the possibilities.