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Survey Says...Face Time Important

By Jason Hensel May 03, 2011

Embassy Suites Hotels' Third Annual Business Travel Survey shows that face-to-face meetings are extremely important in business dealings, with 97 percent of business travelers surveyed feeling it is the most important part of developing and maintaining strong client relationships. More than half (53 percent) of business travelers reported having more in-person meetings with clients than in previous years. 

In fact, 76 percent of business travelers who had less face time with clients in the past 12 months reported it had a negative impact on their business relationships. For those still skeptical about planning a trip for the next business meeting, the survey—conducted by Wakefield Research for Embassy Suites—found that almost one-in-five (18 percent) of business travelers reported losing a project because they were unable to travel to see a client, and 17 percent say they lost the client altogether.

In this digital age where professionals rely on technology for just about everything, the question remains—can apps, emails and video chats replace old fashioned face time with clients? According to Embassy Suites’ survey, the answer is no. Respondents indicated it would take an average of five video conferences, 10 phone calls or 20 emails to replace one hour of face-to-face contact with a client.

Conversation (4)

  • thom singer May 04, 2011

    There was a lot of speculation that the new technologies and the bad economy would take away the need for face-to-face meetings and large onsite business events.  But we still need to have contact with people.  You would not marry someone sight unseen, and in many business relationships you still need to sit in the same room. 

    While the tools we use communicate have change (and will continue to change), human beings have not.  People are experiential, and we need to share real experiences with others to feel that connection with them.

  • Lynne Christensen May 12, 2011

    I agree that while technologies have proven to be efficient, I do not believe them to be totally effective. The opportunities to develop strong trusting relationships are created by reading someone’s body language and sensing where they are going, not where you want them to go. The value of shaking someone's hand and looking them in the eye cannot diminish to a value that is thought of as "old school". It is essential to foster relationships by creating that one on one experience. The value of creating that trust, in immeasurable.

  • Susan RoAne May 12, 2011

    Digital communication options are just that: options. They are the frosting, not the cake. Social networking allows us to relocate old friends and colleagues and, in some instances, meet new people. Are these online "pals" the ones you can call at 3am if you need a ride to the emergency room? Not in the least.
    The smart associations and companies know that online meetings have a place. However, they cannot replace face to face or the "you never know" serendipitous events that result.
      Disclaimer: I wrote Face To Face: How To Reclaim the Personal Touch in a Digital World (2008, Fireside).

  • Jim Jenkins May 13, 2011

    Efficient and innovative technologies may save on costs on one side of the coin, but real, genuine human interaction is the true foundation for solid business relationships. Even as more companies convert to a hoteling or virtual model where employees are no longer tethered to the same office every day, I fear that we're selling ourselves short because so much of life--both the personal and the professional--is based on human contact. It may save on real estate at one level, but the ultimate cost can be missed business opportunities, decreased loyalty among employees, and increased distraction. Every day I observe  people less and less equipped to have a meaningful conversation and 140 characters to build a consulting practice does not an effective communications tool make. We have lost the ability to truly dialogue and create meaning with one another unless it's crafted in short and sweet byte-sized messages on a monitor. Technology will never be a solid replacement for customer engagement. And with so many younger people lacking an ability to make presentations and verbally espouse their views in a respectful manner now entering the workforce, I look forward to the triumphant return of seeing a human face and hearing a voice that's in front of me to get the job done!

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