The State of Video Conferencing in 2020 [50 Statistics]

As the remote workforce continues to grow, web conferencing software has become the most important team communication tool in 2020.

Video conferencing platforms allow for company-wide and team communication face-to-face while accompanying collaboration features like screen sharing and real-time file editing bolster collaboration.

The below video conferencing statistics illustrate not just the benefits of a remote workforce, but also why today’s companies must invest in tools like Zoom, Cisco WebEx, and Skype to improve internal and external communication.

Video Conferencing: Benefits + Remote Workforce

Video conferencing statistics and studies on remote work in 2019 show that the global remote workforce has increased by 140% since 2005.

Having the ability to work from home via telecommuting increases employee satisfaction. However, some employers are concerned about how a remote workforce would impact team communication and collaboration.

Video conferencing has emerged as the perfect communication tool for remote teams, providing essential video collaboration features in addition to video calling.

The Rise of the Remote Workforce

The rise of a remote, geographically dispersed workforce is the biggest reason for the increase in reliance on video conferencing as one of the most important remote work tools. In 2020, the use of video conferencing skyrocketed because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdown.

But remote work was on its way to becoming the new normal before that, as statistics show:

• 55% of companies allow for remote work
• Remote work will increase by 77% from 2019-2022
• Remote gig work will increase by 19% from 2019-2022

• 30% of employees are full-time remote workers
• 62% of employees work from home occasionally
• From 2010-2020, there has been a 400% increase in the number of employees who work from home at least once a week

(sources: Forbes, HubSpot)

Statistics: Remote Work Increases Productivity

Remote work benefits extend to employers just as much as employees. Giving team members the flexibility to work from anywhere is proven to increase productivity and lower employee turnover.

• 77% of remote workers report higher productivity levels when working from home
• 23% of remote workers work longer hours from home than in the office
• 53% of remote workers take less time off than in-office employees
• 74% of employees say they’re less likely to leave a company that offers remote work
• 83% of the workforce says that being able to work from home would increase job satisfaction

(source: HubSpot)

Statistics: Increasing Remote Team Collaboration

The United States workforce has shifted from focusing on individual responsibility to adopting a team-oriented and project-based work style. Thanks to video conferencing software, it’s still possible to have a high level of team collaboration and inter-departmental communication when working remotely.

The ease of use of screen sharing apps, face-to-face communication, and the ability to break down larger video conferences into smaller virtual team conference rooms improve team collaboration in the workplace.

Proper team collaboration is vital, given that:

• 73% of employees say that their employers require interdepartmental and inter-team collaboration
• 72% of businesses note an increase in project-based assignments
• 66% of employees say they’ve experienced a rise in virtual teams
• 72% of companies report an increase in client collaboration

(Source: Forbes)

Statistics: Who Uses Video Conferencing?

The video conferencing market is especially valuable within the B2B, B2C, education, and healthcare sectors.

In addition to increasing team collaboration, video conferencing tools are used for external communication, to conduct interviews, and for employee onboarding and to create training webinar events.

For example, video conferencing statistics prove:

• 43% of remote and in-house teams use a video conferencing solution
• 78% of corporate companies use video calling software
• 83% of businesses with over 250 employees are likely to purchase video calling tools
• 27% of small businesses are likely to purchase video calling tools
• 86% of companies conduct employee interviews over video call

• • Over 75% of hospitals are either already using or are currently creating a telehealth program
  • 88% of education professionals say video conferencing tools, like Zoom for Educators, will help more students earn advanced degrees

• 73% of education professionals say video conferencing will decrease student dropouts

(sources: Forbes, Gartner, American Hospital Association, Commercial Integrator, Zoom)

Statistics: The Value of Video Calls

Video conferencing tools save time that would normally be spent commuting or securing and setting up meeting rooms.

Video communication also saves both companies and employees money, offering a competitive return on investment.

• Companies save $11,000 annually per employee by using video conferencing software
• Employees save an average of $2,000-$7,000 by using web conferencing tools allowing them to telecommute
• By helping to shorten project timelines, video calling tools can save companies anywhere from 15%-30% of the total project cost
• Video conferencing can reduce travel costs by up to 30%
• Video conferencing has reduced the need for business travel by 47%

(sources: Wainhouse, Lifesize)

Statistics: Impact of Video Meetings

Video conferencing tools prevent miscommunication, increase engagement, and allow team members to join video online meetings anywhere from their preferred devices.

Web conferencing is quickly becoming the new standard in meeting formats, replacing standard conference room meetings, or audio conference calls.

Video conferencing statistics show that:

• 45% of teams use video calling tools daily or weekly
• 80% of employees use video calling for 1:1 meetings
• 78% of employees say they use web conferencing tools for team meetings
• 75% of CEOS say that video conference calls will entirely replace audio-only conference calls
• 67% of employees say they’re more likely to contribute to a meeting over video conferencing
• 87% of remote employees say they feel more connected and involved with teams and projects when using video conferencing
• 55% of businesses say video conferencing effectively increased employee engagements
• 66% of business executives say video conferencing helps them to better connect with freelance or gig workers
• 87% of team members say video calling has helped to speed up the decision-making process
• Studies show 77% of attendees join video meetings on laptop or desktop computers, 31% on mobile phones, and 13% on tablets

(sources: Forbes, Fast Company, Parmetech, Lifesize, Gigaom)

What about Virtual Webinars?

In addition to team-focused video conference calls, businesses also use video conferencing tools to host live or pre-recorded webinars.

These webinars are often to celebrate a product launch, connect employees of large corporations, or to host an industry event. Webinars are also a source of revenue for companies and individual entrepreneurs.

• The average webinar has 148 attendees
• 73% of B2B marketing experts say a webinar has the highest lead generation success rate
• 47% of webinars are related to onboarding and training for employees and customers
• B2B companies host 61% of all webinars
• 29% of all webinars are related to marketing and demand generation
• The majority of webinars, 26%, are in the software and technology sector
• Real estate agents host the highest number of webinars per year, 34
• Only ⅓ of webinar registrants will actually attend the webinar
• 29% of webinar attendees won’t register until the day of the webinar

(sources: GoToWebinar, BigMarker)

The Most Popular Video Conferencing Platforms

Zoom and popular Zoom alternatives Microsoft Teams and Cisco WebEx are three of the top video conferencing tools. Many companies may use all three of these tools.

• 62% of companies use three or more video calling platforms

• • Zoom had over 300 million meeting participants per day in 2020
  • Google Meet had over 100 million daily meeting participants in 2020
  • Microsoft Teams had 75 million active daily users in 2020
  • Cisco WebEx currently has over 300 million users

(sources: Forbes, The Verge)

The Future of Video Conferencing Apps?

Though Coronavirus certainly accelerated the future of video communication, the above video conferencing statistics prove that the majority of businesses were already using these tools.

The video conference market share is expected to grow to $50 billion by 2026.

If you’re not already using video conferencing software, now is the time to start.

Though Zoom is the most well-known video calling tool, concerns about meeting security and data encryption may mean it’s not a good fit for your team.

Our head-to-head comparisons of popular video conferencing software like WebEx vs GoToMeeting help you to make the right decision about which platform is the best fit for your team.

Additionally, use our tables to learn more about the features and pricing of team collaboration software like Asana, Slack and Wrike to use alongside video conferencing tools.