Despite the inventions of Skype, Oblong, and Google Hangouts, many companies insist on keeping business travel a regular practice for their employees. What gives? Even IT professionals find themselves dragging themselves from airport to airport for client meetings that could easily be held via video conference. When is it okay to eliminate these expensive trips and transition to a more technological approach?

Unfortunately, it’s not always that simple. If you have a long conversation with a distant client, it is easier to switch to video conferencing as your main source of communication. But when you’re initially acquiring a client, perhaps to use your PHP skills to build a flawless WordPress site, you can often miss out on a lot of subtle cues like body language and more subtle forms of vocal inflection, which could help you understand your client. preference for simplistic website navigation over other design elements.

On the other hand, if your company claims to be technologically innovative and advanced, it may seem counterintuitive to your clients that you insist on holding business conferences the old-fashioned way. If you’re working in the IT department of a traditional company, then traveling won’t seem so out of date. However, if you’re at a marketing agency that claims to be resourceful and advanced, your clients might wonder why you can’t apply that philosophy to your own employee travel. Dr. Heidi Maston says that she “teaches, develops, trains and speaks globally – everything can be done virtually, and the benefits are tremendous.” However, teleconferencing has been embraced by teachers since 2003. It’s less common for client meetings and can hurt your business.

Reliability is also an issue. If you’re at an innovative technology company, your office technology should be able to handle frequent video conferences, although paid sites are often more reliable, Skype and Google hangouts will suffice. However, if you frequently videoconference with clients or other businesses, you can’t be sure they have the bandwidth available to hold a clear conversation. Being late and being interrupted are additional hassles you don’t have to deal with when you’re physically present at a meeting. By contrast, business travel has its own form of delay (flight delays), which is arguably more frustrating.

Ultimately, it depends on the type of business you are in and the type of office you like to run. Most employees won’t miss the stress of delayed flights and the stench of stale planes. However, some customers, especially new ones, who are used to a more interpersonal approach in their own business, may prefer to shake someone’s hand rather than greet their computer screens. If you frequently interact with a variety of businesses, integrating occasional video conferencing may be all you can manage. However, if most of your company’s travel is for conferences with other branches, why not try video conferencing more often? After all, your IT employees will understand the technology better than most and will likely be eager to implement it.