CRANBERRY, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Vu TelePresence, a Pittsburgh-based telepresence company focused on small and midsized businesses (SMBs), today announced at InfoComm 2011 the launch of its BusinessLoop Program, a cost-effective initiative designed to promote video conferencing communication among Vu customers and their clients. For a refundable deposit and a small monthly fee, existing Vu TelePresence customers can send their clients a Vu unit to use on a daily basis.
“Our mission from the very beginning has been to democratize telepresence across the SMB market, as we’ve found it to be a sector that has been virtually ignored by other telepresence providers,” said Devita Saraf, chief executive officer of Vu TelePresence. “We saw an opportunity to integrate Vu into everyday client activities by fully incorporating it into our customer business models. Vu is not just another method of communication – it is the next telephone, and we are giving all parties a chance to realize its business effectiveness.”
A recent survey conducted by Vu TelePresence showed the majority of small businesses (80%) feel challenged in maintaining and managing critical client relationships. As a result, Vu is addressing the pain points customers face on a daily basis, such as business travel expenses and client management, by offering trials to small business owners who presently do not use video conferencing.
The BusinessLoop Program is a strictly external-focused initiative promoting face-to-face interaction among Vu customers and their clients. Existing customers can purchase the system and distribute to clients to connect. Clients who receive a Vu system will only be able to connect with the customer who provides them with a unit.
One of the companies using this program is Taylor Business Group, which has seven clients to which it provides consulting services remotely via Vu TelePresence. “On average, I was traveling 1600 hours per year, but now, as my clients have started adopting Vu TelePresence, my travel time has decreased by forty percent,” said Josh Peterson, consultant at Taylor Business Group. “Previously, my customers were bearing the cost of my travel, but today with the implementation of this program, I’m able to remove the cost burden from my clients while taking on new customers and spending more time doing what I want to do.”
The Vu TelePresence system is designed for private conversations among a maximum of 9 locations, and is suited for individual practices, employee conferences, remote workers, employee offices and executive suites. Vu TelePresence offers a 720p and 1080p system depending on the desired camera. Prices range from $1499 to $2199 to purchase and from $49 to $75 per month to lease.
For more information please visit: www.vutelepresence.com.
About Vu TelePresence
Vu TelePresence is one of the leading telepresence solutions providers for the small and midsized business marketplace. Addressing the telecommunications needs of this market, the company’s flagship solution, Vu TelePresence and its Vu TelePoint conference suites, provides an affordable solution with Fortune 500 level service. Vu TelePresence is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, with Vu TelePoint locations in most major US and India cities (with future expansion into Europe and Central/South America) including New York, Chicago, Oakland, Boston, Irvine, Cleveland, Seattle, Columbus, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Atlanta and Pittsburgh. Vu TelePresence is part of Zenith World Group, a $200 million company with offices in India, Singapore, Belgium and the U.S. Zenith World Group has been in business since 1980.