A recent survey by PwC found that 64% of millennials would prefer to work from home at least part of the time, and 66% expect more flexible work hours in future. These trends are observed against the rise of telecommuting and video conferencing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Industry experts predicted a dynamic shift involving virtualization, digital disruption, and more personalized business tools aimed at home workers.
Indeed, many businesses in the finance, management, healthcare, beauty, and interior design sectors, have adopted innovative digital solutions to tackle the challenges of COVID-19. One online health consultant noted a six-fold growth in virtual medical consultations since the lockdown began. It’s no surprise that the consulting business has evolved into a $800billion industry, according to data from ResearchandMarkets.
Evolving Needs
Despite the rise of online consulting, consultancies have very specific needs, so the industry has further room for modernization. Professionals have been looking for a solution that allows them to monetize every minute of their limited schedule. At the same time, the public is willing to pay for access to previously inaccessible people and expertise.
The clamor for one-to-one tuition from experts, executives, professionals, and the most respected personalities of the business, music, sports, TV, tech, media, marketing, and finance worlds is at an all-time high. Existing ‘phone chat’ consulting sites and in-person consulting firms have struggled to adapt to this new reality.
Inventing a world of effective virtual meetings calls for a top-down redesign. At MeetEm.com they decided that a one-stop shop, pay-per-view virtual meetings platform was the way to go — a LinkedIn for virtual consulting. Customers expect a smooth experience that isn’t confused by the need to download additional apps or software.
Integrations and Fair Pricing
McKinsey’s analysis of consulting industry trends has established that over 40 million households worldwide (which accounts for close to $70 billion in annual revenues across banking, investing, and borrowing) are prime candidates for virtual financial consulting services. That’s before we even start to consider the reach and value of other industries.
MeetEm knew that an online business consulting platform would require payment processing, extensive technical support, and daily payouts would have to be integrated into the service if it was serious about pushing virtual meetings to the next level. After all, researchers have found that clients expect faster results, and that client loyalty stands at an all-time low.
Deep expertise (whether vertical or horizontal) usually wins out — but it’s crucial to make a glowing first impression on the client, without disruptions and technical faults. As for the tutors, many salaried consultants are choosing to make a break with bureaucracy, leaving the corporate world behind and embarking on a new life as a freelancer.
New freelance consultants need fast, regular, and reliable payment. Fortunately, MeetEm bypasses the typical 30% app store fees, leaving a higher percentage for the consultant. Their WebRTC technology bypasses these expensive 30% app store fees. By avoiding the Google and Apple stores, it’s also possible to make much faster changes and updates on the fly and more money in the consultants pocket.
Quick Start
Clients and consulting professionals alike also tend to appreciate the ability to get started quickly, with minimal fuss. That’s why MeetEm has created a system that involves a speedy but careful vetting process of consultants before profile approval. Clients are vetted by their partnership with Stripe using credit card, name, and address verification. Of course, it makes sense that they provide this service in the form of a highly secure, encrypted browser-based system.
Fair pricing, speed, convenience, and a flawlessly smooth multi-device experience (MeetEm works on mobile phones, iPads, laptops, and desktops) are the order of the day when it comes to virtual consulting. The fact that MeetEm does not have to maintain separate versions for Android and iOS (also avoiding the mishaps that often result from the use of cross-platform code) helps them concentrate squarely on there user’s experience.