A survey of British executives has found that 91 per cent said they are more likely to seal a deal in person than via a video or telephone call.
The survey of 1,000 British business people by rail firm LNER found that 94 per cent of respondents admitted that they are better communicators in face-to-face meetings, while 89 per cent of those now working from home say they are desperately missing
in-person contact with colleagues and clients alike.
Almost half of
respondents (42 per cent) said meetings carried out over platforms
like Zoom were “fun at the start but the novelty has worn off”. Almost three
quarters (72 per cent) of those surveyed said that video calls will gradually
become less popular as restrictions lift.
When asked what they missed about face-to-face meetings, 48 per
cent said it was the small talk, finding out about the client’s interests,
family life and background.
Yet this appetite for
face-to-face is not translating into a desire to get back to business trips - only 27 per cent of those
surveyed said they yearned to be able to travel for work again.