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Management training provider uses video conferencing as the primary mode of operations.

“Lifesize allows Foresight to keep facilitators in their hometowns rather than traveling all over the place.”

Many companies use video communications to supplement their business activities, but some rely on video as their primary mode of operations. One of those companies is Foresight, a management development training company based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Foresight is the most effective and fastest-growing management development training provider of its kind in the United States and credits itself with pioneering the use of live video conferencing for management training, distance learning and coaching participants in the implementation of learned management concepts and skills. Most of their clients are medium to large companies in the Southeast region.We spoke with Candido Segarra, Foresight’s president, to discuss how Lifesize has become an integral part of the company’s brand.

Your core business operates on video communication technology. Have you always used Lifesize?

We started our business in 2007 with the idea that we would create a classroom-like, face-to-face experience that could expand throughout the South through video conferencing. We initially had Polycom, but because you could only call other Polycom devices, we switched to Lifesize in 2009.

Can you say more about how Lifesize enables Foresight to deliver on its key mission and business objectives?

Foresight delivers education through video conferencing, and Lifesize seamlessly allows us to do that. Once a client signs up with Foresight, we buy them a Lifesize unit and a giant TV screen and handle the setup, creating a lifelike, face-to-face training environment and experience. That way, we can quickly and easily do IP-to-IP calling. We expect to purchase 20 to 22 new Lifesize units for new and existing Foresight clients this year. Many of our clients are not very familiar with video communications technology, but with Lifesize they are quickly and easily able to learn.

Among its many benefits, Lifesize allows Foresight to keep facilitators in their hometowns rather than traveling all over the place. For example, we have a large client in Birmingham that bought a $125,000 training program. We are developing a corporate university for them, frequently communicating, as well as conducting management training via video with the participants. This is the core of our brand.

That said, many of our clients go on to purchase additional Lifesize services for their entire business. We love introducing clients to Lifesize and showing them the tremendous value that video communications can bring to their companies.

You said Lifesize units – does Foresight use only Lifesize hardware or are you Lifesize® Cloud customers as well?

We have been using Lifesize hardware for many years and have just begun upgrading all of Foresight’s and our clients’ cameras to the newer Lifesize® Icon™ series. Right now, we are also in process of implementing Lifesize Cloud. Although the need for IT support for Lifesize is minimal, we think that the Cloud will reduce IT issues even further and provide our clients with additional ease of use.

How often do you and your clients use Lifesize?

We use Lifesize all the time, both internally and externally (for sales demonstrations). With our clients, we host 12 four-hour training and additional coaching sessions completed over sixteen months – so we’re using Lifesize with each one of them at least every two weeks. Internally, we use Lifesize to do weekly team meetings, bringing in employees from our Knoxville studio with our Chattanooga headquarters and video conference studios.