Hangouts, an alternative to regular client office visits

I work at a client’s offices in Fourways once a week. The idea is to be in the office working so people can discuss issues with me on an ad hoc basis and so I can touch base with my client’s management on important issues. I love being in their space, its a dynamic client and the people are terrific. The only downside is fighting my way through traffic to get there. I realised this morning that Google+ Hangouts could be an interesting way to be available to the staff and avoid the trip to Fourways (the travel time works out to about an hour in total).

The two main challenges to this are that even Hangouts are not as conducive to ad hoc discussions as being in the office in person and the other is that not everyone is using Google+. Its a thought though, perhaps as a way to cut back on the number of visits a little. Of course, going in a little later could address the traffic issue and preserve the benefits of being physically present.