Introduction to Online Mediation

In online mediation, the process of dispute resolutions is held over an online mediation platform. It means there is no need to make physical appearances for meetings, document submission, or negotiating terms. The mediator resolves disputes or conflicts concerning the parties online.

In the pandemic, online mediation is gaining much popularity because parties cannot move out of their houses to look for mediators. Also, online mediation is a safer option for the parties.

But still, many people resist online mediations due to misconceptions. Some parties feel that online mediation is not as effective as in-person mediation and remain skeptical about the online process. But with the right online mediation platform, you can reap many benefits of online mediation.

In this article, we are listing down the benefits of online mediation and discuss how it will become the future of dispute resolution.

Benefits of Online Mediations

The benefits of online dispute resolution that the conflicting parties and mediators can get are:

Location Benefits

Imagine how many locational benefits disputing parties can get by online mediations. The parties can connect virtually, and by doing so, they save travel expenses, save themselves from travel fatigue, save their time, and so much more. Sometimes the locations to meet up for mediations are so far for the parties that it takes a full week of traveling.

In mediation, the parties go through a lot of mental pressure, and traveling exhausts them and escalates their emotions. But it’s not even an issue in online mediations. Just at the comfort of their home, the disputing parties can resolve their matters and make better decisions.

Productive Process

Online mediation can be as productive as in-person meditation. It can be even more productive than in-person mediation in some cases. It might be unbelievable, but you can better understand it with an imaginary situation.

Suppose you have loads of office work and you also have to visit a mediator, you take some time from your busy day and cut short the meeting because you also have office work. Somewhere your mediation process declines productivity because you are not able to give enough time to the mediator to negotiate on terms or discuss the matter.

For some people, it is very difficult to take out time due to busy work schedules, and it is a fact that in-person mediations take quite a long time. But when doing it virtually, you just need to take out some time because you can submit documents in a few minutes online without stepping out of the workplace.

You can also connect with a mediator from your office and give as much time you want. All these facts lead to one point, which is the increased productivity of the mediation process.

Improved Communication

Communication is the essence of a mediation process. But, many a time, in-person mediation loses its essence as some parties become furious during the negotiation process, and the dispute turns into a fight. But with online mediation, the mediator has better control over communication. The mediator can mute either of the parties and give them their turn to speak on the matter.

Also, being able to watch the participants, mediators can better understand their actions and reactions. Online mediation can benefit the disputing parties and mediators to maintain a better flow of communication. It makes the mediation process successful.

Time-Saving

The online mediation benefit that tops the list is how it saves the time of parties in dispute as well as the mediator. Imagine how long it takes to go for in-person mediation finding a mediator, traveling, waiting for appointments, meeting, and more traveling.

In addition to this, other activities consume a lot of time that takes over months to resolve a dispute. But with online dispute resolution, it’s just a matter of few minutes to submit. Within a matter of days, you can resolve your conflict with the best possible solution.

Inexpensive Process

You can save a lot of costs by opting online dispute resolution process. In online dispute resolution, you can resolve your conflict at a much cheaper price as compared to a court or in-person mediation. In the physical process, the mediators usually charge more because they take out time from their busy schedules and this charge increase as the number of time you meet them.

But with online mediation becomes inexpensive because the meetings are telephonic or held over video conferencing. So it is a clear benefit that the parties can get with online mediations.

Conclusion

We have discussed all the major benefits that online mediation can offer to the parties and the mediators. Online mediation is the future of dispute resolution because it is accessible, productive, convenient, time-saving, and inexpensive. In the pandemic, when people could not move outside to seek mediation services, online was the best option for them.

People nowadays are busier than ever, and multitasking is the way of getting things done for them. Disputes are stressful because the parties go through emotional turmoils, and when held in person, it becomes even more stressful. Choosing online dispute resolution services can be the best option for parties in modern times.