Online Mediation Services
Welcome to the World of Online Mediation
A competent mediator is trained to help alleviate the emotional tension in a negotiation. They assist in finding more effective communication between disputing parties. The mediator also clarifies important points and laws that are specific to your situation. Through our experiences we learn to He or she would also be able to suggest solutions that might not be immediately clear to the parties involved.
But what if you were involved in a dispute with another person and a face-to-face mediation process is impossible? Welcome to the world of online mediation.
How does online mediation work for my separation?
Online mediation is a method of online dispute resolution. Here, disputing parties attempt conflict resolution via the use of the internet.
Note, however, that for online mediation to be effective, the specific nature of the conflict must be considered. This includes the nature of the parties involved and the facts of the conflict. Not all conflicts can be resolved with online mediation or even the more traditional form of mediation.
The world has become an interconnected global village. Thus, it becomes possible to have transactions with people from different geographic zones. Businesses are transacted over the World Wide Web and relationships are cultivated via the internet.
As this becomes the norm, it is impossible to escape the matter of conflicts arising. This could be because an online business transaction was botched. It could be that there was a breakdown of communication between parties in different geographic areas. Whatever the reason, it would be difficult to resolve the conflict using the traditional means of dispute resolution. This gives rise to the need for online mediation.
People also opt for online mediation when one of the parties involved feels threatened or intimidated by the other party. Thus, they are reluctant to meet physically.
Since online mediation works through the internet, the internet is deemed a “fourth party” in the mediation process.
What are the platforms used for online mediation?
Mediators and Online alternative dispute resolution service providers have various platforms they use. The general ones are telephone and e-mail, with less commonly used video conferencing and real-time chats. These service providers generally have websites through which they provide their services. The websites fall into two major categories. They are blind bidding websites and discussion-based processing of disputes websites.
Blind bidding websites are used when the dispute concerns matters of “pricing”. The sites are not suitable for disputes where liability is the issue at stake. In the blind bidding websites, the service collects bids from both parties. The website is usually password-protected, and it protects each party’s bid from disclosure to the other party. The website settles the dispute if the blind bids are within a pre-agreed price range or a certain percentage of each other. The disputes are settled automatically for the median amount. The websites are usually confidential. Due to this, parties can walk away from negotiations without disclosing their “bottom lines” to each other.
Websites that use discussion-based processing of disputes are helpful in complex dispute scenarios. They transfer information between disputing parties located several miles apart. They also help to eliminate biases that would have impaired a successful resolution.
According to research conducted by ODReurope, the most comprehensive platform for conducting online mediation was Zoom. The platform was found to be comprehensive for video conferencing.
Benefits of online mediation
- Convenience: the flexibility of the process allows parties to take part when they have the time.
- There is more room for well-thought-out responses. Due to the slower pace of email communication, mediators are better able to craft communications and strategy. They do not need to react to disputing parties’ statements immediately. Also, participants can take their time to respond to allegations or statements made by the other party. They will be able to respond logically and without the clog of emotions.
- A level playing field for all parties. When disputing parties are composed of people who tend to dominate the conversation and those who are reserved. The use of email to communicate instead of face-to-face mediation levels the playing field. Parties with dominant confrontational temperaments will not be able to hijack the proceedings. Also, reserved parties will not feel forced to concede points unnecessarily. They won’t need to concede because they want to end confrontations or bring the process to a speedy end.
- Caucuses are truly confidential. During conventional mediation, if a party requests a caucus, they and the mediator will have to move to another location. This could cause ill feelings with the other party as they are left to imagine the worst with what is going on in the other location. With online mediation, parties can request caucuses without the other party’s knowledge. This reduces instances of ungracious feelings.
- Disputing parties can concentrate on the content of each other’s points. They can do this without getting distracted by non-verbal cues. This includes cues like the crossing of the arms, eye-rolling and others that could be misconstrued as confrontational.
- Jurisdiction stops being an issue. In dispute cases that cut across state lines, deciding where the mediator will come from stops being an issue.
- Disputants from different geographic zones can still discuss, as online mediation is not limited by borders.
- Your choice of mediator is no longer limited to your geographical location. You do not have to concern yourself with choosing a mediator near you. All you need is to ensure that the mediator is an expert in the area of dispute.
- Anonymity is preserved. Online mediation is usually the best option for parties who would like to keep their anonymities intact. An example of beneficiaries of this is insurance companies and government agencies. They could keep their identities out of the mediation process when resolving disputes.