A few short years ago, video conferencing was almost exclusively the behaviour of global C-suite jet-setters, looking to reduce time on aeroplanes and be everywhere at once. Over recent years, accelerated by the COVID pandemic and lockdowns, hybrid-working has become increasingly popular and video meetings are now much more widely used.
With environmental sustainability and productivity in mind, most organisations are eager to reduce travel. However, according to research by Lifesize, at least 70% of communication is non-verbal – phone calls just don’t cut it. It’s no wonder video conferencing is so popular. The same research demonstrates that, with 80% of employees stating their preference for video.
We accept video meetings as part of working collaborations with colleagues, clients and partners as they should offer a quick, slick way to have a more engaging discussion than a phone call, reducing travel demands and increasing productivity.
Often meetings include at least one room ‘participant’ (i.e. room-to-room conferences or boardroom meetings with remote participants). It’s no good having multiple participants huddle around a laptop camera, or relying on your tablet to be capable of capturing adequate video and audio for remote participants. Professional calls require professional equipment and furnishing rooms with suitable video conferencing hardware is important.
Like any tech’ investment, selecting a suitable video conferencing solution for your meeting room(s) takes some consideration. In this article, we share some of our views and pointers to help.
Choose your meeting software.
Before looking at hardware, review the software people are using to create and run video meetings. Is it standardised across your organisation?
According to Owl Labs’s research, 89% of organisations are using multiple video conferencing platforms!
Standardising should reduce costs and support, as well as create efficiencies within the workforce. It will also help when selecting video conferencing equipment as they’re often designed to integrate with one primary platform. For example, we’ve installed several (Microsoft) Teams Room solutions which enable simple, quick, fuss-free and even one-touch meeting access that our customers love, but occasional use of other meeting platforms requires a little more user interaction and potentially support.
About the space
Meeting rooms come in all shapes and sizes, which will need to be considered when specifying video conferencing solutions. Some meeting spaces even shape-shift with sliding walls and flexible furniture.
It’s important to consider the environment itself. For example:
- How many people intend to share a video experience?
- Will the furniture need to move around?
- Would a TV be wall mounted or on a portable stand?
- Is there adequate structured cabling in the room?
- What is the most appropriate back-drop for your video meetings?
- Is the lighting adequate and will the natural light from the windows impact the video meetings?
- Will the room construction have an implication on audio/video quality? (for example, is there lots of glass to bounce the sound around? Should you consider any acoustic deadening?)
These variables will have an impact on the specification of the camera, speakers, microphone and set up of the room. It might also present an opportunity to reconfigure the space or think tweak the materials to maximise the experience of the video conferencing solution.
It can also be important for the equipment to fit the aesthetic of the room.
We are always happy to help review the space and advise.
Technical requirements
Like most technology, the hardware capabilities from one video conferencing solution to the next can vary. Each component of a video conferencing solution can offer features which might really benefit your organisation’s meeting experience. For example, certain cameras can zoom and focus on the individual who’s currently speaking. Some solutions offer wireless microphones that can sit on the table when in use and dock to charge when not.
Most of the solutions we provide are equipped with a simple touch screen control panel that allows users to quickly launch and manage the meeting when they arrive. They can also provide the capability for participants to share their screen’s content wirelessly.
The list goes on and on, and it can depend largely on…
Budget
As with most technology purchases (buying a new laptop, or even a hi-fi at home, for example) costs for video conferencing can escalate unnecessarily when the components get specified without a firm handle on the budget. Equally, underbudgeting can compromise the experience and diminish the intended value of the system. Poorly specified hardware will deliver a poor experience and probably sit unused, getting dusty. Keeping things simple and well packaged is often the most cost-effective approach.
Getting it right means that people will do more video meetings, increase productivity and reduce travel – all good stuff for maximising your return on investment (ROI) and protecting your bottom line.
How Agile can help
We’d love to help you consider the software choices, nature of the room and technical requirements in your organisation’s meeting rooms in more detail. We can then show you what we feel are some of the best Video Conferencing solution options available and the costs associated with them.
We supply, provision and install the solution in your room and train your team on how to get the best from it. Get in touch today to learn more.