Category: Video Conferencing

Video Conferencing Is Rapidly Changing The Way Organizations Do Business

Video conferencing has been available for decades, but it’s never been more relevant to businesses and schools than it is today. That’s because video conferencing allows organizations to connect their teams wherever they are, and facilitate collaboration between those teams whenever they want.

IP video conferencing is termed such because many of the improvements behind modern video conferencing solutions have been derived from voice-over-IP (VoIP) technology. VoIP revolutionized communications by doing away with the public-switched telephone network and sending voice data over the internet instead. This same idea has been scaled up for modern video conferencing platforms, which now use IP networks to handle video data.

As a result, video conferencing has become a frontline solution for organizations looking to improve communications and, perhaps most importantly, unify remote teams.

Four IP Video Conferencing Benefits Every Organization Could Use

Few technologies are as immediately impactful as video conferencing, and because the technology improves communication in a fundamental way (adding visual information), it can fit into nearly any organization in any industry. Businesses, K-12 schools, universities, government facilities – all can benefit from video conferencing, and four of those benefits include:

1. More efficient, more meaningful communication – Video conferencing is the closest thing to being in the room with someone without being in the room. Communication is face to face, which means meeting participants have body language, facial expressions, and hand gestures to help with understanding. Without these visual cues, people have to focus their attention on every word, which can be fatiguing and result in poor comprehension. Video conferencing, then, helps your team members remain on the same page.
   Further, because audio and video together conveys more than audio alone, your teams will be able to push through their meetings faster, so they have more time to spend on other initiatives.
   Another important consideration is how people connect better through video conferencing. Surveys of remote employees show that they feel more connected to their teammates and feel like their contributions matter more when they regularly communicate with their teams via video conferencing. Team unity is difficult to quantify, but successful organizations know that establishing a team atmosphere is important to maintain productivity, and video conferencing can be an important tool in that regard.
2. Robust content sharing and collaboration – Modern video conferencing solutions are designed to make content sharing simple, so your team can present sales figures, concept drawings, PowerPoints, diagrams and anything else they need to collaborate. Users can easily share this content from their own devices by connecting wirelessly to the conferencing system. In fact, your teams may not even need to touch any of the room’s technology to do so. This not only keeps things clean, it minimizes user error, as users won’t need to configure anything before getting started. Just connect and share.
3. Greatly reduced travel and other operational costs – For organizations that spend a lot on travel, video conferencing represents a far more economical option to executing long distance meetings. According to a 2020 survey, companies spend more than $1,400 per employee they send on a business trip, and that’s money your organization could recoup immediately with video conferencing. Depending on how much your organization relies on travel, it won’t take long to recoup an investment in video conferencing, and potential cost savings go beyond travel.
   Businesses are quickly realizing that remote employees are often more cost-effective employees. Not only are they more productive, which multiple studies show, but they save organizations money due to reduced real estate footprint (less need for office space) and reduced turnover. Add it all up, and video conferencing may boost your bottom line.
4. It can be done anywhere at any time – As the amount of remote work increases, so too will the need for flexible conferencing options. Professionals may be working from home, on the road, at the office – and they are likely in meetings throughout the day. Video conferencing fits perfectly into this approach, as it can be done with any device. No matter where your teams are, they can instantly communicate, face-to-face, with a couple taps on their phone.

How Can A Certified Integrator Help With An IP Video Conferencing Solution?

Video conferencing is proven technology, but it can be a challenge figuring out how to best harness it for your organization. At this point, it’s worthwhile to consider bringing in a certified AV integrator because they will be able to make the best AV-related decisions for your organization from the outset. Here’s why:

• A certified integrator will develop a comprehensive solution design – Certified integrators set the foundation early for an effective AV solution. First, they consult with their client to determine what their AV needs are and, together, decide on which direction to take the project. A site survey is next, and the state of any existing technology is taken into account. With this information, certified integrators can develop a solution that is optimized for function and form.
• A certified integrator will ensure the technology is properly integrated into the organization – There’s more to an AV project than just planning and installation. A certified integrator will set up the technology so that it communicates properly with the system’s other components. A certified integrator will also provide training for anyone who will use the system, so your organization will be familiar with what the solution offers before it goes live. That’s a proven way to boost comfort and interest in the technology.
• A certified integrator can serve as a long-term technology partner – Even after your video conferencing is launched, a certified integrator can continue providing value. With an extended maintenance agreement, the integrator can act in a technology partner role. They will monitor the solution’s performance, provide tech support (remote and onsite), and perform preventative maintenance so any potential issues are mitigated before they cause downtime. A certified integrator can also offer valuable insight when hardware replacement or upgrades are needed and spearhead those projects as they arise.

There are many quality IP conferencing solutions and platforms to choose from, and there are many ways to design a video conferencing system. A certified AV integrator can help their clients cut through all the uncertainty and realize the potential of video communication.