Video conferencing has taken the business world by storm as technology has progressed throughout the years. Because it is such a growing phenomenon for business communication, it can be overwhelming for small-to-medium-sized businesses to determine how this technology should play a role within their organization.
We'd like to help you with your research. Below you will find information about the need for video conferencing equipment in the business world, the potential advantages for business communication, what hardware you would need, as well as how to determine if this technology is worth the investment for your particular organization.
WHAT IS THE NEED?
According to a study conducted by IDC, video conferencing is becoming more and more prevalent as last year 64% of companies had video conferencing setups in small "huddle" rooms that sat five or fewer individuals. These setups help connect meetings for all aspects of your business, whether it's internally or externally. Studies have shown that 87% of professionals say they feel more connected and engaged with their colleagues as video conferencing technology has increased in connectivity. The same goes for clients who cannot travel to you as well. In today's world, meetings can be anywhere at any time with the right technology in place. Like any business tool, the rise in video conference calls are due to a rise in productivity and effective business communication efforts. These advantages have led to video conferencing technology becoming more of a priority for organizations.
WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES?
Whether it's a company wanting to connect with remote employees, link multiple offices together for a meeting, reduce unnecessary travel expenses, or simply streamline a voice call so that everyone can see who is speaking, there are plenty of advantages to having video conferencing technology at your disposal. Companies are able to meet more frequently with a higher attendance rate, and they can be there for their clients in a way that feels more personal if their clients are not within driving distance. 65% of individuals also believe that video conferencing is the best method of screen sharing and collaborating on content. Five Nines utilizes Skype for Business (soon to be rebranded to Microsoft Teams) for video conferencing needs, and our team has the ability to host an HD meeting with up to 250 participants, share our presentations, collaborate on an Office document together in real time, poll our audience for feedback, and remotely share control of workstations from anywhere so we can best assist our partners. Reducing costs and increasing efficiency is the best equation when analyzing the investment on a piece of technology.
WHAT HARDWARE WOULD WE NEED?
Your hardware needs are as unique as the room you are putting a conferencing system in. A small-to-medium-sized conference room with a flat screen TV on the wall would do well with an all-in-one camera/speaker/microphone mounted underneath the TV, but you may need to move the TV up higher on the wall to make sure the camera can view everyone at the table. A larger conference room with a long table and an over-head projector will need a front or side wall mounted camera, multiple microphones, and multiple speakers to accommodate everyone and ensure a consistent experience. Acoustics can also play a large role in conference quality. If you have a room with a noticeable echo, you should look to adding sound dampening wall panels or acoustic ceiling tiles to reduce the reverberations.
Interested in the possibility of video conferencing equipment, but not sure where to start? Click below to request a free IT Assessment of your environment, no strings attached.
IS IT WORTH THE INVESTMENT?
From the outside looking in, you might not think video conferencing equipment is something your business needs. Perhaps you are thinking that all of your employees are in the same office, or all of your clients are driving distance from you. Video conferencing might not be necessary for every organization, but it can streamline meetings for almost every business. Investing in video conferencing equipment would make the most sense for organizations who have several locations that need to work together, have the need to host all-staff meetings, but do not have enough space to host all users at once, or who need to have the ability to connect with clients more quickly than driving to them.
Video conferencing helps to build the feeling of connectedness with your remote workers or clients you cannot meet with face-to-face. Having the ability to see the individual you are meeting with helps participants to be actively engaged, pick up on body language or visual cues, and keeps your meetings efficient and timely. Investing in video conferencing equipment is worth the consideration, as it can change your whole meeting dynamic and productivity.
Interested in learning more about Skype for Business as well as why Office 365 is more than just email? Click below to download our free Five Nines webinar about Office 365 tools that enhance collaboration and how Five Nines helps clients leverage Office 365 tools and packages.
