Communication continues to move beyond standard voice conversations. Today’s workplace demands an immersive connection. That means turning to video conferencing to get the job done. This solution allows everyone in a group to have a face-to-face experience for maximum productivity. With the latest video conferencing innovations, the sky’s the limit.
With the correct video conferencing configuration, you feel like you are in the same room with your global employees or clients, without spending a fortune on travel. Let’s dive deeper into this telecommunication strategy.
What is Video Conferencing?
Video conferencing was once an expensive technology that only higher-end organizations implemented. Today, any company, no matter what the size, can access video technology. In fact, the business of video conferencing is set to be worth nearly $20 billion by 2022.
When VoIP became a standard for communication, conferencing options became more accessible. That’s because VoIP allows packets of data to travel across the internet, making communication more affordable and straightforward. Today’s video conferencing software utilizes the same VoIP technology to transmit voice and data.
Today, there are conferencing solutions for broadcasting, webinars, recording and one-on-one video calling.
Latest Trends in Video Conferencing
Video conferencing is subject to the same trends that affect any communication. For example, the rise of AI affects conferencing solutions. This artificial intelligence tracks usage of the conference room or counts the number of participants. All of this makes your business more efficient. AI also helps to manage and setup the video meeting as your assistant or transcribes the meeting for review.
Aside from AI and its vast shift into business, let’s take a look at a few more trends occurring now.
Rise of Software
At one time, hardware was king. Video conferencing needed to be built on room-size installations complete with complex IT management and plenty of data storage. Today, cloud-based platforms make it possible for any company to engage in a meaningful meeting.
4K or HD Video
Video quality continues to improve daily. This isn’t just inside our homes, but also our organizations. With the help of 5G and sophisticated infrastructures, the picture only becomes clearer and clearer. In fact, it won’t be long until we see business calls made with holographic technology.
Supportive Systems
Video conferencing is about more than talking to a colleague. In today’s world, conferencing software opens the door to numerous possibilities. There are now multiple solutions that enhance the setting with add-ons such as interactive whiteboards.
Virtual Reality
Whether you plan to video conference in from home or you need to make some calls during a meeting, VR takes everything to a new level. You can see the entire team from anywhere with minimal equipment. VR breaks down the walls and helps you collaborate on a new level.
The Future of Video Conferencing
The times we live in are quite exciting. With rapid advances made in the telecommunications industry, our businesses face a lot of positive impacts. From performance to organization, we become more interactive and flexible by the day. It no longer matters where the employees, customers or clients are located; every business can work with optimal productivity and efficiency.
Video calling continues to evolve, allowing face-to-face conversations at a moment’s notice. Teleconferencing changes the way people work together. As businesses invest in newer systems, they overcome the poor video and audio quality of days gone by.
HD quality has become the standard for any sophisticated conferencing system. Let’s take a brief look at the solutions currently available to today’s business.
Today’s Video Conferencing Equipment
When looking at video conferencing products, you must place each element into one of four primary categories.
Desktop
The desktop video conferencing system is used at each workspace. This can be through a PC or laptop. With this setup, all that’s needed is a microphone and webcam. To make the system more sophisticated, touchscreens with integrated cameras can be added.
This type of telecommunication is best for quick team collaboration or meetings. If a staff member makes regular video calls, a dedicated system helps to save time and gather people quickly.
Set Top
With set top systems, the codec equipment, conference phone and the camera are plugged into existing monitors or screens. They are simple to connect and move around, allowing for a flexible option. With this equipment, you can turn any room into an environment for a video meeting. You can also plug it into interactive whiteboards or a Smart TV to facilitate a presentation. With proper software, you can also connect to multiple screens at once.
Integrated
With an integrated conferencing system, all of the hardware is combined with the software. This includes the screen, phone, camera and codecs. With this system, you pick one single location to install the equipment. This works best for any company hoping to turn one dedicated space into the video conferencing headquarters.
Telepresence
With telepresence, the meeting experience becomes lifelike. This is when HD visual and audio equipment is included to create an immersive environment. VR and AR alter the boundaries to develop heightened interactions. As we continue to progress into the future, we will see more of these solutions implemented.
Selecting Video Conferencing Solutions for Your Company
As you prepare your work area for video conferencing, it’s vital to assess your needs first. When working with Clever AV, we look at the following factors for your huddle rooms, large scale events or meeting space.
Hardware
As discussed above, there are plenty of hardware options. These are mainly determined by the location of the video conferencing.
Participant Numbers
The majority of video conferencing platforms are paid for by how many users there are. You may be required to get a license for each person using the system. If you don’t have a lot of participants, you want to save money by choosing something with a smaller user capacity. If you prefer to have something open-ended, there are some larger-scale conferencing platforms, but you will pay more.
Wireless
What’s the purpose behind video conferencing? It’s designed to let people communicate from a distance. You want to do this on a larger scale than just the office setting. That’s why many companies create solutions that allow employees to collaborate while on the go.
Team members might want to create an impromptu huddle while they are traveling. It’s also valuable to have access to meetings while out of the office. To do this, you must implement a conferencing solution that supports mobile.
If you have a BYOD office culture, you will also need a platform supporting wireless connections. Some configurations require complicated setups that make the entire process stressful. In the end, that defeats the purpose of creating solutions for maximum efficiency.
Collaboration
When you implement your video conferencing strategy, you want to allow for collaboration. This enables you to go beyond just seeing and talking with one another. By integrating the collaboration tools of your company, everyone can work and interact with each other. This includes sharing screens, desktops and files. You can also utilize whiteboards to sketch out plans.
Most collaboration platforms have video conferencing support. The APIs are simply plugged into the conferencing system. There’s no limit to what can be accomplished with all of these tools at your disposal.
What Video Conferencing Innovations Are You Excited to Use?
Let us know in the comments.