What is Video Conferencing?

Here is your complete guide to video conferencing

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What is Video Conferencing?
CollaborationInsights

Published: September 3, 2023

Rebekah Carter - Writer

Rebekah Carter

What is video conferencing, and how is it transforming the communications landscape?

Video conferencing is the art of hosting live, real-time, and visual conversations between two or more participants using the internet. It’s been around for a lot longer than most people realize. In the 1920s, major brands like AT&T were already experimenting with video phones.

However, the demand for video in the business landscape has increased drastically in recent years. By 2030, the market for video conferencing will be worth around $17.05 billion, according to some reports. That’s more than double its value in 2023.

For many organizations, the rise of video was a side effect of the pandemic and changing work modes. Video technologies help teams to replicate the experiences of face-to-face interactions between distributed (remote and hybrid) staff members.

They also offer a unique way to engage, guide, and support customers throughout the buyer journey. After all, 70% of our communication is considered to be non-verbal.

Here’s everything you need to know about video conferencing.

What is Video Conferencing? The Basics

Video conferencing is simply a video-based conversation between two or more parties hosted on the Internet. It allows people to join a virtual “environment” where they can stream video and voice to other participants worldwide.

At its most basic, video conferencing allows transmitting images between two locations.

The components of a video system usually include:

  • A network for transferring data, such as local area networks, wide area networks, cellular wireless networks, and residential broadband.
  • Video conferencing endpoints like webcams, smartphone cameras, microphones, speakers, and headphones.
  • A computer screen, monitor, phone, or display capable of broadcasting video output.
  • Codecs which reduce bandwidth usage by compressing and decompressing data.
  • Intelligent tools for enhancing video and audio quality, such as echo cancellation codecs, acoustic fencing, and image optimization software.

Some companies offer access to complete video conferencing room systems, such as Zoom Rooms or Microsoft Teams Rooms. These provide companies with complete hardware and software toolkits for facilitating video-based meetings and conversations.

What is Video Conferencing? How Does Video Conferencing Work?

Video conferencing sessions work by using internet connections to align users from regions all over the world on various devices. There are different video conferencing tools to choose from in the modern world. Some companies opt for “Video conferencing as a service” (VCaaS) solutions focusing specifically on video interactions.

However, it’s becoming increasingly common for video to form part of a comprehensive solution-as-a-service communications platform. UCaaS (Unified Communications as a Service) and CCaaS tools (Contact Centre as a Service) now regularly offer video conferencing tools.

These platforms, offered by major brands like RingCentral, Cisco Webex, Microsoft, Zoom, and many others, transform video communication into an everyday part of the business landscape.

At their core, video conferencing tools allow companies to capture and compress audio and video data so that it can be transferred over the internet in digital packets. The codecs decompress the data once packages reach another endpoint (conferencing user).

However, as the world of work and communications has evolved, the video conferencing landscape has grown more advanced. Many video conferencing tools leverage everything from artificial intelligence to integrated collaboration tools to improve video interactions.

The Benefits of Video Conferencing

Video conferencing was once defined by complex, room-level installations requiring on-premises data storage and IT department input.

As experts spend less time in the workplace and more time on the move, video solutions are evolving to support simpler user experiences. Accessing video conferencing solutions as a standalone service or part of a UCaaS or CCaaS platform can yield incredible benefits.

Video conferencing can:

Improve communication

Clear communication is crucial in any business environment. According to studies, humans process visual information faster and more effectively than audio or text. Additionally, 62% of executives believe that video improves the quality of communication.

Video can bring context and depth to conversations, allowing team members to share body language, facial expressions, and gestures that infer meaning. These tools can even help remote and hybrid team members to build stronger relationships.

Reduce costs

Face-to-face interactions can be essential in many business environments. They’re vital whether you’re interacting with a customer or sharing insights with a colleague. Unfortunately, arranging in-person meetings can be a time-consuming and expensive process.

Providing teams with video conferencing tools ensures they can interact effectively without traveling through audio, video, and sometimes even text. This reduces costs and saves teams crucial time.

Strengthen collaboration

Today’s companies must find new ways to help teams collaborate in an environment where staff members are distributed worldwide. Video can significantly improve collaborative experiences by allowing people to share more data during meetings.

Many advanced video conferencing tools offer access to collaborative features, such as whiteboarding apps and presentation or file-sharing tools. This paves the way for robust and immersive teamwork among hybrid, in-office, and remote workers.

Enhance training outcomes

Video conferencing solutions aren’t just used for meetings and conversations between teams. They can also be powerful resources for training and employee education. Many of the top vendors in the video world now offer webinar and event-focused tools.

These can empower business leaders to instantly share immersive training sessions with employees around the globe. Events can even be recorded and shared in company knowledgebases.

Increase customer satisfaction

Since the pandemic accelerated the adoption of video conferencing solutions, consumers and individuals have grown increasingly comfortable with video conversations. Many even rely on video discussions to access support and guidance from sales and customer service reps.

In the CCaaS landscape, video tools can give businesses a better way to engage their target audience. They can be used for sales demonstrations, onboarding sessions, and real-time customer support.

Video Conferencing Trends in 2023

While video conferencing as a concept has been around for some time, demand for this technology has significantly grown since the pandemic. Following COVID-19, the video conferencing market saw a 500% increase in investment and buyer activity.

Part of the reason for this sudden growth was an increased need for face-to-face interaction in a world of social isolation. However, consistent trends have continued to push the interest in video solutions forward in recent years.

For instance, many companies invested in video conferencing solutions like Microsoft Teams and Zoom during the pandemic to connect remote workers. Now that hybrid and remote work is here to stay, video has become an everyday part of many team meetings and interactions.

Other trends driving the rise of video conferencing include:

More straightforward, more Accessible Tools

In the past, installing video conferencing systems in a business environment was a complex and expensive process. Now that companies rely on video for more internal and external conversations, vendor tools are becoming more user-centric.

WebRTC tools allow users to access video apps through a web browser. Video conferencing tools come built into UCaaS and CCaaS solutions, allowing us to launch a call at the touch of a button.

Even video conferencing hardware is becoming more straightforward, with plug-and-play video bars and all-in-one room kits for every meeting space.

Inclusion and Immersive Collaboration

As video becomes essential to the collaboration experience, many vendors are introducing new tools and solutions to make teamwork easier. Many modern video conferencing software suites come with digital whiteboarding tools so teams can share real-time information.

Solutions like Microsoft Teams and Zoom allow users to host real-time presentations while still streaming high-quality video captures.

Some vendors even use artificial intelligence to create more inclusive and immersive collaborative sessions. For instance, some tools can automatically transcribe and translate conversations in a video call with live captions. These modern video tools help to increase feelings of inclusivity in the world of remote and hybrid work.

Multi-vendor and multi-device Interoperability

As the business world continues to search for technology that works well together in the communication stack, many vendors are beginning to explore communication services that provide “multi-vendor” interoperability.

This means that everyone can connect regardless of the platform they choose. Today’s video conferencing vendors offer access to app markets, toolkits for integrations, and completely device agonistic software solutions for every business user.

The flexible nature of video conferencing in the modern world ensures every employee can connect to a video conferencing session using any platform or tool they choose without restrictions. It’s even possible for people to use SIP and VoIP phones to dial into meetings.

Choosing a Video Conferencing Solution

Today, video conferencing has become a table-stakes part of every communication stack. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy for choosing the right vendor. For most companies, the decision will depend on several factors, such as:

  • Deployment options: Do you need a standalone video solution that can integrate with your existing communication and contact center tools or a complete comms platform?
  • Hardware requirements: Are you looking to buy and install your video hardware, or do you want to hire rooms and tools “as a service?”
  • Security: What standards must be in place to ensure video sessions are kept secure and encrypted for consumers and employees?
  • Features sets: Do you need innovative tools like AI transcription and translation, presentation and whiteboarding tools, or access to webinar and event features?
  • Support requirements: How much support do you need when setting up and managing video conferencing tools? How easy should your solution be to deploy?

The Rise of Video Conferencing

The answer to “What is video conferencing?” has evolved somewhat in recent years. Fundamentally, video conferencing is still a way to connect people from different environments using a combination of audio and video. However, the right video solution can also offer so much more.

Used correctly, video conferencing can unify and align employees in a remote or hybrid landscape, driving better collaboration outcomes. It can also be a valuable resource for training and education and a solution for delivering excellent customer service.

As the world of work continues to evolve and customer expectations change, video conferencing will remain a core part of the business landscape. The age of video is here to stay.

 

 

 

 

 

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