1. What factors should companies consider when selecting Teams endpoints?
Jason Wyatt, Global Tech Marketing Manager at AudioCodes: “Firstly, you need to look at the types of User Personas that exists within your organization, most organizations will have between 4 and 6 User Personas.
“Each Persona will have a different device requirement, as an example an executive may require a desk phone and a Bluetooth headset, whereby a general administrator may require just a USB Headset and the Teams Client.
“Choosing vendor(s) is also critically important, device and sound quality are imperative as well as longevity, organizations also need to consider how they will proactively manage all devices within their estate.
“Conducting a device bar session is also a great way to introduce the devices and help educate on the pros and cons of each.
“It’s always a good approach to let people decide on devices that they’ll feel comfortable with, as well as being pragmatic about the choices they have, after all it’s not practical to manage 100’s of different devices.”
Dawson CAI, VC Product Director at Yealink: “A company’s requirements for Teams endpoints vary according to different situations.
“In the background of hybrid working, customer employees may need Teams phones, USB webcams, speakerphones and headsets for personal use, while Teams Rooms System for meeting rooms.
“In such a background, companies should first consider a brand that provides all categories of Teams endpoints, so that there will be unified and convenient devices management and service.
“Even in the future, when more complicated hybrid work situations require a greater variety of devices, companies don’t have to worry about the coordination and compatibility among these Teams endpoints.
“In addition, users can start using the new devices right away without additional learning costs and get a unified user experience in all workspaces.”
2. Which are the best Teams endpoints for hybrid working?
Jason Wyatt, Global Tech Marketing Manager at AudioCodes: Hybrid working has really become the new normal, a recent ONS survey revealed In February 2022, 84% of workers who had to work from home because of the coronavirus pandemic said they planned to carry out a mix of working at home and in their place of work in the future.
“Of course, when it comes to Teams endpoints, there’s always going to be a difference of opinion.
“Personally, I still like to have a Teams desk phone, the AudioCodes C470HD is brilliant, not only does it look great, sound great, you can also connect any USB or Bluetooth Headset.
“Additionally, the AudioCodes RXV10 Camera and RX15 Speaker are awesome devices for hybrid working. Lastly the RXV80 is an all-in-one Android MTR device, small and compact, ideal for small offices/home offices.”
Dawson CAI, VC Product Director at Yealink: “Hybrid working cases include home office, mobile office, and traditional office. Different Teams endpoints are required for different scenes.
“For home offices and traditional offices, an all-in-one video bar like Yealink MeetingBar A20 for huddle and small rooms is a nice choice.
“With the all-in-one collaboration bar, no PC is required, just plug-and-play for a meeting room set up within minutes, saving the time of deployment and management, perfect for the demands of SMEs. It also provides professional video and audio experience.
“Yealink MeetingBar A20 builds up the AI video features with Auto Framing, Speaker Tracking, Picture-in-Picture, and Multi-Focus Framing, seamlessly delivering the immersive and user-friendly meeting experience.
“For a mobile office, I recommend professional business headsets like Yealink Bluetooth headset BH72.
“Excellent audio technology including intelligent dynamic ANC and Yealink Acoustic Shield Technology makes people hear and be heard very clearly, bringing concentrated communication everywhere.”
3. What kind of Teams endpoint innovations could we be seeing soon?
Jason Wyatt, Global Tech Marketing Manager at AudioCodes: “As a vendor, AudioCodes has always provided innovative solutions for Microsoft UC, as an example, AudioCodes was one of the first vendors to offer a Microsoft Certified Phone that was dual boot, aimed at those organizations that were still in mixed mode of Skype and Teams.
“The latest MTR device, the RXV81 Standalone Android MTR is the first of its kind that also doubles as a peripheral device with USB Camera / Microphone and Speaker, that optionally can be directly connected to a PC if required to enhance/improve a meeting space, a hybrid if you like.
“Additionally, later this year AudioCodes will be launching a companion device for the RXV80 & RXV81 that is a tabletop unit to make using and operating the Android MTR’s much easier, again this is a first for Android MTR.”
Dawson CAI, VC Product Director at Yealink:
“AI Noise Cancelling Technology will be more widely applied in Teams endpoints. It is more about intelligent audio analysis than standard filtering of audio frequencies.
“Instead of suppressing the noise, it erases the noise, ensuring that users enjoy crystal-clear audio quality. This innovative technology is coming soon with Yealink MeetingBar A20 and A30.
“Moreover, the People Feed AI features from Microsoft will also be applied more in meetings. Meeting attendees show up in individual feeds for remote participants, so that every person can be seen and identified clearly.
“Speakers are recognized and framed closely to make remote participants feel the communication closer, creating a face-to-face experience.”
