Video conferencing is one of the most exciting tools in the communication landscape. It’s the only way to maintain all the unique nuances of face-to-face interaction, without any of the travel. What’s more, 94% of businesses agree that using video increases their productivity levels.
Used correctly, a video can add more context to a meeting, help to eliminate the risk of loneliness for remote workers, and improve company culture. However, if you want to tap into all of those fantastic benefits, you need to start by choosing the right video conferencing provider.
There are plenty of options to choose from, from dedicated video solutions, to all-in-one environments that offer screen-sharing, video, and instant messaging all in the same place.
Here are some top tips to help you make the right choice this year.
1. Remember the Resolution
The quality of video that we can achieve in our conferencing environments is increasing all the time. We’ve already seen the arrival of 4K video conferencing, and new endpoints are emerging every day to deliver more detailed pictures for everyday users too. If all that wasn’t enough, the rise of 5G as a new connectivity standard means that we could look forward to more beautiful meetings on mobile devices too.
When searching for the perfect video conferencing provider, make sure that the quality of your conferencing tools matches your needs. If you’re going to be interacting with customers and clients, you don’t want to be squinting at the screen because you can’t read the image being referenced on a whiteboard. Don’t forget to consider audio quality too. Just because the video is available, doesn’t mean that you should compromise on the clarity of your conversation.
2. Look for Value-Adding Features
Being able to load up a video conference with just one click is an excellent feature in today’s fast-paced digital environment. However, sometimes, you’re going to need more than just a face-to-face connection. Aside from excellent image and audio quality, it’s worth looking at your video conferencing provider, to see whether they can offer extra features to boost productivity and efficiency.
For instance, can you share documents during virtual meetings to provide more context in a conversation? Or will you need to switch to a different tab to send an email while you’re chatting to a coworker? Can you screen-share and keep your video running at the same time when you’re talking to a colleague? What about sending instant chat messages for clarity? Many video conferencing providers go beyond video to deliver everything from instant chat to artificially intelligent tools that can make notes for you with nothing but a voice command.
3. Check Advanced Capabilities
Speaking of having virtual assistants in your video conferencing experience, how committed is your provider to experimenting with the latest tools on the market? Can you implement AI into your video conferencing experience so that your camera recognises you the moment you walk into a huddle room and arranges your preferences just how you like them? Can you trust a virtual assistant to record various aspects of your meeting for you, or transcribe your conversation so that you can search through it for valuable information later?
More advanced tools in the video collaboration space are increasingly making today’s team members more productive and efficient. Something as simple as having a tool in your video conference that can automatically show in-line transcriptions of what’s being said can help to eliminate uncertainty and confusion in a meeting.
