Remember the giant meeting room?
For some small-medium-sized businesses, it was perhaps the only meeting room.
Boardroom table; seats for 20+; a single piece of expensive and unwieldy video conferencing equipment. The exclusive domain (with a few exceptions) of the CEO and their senior leadership team.
Today, of course, everything is flipped on its head. The virtual meeting is a daily (for some, hourly) event: a routine way of collaborating with customers and colleagues that requires a whole new approach to the tech on which it all depends.
In physical offices, demand is high for smaller rooms and huddle spaces in which employees can both meet in person and collaborate virtually with participants that join remotely. It’s all about accessibility, simplicity, and user experience.
As a result, investing in the most modern, feature-rich, and effective video conferencing kit is about as important as it gets. For businesses and their IT providers, it means partnering with vendors that not only truly understand the complex dynamics of the new-look meeting space, but also have the solutions to maximize their value.
“As more organizations transition back to the office and hybrid work environments become the norm, small meeting spaces often pose unique challenges for video collaboration,” says James Spencer, Video Solutions Director at leading audio and video solutions provider Jabra, which has just launched its new PanaCast 40 Video Bar System that solves all the issues.
“Traditional solutions often struggle to capture all participants equally, particularly those seated closer to the screen, while some spaces lack video conferencing equipment altogether. This imbalance can result in empty meeting rooms and gaps in communication, highlighting the need for solutions that provide clear, inclusive experiences for everyone, regardless of location.”
Global research recently commissioned by Jabra found that 94% of employees are currently conducting meetings in small rooms or huddle spaces and that 73% of people think they create better team dynamics and foster enhanced trust among participants. However, the research found that only 3% of rooms are equipped with the optimum video conferencing technology.
“People are often huddling around a single laptop, taking meetings from their desks or in the corridors,” says Spencer. “That is a real barrier to high quality collaboration.”
The Jabra PanaCast 40 VBS addresses those issues by delivering an Android-powered, all-in-one solution that transforms small meeting rooms into high-performing collaboration hubs. With its 180° field of view, exceptional audio quality, and seamless usability, it ensures every participant is seen and heard clearly, enabling organizations to fully utilize their small spaces and take collaboration to new heights.
The video capabilities are matched by the advanced audio performance – powered by a single high-quality speaker and six beamforming microphones. Intelligent audio algorithms enhance sound clarity for exceptional voice pickup, so every word is heard clearly and accurately, fostering more natural and engaging virtual interactions and ensuring remote participants feel fully included.
Also, Intelligent Meeting Space functionality enables users to personalize and set virtual meeting space boundaries—perfect for open-plan offices or glass-walled rooms.
To enhance usability and longevity, the Jabra PanaCast 40 VBS includes optional accessories such as a touch controller and a detachable faceplate for easy cleaning. It can also be purchased as a bundle, with both the PanaCast 40 VBS and the touch controller included. New packaging enables provisioning without removing the product from the box. It can be quickly and easily installed, with flexible deployment options on Microsoft Teams, Zoom, or permanent BYOD setups; all managed and updated seamlessly via Jabra+ software.
“High quality video conferencing capability has the potential to completely transform the way small and medium-sized businesses operate, regardless of the scale or configuration of their physical office space,” says Spencer.
“The world has become accustomed to communicating and collaborating via video as if it was an entirely natural thing for us all. When the right technology is deployed, the rewards are huge.”
To learn more about how Jabra can help your and your customers’ businesses communicate better, click here.
