When looking to connect a business network, working across distance can be a sticking point. Travel can create lost time and great expense, but meeting face to face is still the best way for company members to cooperate, collaborate and contribute. Finding a solution that bridges the gap between participants is crucial for the success of modern business.
Today’s answer is audio and video conferencing. When ideas and information need to be shared, communication is best done in real time. When emails and faxes simply won’t suffice, live audiovisual conferences allow contributors to work together without the need for travel or long interruptions to in-office work time.
There are many products and services that help to facilitate the modern, digital conference. Some companies employ entire rooms for teleconferencing and visual communication, while others utilize technology that allows for meetings straight from the desk or computer station of each employee. Whatever setup a business chooses, the program they use makes a big difference in the efficiency and productivity of their collaborations.
Software Matters
Cisco’s Telepresence software is one of the most popular choices in audiovisual corporate communications. With a plethora of features that appeal to businesses of any type and size, telepresence programming offers something for any company looking to connect participants across distances great and small. Some of the key features of the program include:
- Ease of use for participants of all technological skill levels
- Seamless connection between users and endpoints
- Consistent experience for all members, regardless of platform used
- Multi-user conferencing for up to twenty-five users
- Ability to bring any device with near-universal compatibility
- Screen and content sharing
- Dynamic, easy to control meeting layouts, all customizable from the desktop or other endpoint device
- Real-time reporting on bandwidth, call quality and more for each participant
- Security that is unparalleled to provide safe sharing of information and keep unwelcome users out
Companies such as BlueJeans provide not only the software and technology that users need to utilize Cisco telepresence programming, but also the training and support that corporate customers may need to get the most out of that software. This customer service adds value to the purchase of the software and setup that cannot be obtained through independent buying. A thorough understanding of the tools being used is important to everyone involved in the process, and having a partner that provides this vital education is an asset to any corporate entity.
Putting Telepresence to Work for Your Brand
There is a common misconception that only large companies need tools like audiovisual conferencing. This simply isn’t true. Consider the small business, looking to set up new locations or source products and raw materials from new locations. While making this happen, members can stay connected easily and relay information and updates in real time, face to face, using video communication software. Truly, there is no limit to what this type of program can do for the corporate world, whether its employers are billion-dollar brands or homegrown, small-town businesses. As long as people need to converse, there will be a need for remote, virtual meetings and the programs that facilitate it.
For every type of industry putting telecommunication to use, there is device perfectly suited for the job. In a world where we value face time over nearly everything else, our technology has adapted to allow for more of it than ever before. Despite working together from remote locations, coworkers converse face to face more now than they ever have, all thanks to the screens that assist them. Examples of some of today’s telecommunication technology include:
- Designated, devoted screens in huddle meeting or teleconference rooms, used only for this purpose.
- Desktop computers with built-in webcam and microphone capabilities, as well as speakers. These are typically already present at employee work stations, so additional hardware is not necessary.
- Laptop computers with similar audiovisual capabilities.
- Tablets and other mobile devices, including smartphones. This technology typically already includes audio and visual programming and hardware as part of its standard design. Using these items allows participants to engage from any location, without breaking their daily routine or interrupt their work schedule, no matter where it may take them.
- Traditional telephones with screens added specifically for teleconferencing. These can replace the phones already present in offices and work stations, without detracting from the work being done there. Ease of integration makes these a great choice for many facilities.
As detailed by Business News Daily, finding the right solution for an individual company’s telecommunication needs will depend on factors like affordability, usability and how applicable a specific type of technology is to that business’s focus. Whatever they choose to implement, they can be sure that there is a way to put audiovisual conferencing to work for their brand that will keep members in touch and keep new ideas and information moving, regardless of distance. This is the modern way of making work happen and making the communication and conversation to do so easier than ever.
