How To Avoid Being That Guy Over Video

May 16th, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Telepresence | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

Everyone has been on a video call where one person doesn’t quite realize you can actually see him.  Remember, while you can hide pretty much anything over an audio call; anything you say or do, can and will, be seen by everyone on a video call.  Here are a few tips to avoid being the one everyone talks about after you disconnect. 

Know you’re not invisible.

While you can get away with propping your feet up on your desk, eating your lunch or rolling your eyes at a long-winded coworker over audio – it is quite noticeable over video.    That said, make sure you’re cognizant of what you are doing and ensure your body is focused on the meeting.   Even if you’re on mute, people can see you typing away on your computer, holding a sidebar conversation or relaxing all cool in your office.  

Dress appropriately.

As fabulous as that leopard print dress or Hawaiian button down looks in the office; it can become overpowering on video.  Opt for neutral colors and basic prints to avoid being the center of attention.   On the flip side, if you work from home, put on a dress shirt for your video call.  We all understand that you have the luxury of working in your sweatpants; you don’t have to rub it in with a sweatshirt as well. 

If you’re out and about – pick a quiet place.

Advances in technology allow people to join video calls from virtually anywhere.  However, this does not mean that you should actually join a video call from anywhere.  Yes, it’s cool you’re at the beach, in a coffee house or walking through the streets of Manhattan; but, all the background noise and entertaining bystanders drown out the point of the meeting.  So save the cool backdrops for personal video calls and pick a quiet place without a bunch of people milling around. 

Have a funny story or some advice?  We want to hear it!

Leave a comment with your favorite video conferencing faux pax.

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All Dressed Up and No One to Video

May 9th, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Telepresence | Use Cases - (0 Comments)

It seems like everywhere you look some analyst is saying video conferencing has hit a tipping point and its usage is skyrocketing.  The technology continues to improve while the cost of entry continues to decrease, which is great news for just about anyone who needs to communicate with people in other locations.

What happens though, when an organization finally decides to pull the trigger?  It partners with a solution provider, picks a technology or manufacturer, sets a budget, and implements.

Great! Now it’s time to watch the investment pay for itself as members reap all of the personal and business benefits video has to offer.  Or, maybe not?

One key piece of the implementation puzzle that cannot be taken for granted is the need to promote the use of video within an organization.  It is crucial to design a usage that is tailored towards the needs of end users and the organization’s overall goals.

A good roll-out should begin with a communications plan that outlines how video should be marketed internally.  Key components of this communications plan include:

  1. Program Goals
    In most cases this will be as simple as “to successfully deploy video by creating awareness and excitement while driving user adoption.”
  2. Key Messages and Objectives
    • Why should employees use video?
    • What previous perceptions of video technology need to be addressed?
    • What corporate initiatives are connected to video (going green or sustainability programs)?
  3. Marketing Vehicles
    What media/technology/events will be used to get the word out? (Email, launch events, internal video messages, etc.)
  4. Timeline
    What is the overall roll-out timeline and structure for the program?

With a comprehensive communications plan in place, it is vital to obtain executive sponsorship of the plan. In most cases, any events associated with the video roll-out should include executive participation (launch parties, demos, etc).

The final piece to the puzzle is ongoing marketing. It is not enough to simply announce the launch; a continuous effort must be made to provide updates, additional training, and success stories.  If the internal communications effort is consistent and continues to showcase the value of video, usage and adoption of video technology will skyrocket!

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How Hotels Charm Their Guests

May 8th, 2012 | Posted by Nina Parker in Telepresence | Unified Communications | Use Cases - (0 Comments)

Hospitality professionals know when they need to turn on some serious charm to attract customers. Given the economic environment in recent years, tourism and business travel have declined, leading to a reduction in occupancy rates, daily room rates, and REVPAR (revenue per available room). Competition is intense for the available customers – the question is, how do hotels, resorts, and casinos not only bring in new guests but ensure repeat business?

Ensuring excellent service is a given. To truly differentiate their establishments, hotels can utilize unified communication (UC) technology to transform not only the customer experience, but also improve the operating efficiency going on behind the scenes.

UC solutions, including video conferencing systems, are used to create the ultimate customer experience by:

  • Providing hotel staff with the ability to communicate efficiently in real-time, between all remote properties equipped with UC and video conferencing equipment.
  • Holding one general meeting for all hotel managers across locations, ensuring the consistency of information that is covered; topics may include customer service, housekeeping, and maintenance. In addition, the hotel staff at multiple locations can be managed from one place, greatly increasing the efficiency of operations.
  • Delivering interactive group training sessions to new employees, reducing the time and costs associated with covering the same training material at each property.
  • Addressing high turnover rates typical of the hospitality industry by facilitating the human resources recruiting process.
  • Allowing guests to easily hold face-to-face meetings with remote business associates, thereby not missing a beat while traveling. Content such as presentations, videos, and data can be shared with several participants over multiple locations.
  • Setting up video conferencing rooms that can be rented to companies looking to cut down on travel expenses. Video allows guests to hold their meetings in real time, with various partners around the globe.

UC integration can provide the hospitality industry improved and more efficient operations, better collaboration through real-time communication (with reduced travel costs), and improved guest satisfaction. The resulting guest experience is really quite charming.

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Control System Programming: The Unsung Hero of Collaboration

May 3rd, 2012 | Posted by Lisa Avvocato in Audio Visual Integration | Telepresence - (0 Comments)

Many people take for granted the ease of which they collaborate in a conference room.  With the touch of a button participants can switch between content from a PC, projector or interactive whiteboard; mute and unmute microphones; and pan, tilt, or zoom the camera on a video conferencing system.  The technology simply fades into the background while meeting participants focus on the business matters at hand.  Thinking about all of the different components required for effective collaboration can be exhausting; so, how is it that collaboration can be so easy and so effortless?

Simple:  the room’s control system programming.  The backbone of any audio visual integrated room, the control system provides an easy to use interface to manage the room’s functionality.   Instead of having one remote to operate the telepresence system, one to operate the plasma display and yet another remote to operate the projector or interactive whiteboard; organizations can simply invest in a Crestron or AMX Control System.

Gone are the days where participants have to spend fifteen minutes prior to a meeting figuring out how everything works.  With the help of expert programmers, organizations can create a standardized user interface to operate all of their conference rooms in all of their locations.  From a small room with a projector to an immersive telepresence room with three cameras and five displays; the control system ensures participants can collaborate effortlessly.

Advanced programming also allows organizations to push technology boundaries by customizing the video experience to fit their unique requirements.   A custom control program can be designed to display content from multiple different sources, arrange participants in a particular order on screen or manage the speaking privileges of numerous participants.   Essentially, an organization can use a control system to create a visual collaboration solution that is perfectly aligned with its needs.

So, the next time you have an effective collaboration session; give your control system a slight nod, a high five or even a fist bump – just show the little guy some love, he deserves it.

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Back from the Brink – Financial Institutions & Visual Collaboration

April 13th, 2012 | Posted by Adam Kaiser in Use Cases | Video Conferencing - (0 Comments)

The finance industry, now recovering from the worst crisis it has faced in decades, still faces challenges that must be addressed in order to ensure stability into the future. Banks and other financial institutions are restoring consumer confidence by cutting business costs, implementing processes to become more efficient, restructuring and consolidating distributed work forces, and undergoing reorganization efforts.

IT divisions of banks are embracing leading edge technology, including unified communication (UC) solutions, as part of the effort to address many of these challenges. UC systems utilize integrated visual collaboration, audio conferencing and data sharing capabilities to improve communication among remote parties. UC solutions are prevalent within the finance industry and are used to improve:

  • Customer service and support:  Bank customers who visit branch locations are provided access to services and subject matter experts that may only be available at headquarter locations. Support is provided in real-time, with face-to-face transactions that create a collaborative environment.  As a result, the branch is turned into a robust sales channel that is more responsive and able to offer additional products and services.
  • Internal communication and productivity: Video and UC solutions improve and streamline internal communication by establishing a more personal connection among employees in disparate branch and office locations; when information is shared readily and easily, the level of productivity is increased and bank profitability is improved.
  • Corporate training: Video conferencing and streaming facilitates new hire training and education on new financial vehicles by providing consistent information to all participants, at one time, regardless of location. Video reduces the costs associated with transporting training personnel to locations on site; users can receive training sessions delivered via desk top and mobile applications. Sessions can be recorded and archived for later viewing.
  • Recruiting and retaining talent: Video assists the screening process by reducing the need to meet with remote candidates in-person for initial interviews; video provides enough clarity to aid the decision making process and determine who moves on to the next round. Additionally, by creating an efficient and productive environment, video and UC solutions help financial institutions build their reputations within the industry, which works to retain top talent.

Visual collaboration technology, when combined with cloud-based managed services, creates a meeting experience so realistic, bank customers and employees will instantly feel as though they are participating in an-person meeting or training session.

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