You have to hand it to hybrid working.
Happier staff, lower overheads, increased productivity – what’s not to like?
However, all those benefits come with a caveat: it’s impossible without the tools to make it all happen.
Chief among them is the audio and video hardware and software needed to enable employees both in and out of the office to collaborate as effectively as if they were all in the same space.
As the hybrid model continues to establish itself as the norm, employees (and customers) expect that via-video collaboration experience to be frictionless and high-quality. They want contributing to a conversation from afar to be as easy as it once was to step into a colleague’s neighbouring office or join a group discussion in a dedicated meeting room.
Today’s cutting-edge kit has the (affordable) smarts that are needed – businesses and their technology service providers simply have to partner with the right vendor.
“Hybrid working offers a flexible and efficient work model that can lead to increased collaboration, productivity, and job satisfaction but, as well as the benefits, there are challenges too,” says Jose Rincon, Head of Product Management and Customer Success at leading video conferencing solution provider AVer Europe, whose suite of award-winning solutions addresses them all.
“Organisations need to offer all employees the most effective tools possible in order for them to collaborate in the best possible way – regardless of whether they are working in the office or at home or anywhere else. When that is the case, hybrid working promotes greater contact with colleagues, allows for a better work-life balance, attracts external talent, improves employee well-being, and contributes to sustainability by reducing the carbon footprint.”
According to the latest research, around 10% of companies in Europe are offering hybrid or permanent work from home, but close to 70% plan to implement it going forward.
Brilliantly, it is possible for organisations to deploy a highly-professional, minimum-standard AV system for under €1,000. As with everything, more investment delivers more functionality.
Videobars, cameras, visualisers, microphones, speakers: they can all be easily deployed in ways which convert redundant or un-used office areas into high-value, productive collaboration spaces. When that happens, a seamless link is created between office-based and remote employees which enables all parties to benefit from the hybrid working dividend.
“It is very easy to set up a large or small collaboration space that enables colleagues to communicate effectively, no matter where they are,” says Rincon.
“Plugging and playing AV hardware via any cloud-based communication platform such as Teams or Webex or Zoom or any of the others is quick and frictionless. Companies are investing more and more in this kind of connected open space that they use for multiple activities, from small team collaboration, site events, and training. Participants can either be physically preset in the space or they can join from anywhere.”
In the case of AVer in particular, its all-in-one A30 solution is a portable camera, that includes microphone and speaker, that can work as a wide-angle camera in a group setting and, by simply rotating the camera head, doubles as a visualizer to show objects.
In turn, AVer’s FONE700 series is a ceiling speaker and microphone solution for medium to large rooms which can connect up to four speakerphones and which ensures a high-quality audio experience. This solution can be combined with AVer’s AI-powered PTZ camera CAM570 that includes a plug and play audio tracking function which focuses on the speaking person, and which automatically divides the screen into two halves when two participants are in extended conversation.
Additionally, AVer’s latest cameras have SmartComposition technology which automatically and optimally crops participants’ faces and generates a matrix on-screen layout that shows every person in high detail.
“The A30 simply connects to a laptop via USB,” says Rincon. “It means a coffee shop meeting, for example, can benefit from professional audio and video. In the case of the FONE700, microphones and cameras are ceiling-mounted so nothing needs to sit on a table. Users can move tables and utilise a completely open space, and the camera automatically tracks whoever is speaking. Our technology presents all participants as the same size on screen, so everyone has equal presence, creating valuable meeting equity.”
Whether in the office or working remotely, it seems high-quality AV solutions have the power to boost effectiveness and productivity in all workers.
For the evolving workplace, that can only mean that the future is very much a hybrid one.
- To learn more about how AVer Europe can help your and your customers’ businesses support a hybrid working environment, visit the website.
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