Video conferencing or holding virtual meetings are one of the most efficient ways of collaborating and doing business. However, when technology suddenly does not work- be it the audio or camera, or both, it breaks the momentum of the meeting.
Well, we have all been there. You experience problems connecting, the camera freezes, you cannot hear the audio, and there is a lag, causing the meeting to be either cancelled or rescheduled.
In these scenarios, we try to make the most of the available technology - crowd near the laptop and lean our necks and ears towards it. We talk as loud as we can and peer to make sure we are seen, can hear the speaker and be heard. Then we wonder if it could have been a more productive meeting.
We spoke to John Hegarty, Technology Specialist at OfficeMax New Zealand, to know what customers' most common pain points are when it comes to video conferencing and their solutions.
1. Audio-video problems:
The Audio - The audio does not work for everyone and gives feedback and echoes.
The Video – The video either pixelates or keeps freezing during the meeting.
The Visuals – The screen has poor lighting, or half the team is cropped out.
Solution: Get the right equipment.
- Select a high-definition omnidirectional speaker/mic system that has a simple plug-and-play arrangement.
- Get a high-definition 4K camera; most of them these days come as a single camera-speaker-mic unit, powerful enough to host virtual meetings in a small-sized room of 3-5 people.
- Understand what the room needs. If the meeting room accommodates 15-20 people, and you have one small camera hanging by the wall-mounted TV or a laptop clip webcam and a tiny 3mm-jack speaker in the middle of the room – well, disaster is bound to happen.
Bigger rooms need better resolution and wider-angle capturing cameras. They often come with an in-built mic, but it would be a good idea to install additional table or ceiling-mounted mics so that everyone in the room is heard.
2. How will you use the meeting room?
Before you buy and install new equipment – understand how you will use the meeting room.
- Will a single device connect the screen that will host all the meetings?
- Is there an option to plug in any laptop and conduct the virtual session independently?
Based on your answer, you may need a tailored setup.
3. Internet connectivity issues:
Regardless of how well-suited the equipment is in your meeting rooms, if your network is not strong enough – it fails the purpose. You get audio lags, frozen screen and sometimes connection timeout – which essentially spoils the momentum of the meetings and loss of productivity.
- Check the network connection requirements before installing the video conferencing system.
- Upgrade to a fibre connection or stronger and test the network.
4. Devices do not talk to each other:
"I have multiple cameras, speakers, a sound mixer, mics, table-tablet, TV, and a laptop connected in our boardroom, yet none of our meetings goes as planned. We restart the system or unplug devices to get them to work."
- Too many unnecessary devices and connections make up a delicate setup and become unreliable.
- Multiple types of devices often get incompatible due to software issues and do not connect with each other.
- The chances of multiple cables plugged in and out to different ports or, at times, incorrect ports create more issues than solutions.
As the famous acronym KISS goes, Keep it simple, stupid!
Innovative and smart products to radically transform your meeting room experience:
You can radically transform your meeting room experience with new smart devices that will automate your meeting room setup.
- All-in-One Video Conference Cameras: Did you know you can now get an all-in-one Video conference camera with built-in speakers, mics, and software to directly run Teams or Zoom meetings? This eliminates the need for a separate computer or a laptop to hold a Video Conference call.
- Interactive touch screen display panel: Technology has taken several leaps, and interactive TVs/screens are the new hot products popular with organisations and educational institutions. Some have powerful i7 Windows computers built in. Most of them have apps installed for video conferences, and others have an in-built camera, mic and speakers. They can be used as virtual whiteboards for collaboration and sharing, among their many other features.
- Video conference control tablets: These table-mounted controllers for video conference devices are popularly known as 'Tap' units. Simply ‘Tap’ to join the meeting. Tap units come with preinstalled Android conferencing system to schedule, start-end, and control important aspects of the meeting from the boardroom table itself. They will also show you when the meeting room is booked.
