Everything you need to know for Video Conferencing in the modern workspace
Although the epidemic is waning, hybrid employment is here to stay. As a result, for both people and businesses, a capable video conferencing system is still a must-have.
Businesses and people have flocked to videoconferencing tools to stay connected—the same gadgets we used to fear when someone wanted to organize a meeting.
As we use technology to connect friends and family, our attitudes toward these video chats have quickly changed. Some companies even leave technologies like Zoom running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., creating a virtual work atmosphere that mimics the actual thing.
You may be preparing to return to the office, but many prefer to work from home full-time. This will require the deployment of a top-of-the-line video conferencing system. They’re also crucial for many customers who want to keep in touch with family and friends, at least until the jitters about flying go away. We looked at the top video conferencing systems in South Africa to help you pick the finest service. While there are numerous others available, we concentrated on what was requested the most.
There’s a lot to consider when it comes to video chat and conference systems. We’ve compiled a list of the most prevalent and popular video chat/conference systems available on each platform.
Popular Platforms
Note: Image Quality (QOS) has a lot to do with network connections as much as it does with the backend service.
You’ll be looking at different components and services than the end-to-end systems you’ve likely seen in smart conference rooms. The cloud-based systems we’ve evaluated are powered by third-party cameras, or the webcams that come standard with most computers. You’ll need a strong grasp of video conferencing technology to deal with the new system. The entire system is now split into several component manufacturers, so support issues may arise in the future. You’ll also need a good understanding of what’s going on and how it will work.
Choosing the right video conferencing system
Video conferencing has existed in several proprietary formats for some time. These systems are often created by companies that specialize in enterprise solutions to connect conference rooms. Connections were made via a local area network, followed by leased telecommunication lines if the link was between two buildings.
In the early 1990s, radio and television networks were still using proprietary protocols and codecs. The original broadcast system was based on audio and video compression. This is the fundamental architecture that is still in use today. The technology used proprietary cameras and microphones, specialized servers, and often server and client-side programs were proprietary too. Today’s cloud video services operate in a similar manner, with the exception that they employ TCP/IP as the principal network protocol and a small set of standards-based codecs to convert the video. Furthermore, their hardware support is typically open, allowing you to utilize any webcam or microphone that is compatible with your computer. Unlike earlier proprietary systems that required a PC or a specialized meeting room smart screen, these new services frequently provide a completely web browser-based experience without the need for any type of app installation (though a proprietary app is usually the best experience). There is also support for various types of mobile devices, but they typically operate better after installing either an Apple iOS or a Google Android app.
Today’s cloud video services operate in a similar manner, with the exception that they employ TCP/IP as the principal network protocol and a small set of standards-based codecs to perform the conversion work. Furthermore, their hardware support is typically open, which means you may use whichever webcam or microphone works with your computer. In terms of those devices, unlike earlier proprietary systems that required a PC or a specialized meeting room smart screen, these new services frequently provide a completely web browser-based experience that does not require the installation of any type of software (though a proprietary app is usually the best experience).
There is also support for different mobile devices, but they usually work better after installing either an Apple iOS or a Google Android app. Even today’s conferencing systems don’t interact much, so you can’t, for example, join a video conference started in Microsoft Teams using a Cisco Webex meeting client. Everything is still taking place in the same system. This technique has the advantage of not necessitating the use of proprietary client, meeting room, or network equipment. It is also not a one-time, large system purchase, but rather a service delivered on a per-user or per-host (see above for more on hosts) subscription basis, which can considerably reduce costs.
They do, however, provide a slew of additional functions that previous systems lacked, far more than just face-to-face communication. Users may share their displays, remotely access each other’s desktops, communicate via text, exchange files, engage with digital whiteboards, and even broadcast conferences to large groups of passive viewers by utilizing best-in-class video conferencing services (Webinars). Some are included in business-oriented Phone-over-IP (VoIP) packages, allowing you to go from a phone discussion to a video conference or begin a shared meeting with the press of a button without ever losing the original connection.
These features are fantastic for central offices, but they’re also great communication tools for work-from-home situations. However, video conferencing has the potential to go much further. For example, it’s an excellent tool for addressing live customer service questions or engaging with them during a webinar. These abilities have taken a back seat due to COVID, but they will make a significant comeback once the pandemic has ended. According to a new Statista report, consumer demand has been a significant driver of video conferencing growth in the previous year. In some cases, video conferencing represents the only visible interaction that those employees will get with their employers.
Video Conferencing Saves Money
Many small and medium businesses (SMBs) are spreading across the country, a trend that began before the coronavirus. While most businesses benefit from this trend in terms of price and hiring, it also presents complex communication issues, particularly among in-house employees. When you add in consumers and partners, it’s impossible to imagine talking to all of them without considerable travel, which comes with high expenses.Video conferencing may save money even if it isn’t used for business. Many of the new collaborative capabilities are targeted at automating previously time-consuming processes. Meeting transcription and recording are excellent examples.
Previously, proprietary systems necessitated the use of a separate camera or a third-party microphone for audio-only recordings, as well as server storage capacity. Modern technologies allow you to start a meeting recording with a simple click and have it not only stored in the cloud but also shared with all meeting attendees.
Meeting managers used to have to transmit at least an audio recording to a transcription service, which added to the expense. Many modern video conferencing systems now include artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of virtual meeting assistants, which not only check attendance but also do an excellent job of transcribing sessions directly to PDF documents. They may then email the documents to everyone at the conference or store them on a shared cloud storage account.
Understanding Video Conferencing Costs
Pricing and packages are critical, and they vary substantially, as they do with other software services. Because of their willingness to aid consumers during the pandemic, the majority of service providers provide complimentary programs. However, features are limited when compared to premium subscriptions. Once you’ve reached the premium levels, you’ll need to consider host vs. user pricing.
Hosts are users who can initiate meetings. However, not every organization requires every user to be a host. Many services may be adjusted according to the number of hosts and guests needed. That is why we recommend not just experimenting with video conferencing service features, but also testing how many individuals actually require meeting manager status. To put it another way, think about how video conferencing fits into your company’s culture and procedures.
In general, services that are paid per host rather than per user do better in webinar situations. Those that are charged per participant are more appealing to collaborative-style events where anybody may start a meeting.
Collaboration and Usability
Focus on simplicity of use after you’ve identified packages in your price range. Obviously, if the user interface (UI) is a maze, it will not only cause delays in meeting start times, but it will also prevent sophisticated collaborative capabilities from being used. And it’s here that these technologies really shine: simple, always-on cooperation.
Look at how simple it is to join up, create a meeting, invite people, and set up audio and video settings. Examined the user experience (UX) from the perspective of meeting invitees, as well as how simple it is to access smart meeting controls. This includes not just whiteboard-style communication, but also file sharing, annotation, and the previously stated virtual assistant functions.
Evaluate the most important aspects of each service, but it is up to you to choose which features to use. Do you require dial-in numbers, VoIP assistance, or both? Also, do you require capabilities such as screen sharing or remote control? Some providers provide both teleconferencing using dial-in numbers (local or toll-free) and VoIP calling, whilst others only provide one or the other. Only a few provide international dial-in numbers.
Video calls via webcam are available in almost all of the solutions, and this is a capability that is also being included in a number of team messaging platforms. Microsoft Teams is a complete video conferencing service, which is why we’ve included it on our list. Slack, on the other hand, and several of its competitors, only permit person-to-person video calling, which is why they weren’t included above.
In all applications, host and participate in meetings to evaluate the experience of registered and non-registered users. Make it a point to explain how simple it is to attend a meeting, including whether or not a participant must first download software (which could cause a delay). It’s critical to speak with employees about hardware compatibility and your preferred browser in this situation. To access the meeting, some providers merely ask guests to input a code.
Cover the host’s administration features as well. The best services let you set up several sorts of meetings, such as a lecture-style meeting where all participants are muted, or a discussion or Q & A mode where presenters can mute and unmute attendees as required. For presentations, screen sharing is important, such as the ability to share applications like (Microsoft PowerPoint) or images. Most video conferencing services also offer a text chat mode, not only during a meeting but sometimes outside a video call, too.
During a trial period, you should try out all of these capabilities and consider how much genuine cooperation you require in your various sessions. This entails assessing the service by people other than IT. You should also include various departments so that you get an appropriate picture of what they do and how they do it.
Network administration and troubleshooting
Working with any stream-dependent program, particularly video conferencing, gets increasingly difficult the larger the network and the more applications vying for bandwidth. If you’re operating all or part of your solution on a bigger network, you should expect to do some adjusting if you’re running it on a large, centralized network like the one in your office. A simple configuration is sufficient to conduct a single session, but work with your IT team to evaluate what happens when many streams are active. You’re searching for artifacts or excessive buffering that is causing the stream to be disrupted. If you have more than one stream running at the same time, it could cause problems in other parts of your business. The home network scenario is an even more serious, and now likely long-term, concern for many IT professionals.
Video conferencing has made it easier for some people to work from home, but it has also placed IT help desk professionals in a difficult position. Although video conferencing software is now a crucial corporate service, it is most likely running on consumer devices, home network routers, and even peripherals such as cameras and microphones that the IT department did not purchase and is not trained to support. This makes it difficult for your IT department to provide support for your home users. Not to mention the internet, which transports the vast bulk of network traffic and over which your IT department has no authority.
If you’re still looking at a significant number of permanent home employees after the pandemic (and many firms will be), you can develop more long-term solutions, such as pre-configuring a fixed number of router models that are then given to your home workers. That way, IT personnel can remotely operate those devices and train on their specifics. Another related issue is virtual private networks (VPNs).Many companies need their workers to utilize these services when working remotely in order to safeguard themselves and corporate data. Because VPNs utilize encryption, they frequently cause bandwidth or throughput issues, which can impair video streaming performance. To help, look into alternative VPN options for distant connections and maybe collaborate with your IT team to integrate Quality of Service (QoS) features on both your main network and users’ home networks. This will guarantee that you have enough bandwidth for your video conversations. Because the criteria are the same, if you currently use a cloud PBX-based VoIP system for your phone conversations, your IT team will be familiar with how to secure traffic in this manner.
Vendor Assistance
If it appears that you will be supporting yourself after signing up for one of these programs, you are mistaken. It’s just that the details of setting up any video conferencing service differ so much from company to company that your own IT staff is usually the best first line of defense. They’ll be the ones who know the most about the system, after all.
However, in addition to ensuring that your IT team is well-versed in the video conferencing service you’ve chosen, you’ll want the service provider to provide excellent support resources. Along with detailed online documentation, the top video conferencing providers include phone, email, and chat assistance. End-user assistance in this manner may be more expensive, but if your IT team is small, it’s worth investigating. Another essential element to consider is whether or not the company has a professional services arm that can assist in training both users and IT professionals, as well as whether or not there is an active user community.