95% of meeting rooms have the most basic technology. High-quality audio is essential in this regard.
Marjorie Daniel*
From simple phones to flat screens, the equipment used today to share information, in most meeting rooms, is pretty basic. Research also suggests that available equipment can be challenging for meeting participants. According to a survey, 87% of participants express frustration and stress due to technological failures in meeting rooms.
These aspects are among the points covered in a new study by the leading consulting and research firm Frost & Sullivan. In "7 Steps to Improving Virtual Meetings in the New Era of Work," Frost & Sullivan (F&S) assesses the impact of new needs in workspaces and cloud adoption on audio equipment and services.
It is noted that a variety of events, from the COVID-19 pandemic, riots, to extreme weather conditions, have created a high demand for virtual collaboration capabilities: "The expected proliferation of a hybrid work model is among the main factors that lead organizations to rethink their meeting rooms."
Audiovisual conferences: anywhere and anytime
The objective of this approach will be to promote "connectivity anywhere and collaboration at any time allowing more agile teams and processes". But where to start if, as research suggests, 95 percent of meeting rooms are currently poorly equipped?
More and more organizations are learning to use cloud technologies and combine them with modern audiovisual (AV) solutions. This is one of the conclusions of the F&S study: "The collaborative organization of the future will require meeting rooms equipped with advanced AV devices that complement the modern and robust cloud conferencing services in which organizations have invested."
High-quality audio is essential in this regard. There are a number of important considerations about audio design when rethinking meeting rooms in order to achieve flawless audio. These include: room acoustics, number of participants in the room, attendance of remote participants, screen location, collaboration tools (audio, web/video conferencing, content sharing) potential sources of noise pollution (e.g., thin walls, busy hallways, etc.), and ease of installation, use, and management.
Audio systems that drive efficiency
Flawless audio is a key factor for meeting efficiency and its absence is a cause for concern in many organizations. More than 70 percent of senior managers agree that meetings are unproductive and inefficient.
So what difference does flawless audio make?
For users: Audio devices, properly configured, allow users to concentrate on the information and aspects to be discussed, limiting the need to touch audio equipment in shared meeting rooms to perform tasks, such as: connecting or disconnecting personal computers, adjusting the volume of the device in the room and turning off and on or repositioning audio devices, something essential in today's "social distancing" workspaces. In addition, users will not need to call an administrator to perform these functions.
For administrators: The remote management of audio solutions in the meeting rooms, configured correctly, allows the support staff full control from anywhere, also eliminating the need to physically visit the rooms in order to: make adjustments to the audio settings (microphone pickup and speaker output range), relocate devices to the table, run diagnostic tests, perform software and MACD updates, or remotely turn devices off and on. Thanks to the ability to perform these tasks from anywhere and at any time, system administrators will receive fewer help desk tickets.
It is also important that, regardless of the audio system and solution options chosen, the technology can be easily upgraded to make it compatible with new solutions and different brands.
Read frost & sullivan's full report here.
*Marjorie Daniel, is Director of Integrated Systems Marketing at Shure.
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