The modern enterprise would struggle to function efficiently without collaboration technology. Whether it’s global clients connecting with an agency or remote workers calling in for an all-company event, an expanding range of scenarios in today’s workplace requires an integrated AV solution.
Collaboration technology encourages connectivity and eliminates borders. While solutions like video conferencing are a great start, without integrated AV solutions in the workplace, organizations are not benefiting from the full value that collaboration technology provides. Thoughtfully integrated AV solutions can dramatically improve how an organization’s employees interface with others, boosting efficiency, collaboration, and the bottom line.
A workplace built for collaboration — for employees in and out of the office
Virtual meeting tools found in unified communications (UC) solutions bring people together. But what about employees who are not remote? Integrated AV technology improves the value of collaboration technology for employees who are still on-site in physical offices — elevating the quality of collaboration, with seamless audio or visual conferencing, whiteboarding and screen sharing available in communal spaces. While your organization can use all of these tools without AV, truly seamless, borderless collaboration requires it.
In fact, the value of AV is made clear when we consider what collaboration looks like without it. Consider the team that needs to huddle around a conference phone while brainstorming on a standard whiteboard. Now think of the impact the experience has on virtual guests, from both an efficiency and a cultural perspective. Not very engaging, right?
AV changes the game by turning the room itself into a tool, making remote guests feel as if they are right there with their colleagues. With integrated AV technology, the room is enabled with appropriate mics and speakers to ensure good audio quality, and cameras are accurately positioned to pick up everyone in the room. Shared content or digital whiteboards become accessible to everyone, allowing employees to simply walk in and share materials locally or remotely.
When cross-organization communication is this easy, knowledge sharing increases across teams, enabling employees inside and outside the office to collaborate more efficiently. AV technologies’ ease-of-use effectively encourages peer-to-peer collaboration and streamlines knowledge-sharing across the organization.
Integrated AV systems don’t have to mean large capital expenses
IT costs are growing and teams are stretched thinner than ever, so when we look at the list of priorities that plague IT departments, it’s easy to put AV towards the bottom of the list. However, integrated AV solutions have the potential to do more than just dramatically increase knowledge sharing and meeting efficiency. They can dramatically impact the ROI of your communications and collaboration solutions.
AV technology doesn’t have to be a large upfront investment. Providers like TetraVX offer AV as a service (AVaaS) solutions that eliminate strain on the organization’s internal team and IT budget. Rather than a large capital expense upfront, AVaaS allows businesses to benefit from the latest and greatest hardware without reinvesting every two to three years. And with managed services performing maintenance updates and monitoring for upgrades, AV no longer drains time or resources from the IT team, allowing them to focus on more pressing needs associated with digital transformation.
The changing landscape of AV in the workplace
There are a wide variety of AV solutions that meet the diverse requirements of today’s workplace. It’s important that organizations understand their unique needs in order to determine how AV can help them reach their goals — from improving video meeting solutions to building more collaborative spaces.
With the right UCC partner to guide your choices and manage the changing AV landscape for you, upgrading to the modern necessity that is connectivity and video conferencing isn’t just easy — it can be a catalyst for transformation in your enterprise.