The rising role of video meetings in the new world of work

Meeting solutions have always been a critical component in keeping the workplace connected.

The rising role of video meetings in the new world of work

Meeting solutions have always been a critical component in keeping the workplace connected.

Through the right meeting software, business leaders, colleagues and clients around the world can communicate efficiently through a secure platform. However, the modern meeting environment is now experiencing a state of transformation, driven by the rising popularity of video.

According to this study
from ReportBuyer, the video conferencing landscape will be worth around $13.82 billion by 2023. Every day, the arrival of new styles of working, younger generations and updated technology in the meeting landscape means that video is taking an ever-more important role in our business lives.

Video Meetings Empower the Modern Workforce

Major advancements in the technology landscape have changed how and where we communicate with one another. Meetings are no longer exclusive to offices and conference rooms. More people are working remotely than ever before, and mobile team members are everywhere, taking advantage of, and driving demand for, more efficient and intelligent on-demand communications.

For modern companies to grow beyond legacy boundaries, they need a reliable way to communicate with customers, internal teams and a range of stakeholders. Video can offer an unbeatable level of engagement, mimicking the face-to-face conversations we’re used to in traditional workplace collaboration. According to a study from Gigaom,
87% of remote team members feel more connected to their company culture when they use video conferencing tools.

The most prominent benefits of video conferencing to an organisation include:

•     Connecting
a disparate workforce:
Whether a workforce is mobile or simply contributing from disparate locations, video allows employees to collaborate efficiently and instantly from wherever they are.

•     An
extra dimension of communication:
Beyond voice and text, video brings a visual element to communication, including body language as part of an exchange. As network bandwidths increase, the nuances of microexpressions further enhance video communication.

•     Save time and money on travel: Video conferencing allows virtual delegations to interact without actually travelling. The reduction in travel-associated risk – from losing a laptop to getting caught in an epidemic quarantine zone – along with savings on time and cost, makes video conferencing an attractive alternative to business travel.

Supporting a New Culture for Digital-First
Employees

Video meeting software paves the way for a more collaborative environment in an organisation. Video allows everyone to feel they’re an essential part of the team, regardless of their physical location. This feeling of contribution is an important component in creating an attractive employee experience (EX).

As millennials and members of ‘Generation Z’ form a larger proportion of the current workforce, they bring with them expectations related to the flexibility, mobility and constant connection that technology affords us in our personal lives. These modern employees place greater emphasis on these same factors when it comes to their professional roles. Today’s team members want to be able to move freely within their jobs, without having to compromise on meaningful connections with other members of their team. While some members of older generations are slower to adopt modern tools, including video conferencing, younger team members are more accustomed to having a camera in their hands, being constantly connected, and sharing greater levels of information on a more frequent basis.

The workforce of today and tomorrow has grown up with access to Facetime, WhatsApp and countless other features that normalise the use of video in everyday conversation. This familiarity is then taken into the workplace, driving the adoption of video conferencing tools along with other functionalities in visual communication such as GIFs and the use of emojis in text-based exchanges.

The common thread in the introduction of such functionality is that of enhancing the communication experience. The visual element adds expression to text and audio communication, helping to more accurately convey tone and nuance, enriching professional communication and increasing employees’ capacity to collaborate effectively when dispersed across multiple locations. As remote working is on the rise, remote employees look for more reliable ways of maintaining human connections.

From Voice to Video and Beyond

Discussions among team members and their peers are escalating rapidly from messages to calls and video meetings, all with a couple of clicks. Thanks to improvements in the quality of video conferencing services, along with increased internet bandwidth and the provision of unified communications solutions, today’s team members can choose the communication strategy that appeals most to them, all while using the same application.

When your employees can access all the various modes of communication they prefer within a single app, they spend less time jumping between tools trying to get a response to their queries or overcome common problems. This highly flexible meeting environment leads to a more productive experience for everyone – no matter whether they’re in the office or on the go.

As video continues to evolve, with higher-quality broadcasts and images making their way into the marketplace, there’s no doubt that this medium will remain a crucial part of the business landscape. Businesses that remain competitive will be those that create the most suitable processes for enabling a mobile workforce to remain productive and collaborate efficiently regardless of location. As flexibility, mobility, access to cutting edge technology and creating an ideal work/life balance are factors attracting talent into the modern workforce, businesses offering these conditions will be more competitive in the recruitment marketplace, leading to stronger teams and better long-term prospects.

This article comes
courtesy of
RingCentral, a leading business communications platform providing
unified communications, contact centre and customer engagement as a service.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
RELATED ARTICLES







Share via
Copy link