Crestron Electronics, Inc.

Sept. 8, 2021 - We've all been there. You are a remote participant on a video conference with a group that's together in one space. Let's face it, the experience is lacking. As the remote participant, it is difficult to engage and feel like an equal participant in the meeting. The ability to read body language, and notice nonverbal cues, all the subtle nuances that we take for granted with in-person meetings have felt out of reach with some video conferencing implementations. This meeting inequality is demoralizing and can lead to employee frustration and reduced productivity.

What felt like temporary measures early in the pandemic have now become the new norm, with hybrid work becoming the ubiquitous standard. As we shift to permanent hybrid work arrangements, paying special attention to ensuring equality in video calls is as much about employee retention as it is driving productivity.

In today’s environment, hybrid meetings and effective collaboration are requirements for business success. 27% of employees who plan to leave within the first year cite feeling “disconnected” from the organization (1). Ineffective video collaboration can drive that disconnect if all participants do not have an equal seat in meetings. By implementing intelligent video, both in person and remote participants can more effectively engage in the meeting, spurring more effective brainstorming and collaboration, resulting in better meetings and more engagement amongst employees.

Intelligent video promotes an experience where every person, in the room or remotely, is represented equally by framing everyone separately, no matter the location. This technology creates an inclusiveness across the meeting and ensures every person can be an equal contributor. Services like Microsoft Teams® are bringing new software features, such as Together Mode and Front Row, to video calls but software alone won’t solve this challenge. Room systems with intelligent audio and video features, paired with the software innovations from meeting service providers, ensure all meeting participants can easily contribute and productively collaborate.

Intelligent audio and video are the next frontier for hybrid work, enabling a greater sense of equality and inclusion in video calls. At Crestron we are constantly pushing to build upon the foundation of Crestron Flex and bring new capabilities to today’s digital workplace, facilitating better meetings and enhancing the workplace experience.

Join us on October 7 to hear more about how we are expanding the capabilities of the Crestron Flex digital workplace platform. Along with our partners Microsoft, Jabra and Huddly we will show you how you can bring better meetings to your business.

By Brad Hintze