Removing Barriers To Easy Conferences
Reading Time: 5 minutes In the current state of the world, we’ve all used video conferencing at some point. Even though many full-time employees have gone back to in-person work, a good portion of workers are still working from home. Not surprisingly, many would like to keep it that way.
In fact, according to research done in 2020, more than half of the employees surveyed claimed they would like to keep working from home even after the pandemic ends.
If you’re a part of a remote work team or even have been a remote worker temporarily, you’ve definitely spent time meeting or conferencing via video conference. You likely have also experienced the many challenges, or glitches, that often occur during a video call. So what are these challenges and how can we alleviate them?
What are the challenges?
There are many challenges presented by video meetings.
Each video conferencing service is somewhat unique, but even despite this, many of the challenges stay the same.
From audio and video issues to users being stuck in the waiting room, why is it so difficult to have an easy meeting experience?
Here are some of the major challenges employees and employers are facing when it comes to video conferences:
Finding the meeting link
We’ve all been subject to this one. It’s time for a meeting and you can’t find the link to join. Is the link in your calendar? Was it sent in an email? And to make matters even worse, you find two different links and aren’t sure which is the correct one. By the time you do find the correct link, you’re already late to the meeting.
Gatekeepers to the meeting
Not only can you not find the meeting link, you now realize you also need a code or a pin or have to enter your name to get into the meeting. They invited me, shouldn’t the meeting link know my name? Already late, and now you have to text a co-worker to find out the code to get in. Or, maybe there’s a waiting room for the meeting and you’re stuck on the screen that says, “the host will let you in soon.” There should be a way to remind the host.
Experiencing a new platform or system
Whether it’s Google Meet or Zoom, most companies have a preferred platform their employees become accustomed to. Unfortunately, when you have a meeting with a client or another company, you might find yourself using a platform you’re not comfortable with. Since they all are offering the same services, why is it so difficult to switch between platforms?
Audio and video issues
Someone always has a problem with their microphone or feedback. We’ve all had our fair share of audio and video issues during a conference. If the host of the meeting is familiar with the platform, they will know how to mute all participants to help the meeting run smoothly. But if they’re unfamiliar with the platform, it can be difficult to run a meeting when the participants fail to mute themselves and there’s background noise coming from numerous places.
Even the most tech-savvy leaders can run into issues with a video conference service. A couple of years ago, they mostly had face-to-face meetings. When it comes to technology, there’s always a possibility that something could go wrong, but it’s also up to video conferencing platforms to make meetings easier for their users.
Future of video conferencing
Clearly, there is a major need for video conferencing solutions.
With the pandemic prompting a wave of companies to switch to hybrid or flexible work situations, video calls are no longer a once-in-a-while thing.
So, for this to become a more efficient process for businesses, these barriers to easy conferences must be removed.
The good news is, the future of video conferencing is looking more efficient, intuitive, and able to help employees have smooth and productive conferences.
Here are some of the ideas that are on the horizon for easier conferences in the future:
Joining calls will be easy
No more trying to search through the numerous links you have and pin codes trying to get into the meeting. The future of joining a video conference should be seamless and won’t require you to download multiple programs.
Platforms can work together
Most employees have become familiar with one specific platform because that’s the one their company uses. However, the future of video conferencing should include interoperability between multiple platforms for ease of use.
Multiple screen share functions
Screen sharing is another obstacle many have faced while trying to lead a meeting or conference with a video conferencing platform. However, there are features now available that allow users to share multiple screens without having to un-share and re-share their desktop windows.
Live video editing
Gone are the days where you have to spend hours editing a recorded video to get the effects you want. Live video editing as a feature will allow users to edit videos while they’re still live streaming. This opens up a world of possibilities for video conferences.
Increased quality in video
Poor video quality is also becoming a thing of the past as conferencing platforms continue to upgrade their services and Internet providers improve real-time networks. But increased video quality is just the beginning. In addition to this, some platforms are even considering the idea of creating immersive 3D displays during conferences.
The future of video conferencing will allow remote workers to hold virtual meetings and conferences easily. There’s always room for development, but these upgrades will significantly improve the user experience.
To sum it up
Video-conferencing platforms are being used for more than just meetings now.
Instead of just leading meetings through these platforms, many employees are getting work done via live work sessions.
But all of the barriers to easy conferences make it difficult for employees to be productive.
Larger platforms have been paying attention for the past couple of years to see what businesses are looking for.
Removing the barriers to video conferences looks like increasing the features available, making connection seamless, and making live stream collaboration sessions as much like in-person sessions as possible.
