5 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Setting Up Video Conferencing for Your Workplace / Meeting Room

The heavy reliance modern workplaces have on technology means that the quality of your business’s video conferencing system and meeting room technology is now more important than ever. The pandemic has fast-tracked the uptake and importance that workplace technology plays in business environments. Meaning that in many workplaces, remote and digital conferences are now more common than in-person meetings. Many businesses are still working out what the best video conferencing technology is for their requirements and puzzling over the most efficient way to use it to their advantage. Because of this, we’ve outlined five of the most common mistakes to avoid when setting up video conferencing for your meeting room and workplace, so you can make educated and informed decisions moving forward.

(1) Not Considering your current setup

There’s such a heavy focus on updating and upgrading your systems and hardware nowadays, that many people overlook the importance of taking a good look at their current system before making any major changes. By not auditing your current workplace’s setup, you’re overlooking useful components that you could use during your upgrade. Having a clear image of what you want and what your workers and clients need means that you’ll be able to find a solution that fits your individual requirements. You may even find that aspects of your current system are working fine, thus by not auditing your current workplace setup you may be costing your company more unnecessarily.

(2) Choosing the wrong or multiple collaboration platforms

Similarly, by misunderstanding your business’s unique needs, you may be choosing the wrong video conferencing platform. Try considering the specific requirements of your company before committing to a specific platform. For example, these details include things like security, capability, meeting attendee size, and collaboration preferences. All of the well-established video-conferencing platforms on the market work better for different aspects of the conferencing system. While many of the most well-known platforms, like Teams, Webex, Google Meet, and Zoom are generally high-quality programs, you’ll find that running multiple platforms for email, chat, collaboration and video calls can quickly become expensive and complicated.

(3) Installing incompatible or uncertified AV equipment

As we mentioned at the start of the article, the rise in remote conferencing has meant that the quality of your AV equipment can’t be overlooked. Installing poor-quality AV equipment can lead to low-quality sound and visual technical difficulties. Your staff and clients want to have a clear image of who they’re meeting with and lags in your audio can become distracting which in turn means that stakeholders may not get the full effect of the important information you’re trying to convey. The solution design, installation and placement of the technology itself can also be very important. Having the right amount of screens for your meeting room size and having a smart speaker layout to enhance sound quality will be more functional for your workspace, and give it a far more professional feel. If you’d like to read more on how meeting room size should affect your AV equipment choice, you can head to this article.

(4) Not providing enough staff training for the updated software and equipment

So you’ve upgraded your video conferencing system, now what? Not providing enough staff training for the updated software and equipment will mean that you’re not getting the most out of these new systems. One benefit of newer AV equipment is that it is often more streamlined, intuitive, and easier to use, especially when staff are trained correctly. Having a strong grasp of your new equipment also helps your staff feel more confident, productive and open to collaboration. From an external perspective, the ability of your staff to be able to smoothly navigate your meeting room systems during conference calls reflects a high level of professionalism and capability.

(5) Failing to choose a comprehensive AV Integrator

Depending on your existing video conferencing set up you may only need to consult with a vendor who can look after a specific element of your video conferencing system. However, if you’re looking into a more extensive upgrade or building a completely new system, we recommend choosing an AV partner or integrator that offers an entire service offering. By choosing a partner that handles the main aspects of an integrated video conferencing set-up, from procurement to installation and ongoing support post-setup, you’re reducing the amount of stress and long-term costs you will face handling the entire process yourself. Comprehensive AV integrators are experts at delivering AV and workplace solutions that are built around clients’ requirements, so you can be confident knowing that they’ll be able to deliver what your business needs. Trusting in a partner that can deliver most of the components also provides continuity and reduces the management of multiple parties, saving you time from having to explain your goals and requirements to each vendor.

Engagis is a great AV partner option for your next video conferencing upgrade. We offer a comprehensive service from procurement, testing, installation and support post-setup. We take great strides in understanding the individual needs of your company and choose high-quality AV equipment to suit this. We also have years of experience in the AV and digital signage space, so can offer professional advice on how to choose the right video conferencing platform for you. Get in touch with us today to see how we can help take your business to the next level or read more about our services on our website.