Today’s modern workplace has changed dramatically from the days of 9-5, when button-down shirts and ties were the norm, and your manager’s office was just steps away from your desk. Today’s workplace is more casual and flexible, and the work/life balance is an important part of the equation. These days, the workforce is made up of mix of freelancers, contract workers, stay-at-home parents, and full-time staff – many of whom are working remotely.
Millennials are willing to forego the traditional security and benefits of a full-time job for more freelance opportunities, allowing for complete control over their schedules. According to Forbes Magazine, (from January 26, 2016), freelancers will make up 50% of the workforce by the year 2020.
As a result of the changing workforce dynamic, companies have no choice but to collaborate on a higher, more innovative and intuitive level, in order to compete in the global economy. Collaboration Technology is making that possible.
Innovative business collaboration techniques can vastly improve your company’s productivity, as was recently sited by the global management and consultant company – McKinsey. They worked with a multinational software company, whose challenge was to collaborate effectively with team members in different time zones and continents. A key finding in this particular case was that the group had too few tools to competently engage in this type of knowledge-sharing. This problem was resolved after implementing innovative business collaboration tools and processes, which allowed the company to eliminate up to 30 percent of wasted time.
Technology companies are continuing to develop cutting-edge Collaboration Tools to meet the demanding needs of today’s business environment. Cisco’s WebEx Teams (formerly Cisco Spark) can make working remotely more intuitive with easy-to-use collaboration tools. It unifies voice, video, data, and mobile – allowing people to work from virtually anywhere. Meetings can be conducted with teammates, partners, vendors, and customers – in various locations via video conferencing, real time messaging, and file-sharing.
Companies may require cross-functional collaboration where disparate groups need to come together in order to react to real-time information, requiring a command/control center environment. To that end, system integration technology can be designed, which may include conference rooms linked to a primary LED display or video wall, featuring Planar screens and Peerless-AV or RP Visuals’ custom mounts. This type of technology promotes integration, collaboration, and streamlined communication between departments and groups.
Cloud video conferencing is one of the fastest-growing areas in collaboration and unified communication, and comes in several configurations. Meeting-room video conferencing, AV enabled rooms, desktop conferencing, and mobile connectivity are primary examples. Hallmarks of a well-engineered audio video conference room – such as no visible wires, perfect camera angles, and flawless audio – are key, so that all of the meeting participants appear to have a seat at the same table. With these elements correctly in place, every person on the call can be heard with crystal clarity. To further the ease of operation – calls can even be scheduled to connect based on a calendar invitation. Whether implementing a standard video codec, (using cisco, Polycom, LifeSize), or a PC-based solution, (using Skype for Business “S4B” – soon to be Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Vidyo), or just calling-in to an audio bridge – every user experience should be the same.
Global manufacturer, StarLeaf, provides an affordable, easy-to-use, and reliable video and voice communication system. Its messaging, video conferencing, and video calling services allow organizations to communicate and collaborate easily, seamlessly, and with zero interoperability issues. StarLeaf’s business collaboration products enable people to message, meet, and call anyone on any device – at any time. For example, their Group Telepresence 3351 – Enterprise Room System, is specifically designed to facilitate rich, immersive, and engaging meetings in larger conference rooms and auditoriums. Designed for professional AV integration, this system supports multiple screens, microphones, and cameras, so that your attendees can experience every single detail – just as if they were literally in the room. There are an infinite number of options available.
Fill-out a request now, for a free quote to determine your Collaboration Technology needs. Bring your business into the dynamic new world of connectivity!