95% of Meeting Rooms Have Minimal Technology

From simple telephones to flat panels, the equipment used to support information sharing in most meeting rooms today is quite basic. Research also suggests that what equipment there is can be a challenge for meeting participants. According to one survey, 87% report frustration and stress due to technology failures in meeting rooms.

These are among the datapoints in a new paper by leading consulting and research firm Frost & Sullivan. In ‘7 Steps to Improve Virtual Meetings in the New Era of Work’ Frost & Sullivan (F&S) assess the impact of new workplace demands and cloud adoption on audio equipment and services.

They point out that a range of events, from the COVID-19 pandemic and civil unrest, to extreme weather conditions, have created a huge demand for virtual collaboration capabilities, stating: “The expected proliferation of distributed work is among the top factors causing organizations to re-think their meeting rooms.” 

AV Conferencing: Anywhere, anytime

The objective of this rethink will be to power “anywhere connectivity and anytime collaboration that enables agile teams and processes”. But where do you start if, as research suggests, 95% of meeting rooms are currently ill-equipped for this?

More and more organizations are beginning with cloud-enabled technologies and pairing these with modern audio-visual solutions. Here’s what F&S have to say on the matter: “The collaborative organization of the future will require meeting rooms equipped with advanced AV devices that complement the modern, robust cloud conferencing services organizations have invested in.”

High quality audio is essential in this respect. There are a number of important audio design considerations when rethinking your meeting rooms to achieve flawless audio. These include: the room acoustics, number of in-room participants, attendance of remote participants, visual display placement, collaboration tools (audio, web/video conferencing, content sharing) potential noise pollution sources (e.g., thin walls, busy hallways, etc.), and ease of installation, use and management.

Audio Systems Driving Efficiency

Flawless audio is a key contributor to meeting efficiency, the lack of which is a cause for concern in many organizations. More than 70% of senior managers agree that meetings are unproductive and inefficient. So, what difference does flawless audio make…

• For users: Appropriately configured room audio devices allow users to focus on the information and discussion at hand and limit the need to touch audio equipment in shared meeting rooms to perform tasks, such as: connecting or disconnecting personal computers, adjusting in-room device volume and power cycling or repositioning tabletop audio devices – essential in current ‘socially distanced’ workspaces. Further, users will not need to call an administrator to perform these functions.
• For administrators: Remote management of correctly configured meeting room audio solutions empowers support staff with full control from anywhere, while eliminating the need to physically visit rooms for: audio settings adjustments (microphone pick-up and speaker output range), repositioning tabletop devices, running diagnostics checks, performing software updates and MACDs, and remotely power cycling devices. With the ability to proactively perform these tasks from anywhere at any time, administrators will receive fewer help desk tickets.

It’s also important that whatever audio system and solution choices you make, the tech is easily upgradable for compatibility with new technology and different brands.

Discover more about how (and why) to upgrade office collaboration spaces and ensure they’re fit for new ways of working or Read the full Frost & Sullivan report here.