Press releases, 2021-03-09
Conferencing in focus
Konftel’s UK Sales Director, Jeff May assesses the latest trends.
How has the pandemic changed the conferencing market?
“In the past we always wanted to get dressed up and make our best impression face-to-face but that’s not possible anymore. Cameras have replaced suits but we’ve still got to look our best and sound our best.
“The pandemic has changed everything and it won’t go back to the way it was before. It used to be a suit or a handbag or a watch that impressed in a physical meeting room, now it’s the sharpness and clarity of a video feed. And if you’re sharp and clear, your presentation or negotiation in that meeting is 100 per cent more impactful. If you’re not able to be heard or seen properly, then your contribution is undermined. And we’re way past the days when we can get away with blaming that on working from home.”
He added, “Simple, easy to use, dual purpose, powerful and portable solutions (for the home as well as office) are the way forward. Konftel offers something for everybody, from a home office to the biggest boardroom. Hybrid working is the way forward.”
Invest for the long term
“We are just at the tip of the iceberg and only at the start of the journey. The pandemic triggered a tidal way of purchasing. It was literally just buy what was available and in some cases it was a bit of a panic, without any spec or budget allocations due to supply shortages. Now the goalposts have moved and it’s about investing in the right technology for longer term collaboration, across the home and office. In many cases businesses need to raise their game.”
Is there enough focus on user experience? How are their expectations changing?
“There’s definitely more focus on the user experience but there’s more work to be done.
Everybody is more knowledgeable now through using video services, and more demanding but from a software point of view there are intricacies that need to be learned. Simplicity is key. A remote worker for example just wants simple plug-and-play USB hardware which is compatible with lots of different software variants. For us it has to be universal, simple to set up and simple to use.
“When people do return to the office they need the same flexibility just on a bigger scale. They don’t want to be confused by a big screen with a separate audio device and lots of unfamiliar cables. That’s where our One Cable Connection hub really shines which makes it as simple as using USB.”
How can video quality be improved or optimised?
4K is becoming more common but it’s not just as simple as just buying a high spec camera. There’s bandwidth to consider and also the associated equipment. The monitor might not output in 4K or a laptop might not pass through the signal. HDMI cabling is vital too. Video is only as good as the weakest part of the chain. It’s about making sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit together in the right way.
What integrations are worth keeping an eye on?
“Everything needs to be open standard so people can communicate on any platform, any device, anywhere.
“From our point of view it’s about being able to provide universal hardware that is flexible, easy to set-up and very high quality so whatever an end user requires, even using a mobile phone, they have that option.”
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