The remote working model due to the pandemic has led many corporations and businesses believe in the idea of adopting a hybrid working model. Global players like Google and Microsoft are already considering and channelling their course towards hybrid working model, with advanced video conferencing systems, combined with wider screens in offices that will be facilitating face-to-face meetings with colleagues working remotely. The structure of hosting a meeting imagined by Microsoft includes meeting rooms where cameras are placed at eye level to improve eye contact, and spatial audio that will help person present in office hear colleagues’ voices loud and clear when they’re dialled in. This spatial audio will also make the meeting more experiential, and would give the feeling as if colleague is present in the room.
The hybrid working culture has already started becoming a norm, as virus cases begin to come down around the world, with vaccination process being carried out rapidly in European and other Western countries. The hybrid working model will further shape up to become a reality in wider geographies. India caught amid the second wave is likely to see implementation for hybrid working model by next year. Few of the highlights that hybrid working model is being considered by a good section of business corporations are-
- Greater access to talent
- Increased productivity for individuals and small teams
- Lower costs
- More individual flexibility
- Improved employee experiences.
A robust video conferencing application is a must have for this model to be a success, as it will only dominate the process of communication, data exchange, documentation, reporting etc. One of the most vital features that will make a video-conferencing application ideal to host meetings of all kind is being multilingual. Organizations around the world interact and grow by being in communication with a diverse set of clienteles.
We are living in a world where physical meetings have reduced to bare minimum, so meeting someone virtually the first time, that too for strictly professional purposes can be really intimidating. Lack of non-verbal communication via body movements, gestures limits the understanding of participants, different connotation of certain words and expressions also come across as another barrier.
A robust video-conferencing app will make sure there are ample of tools, to make the meeting start on a lighter note, and continue smoothly without the hustle of participants struggling to communicate their viewpoint. Some of these features are-
- Organized tool panel
An ideal video-conferencing application will be the one with texting, speaking, streaming, sharing and prompting tools all present at one place, with clear distinction between them. The participants must not face any struggle in moving to and fro between different options.
- Live captioning
This is one of the most useful features for hosting meetings with people from diverse culture. Audio to text live transcription of the speech will make it convenient for people to have meaningful conversations easily without the obstacle of limited understanding.
- Audio/Screen Share
The screen sharing has been a revolutionary tool in the world of video conferencing, but simultaneously audio sharing from two sources of sound has not received much appreciation. Even though this tool comes very handy for all sorts of businesses, the availability of video’s sound and participant voice at same time makes it very easy for firms thriving on multimedia content.
- Auto bandwidth detection
Not everybody has a high-speed internet connection. To make things simpler for the ones with patchy network, auto bandwidth detection and simultaneous adjustment of audio/video quality makes remote working a possibility for all.
- Full Audio/Video Control
A host getting full control over every participant’s camera and also the audio rights in case of an important announcement. In case of webinar, these audio/video permissions can be shared with panellists for sharing information in a structured manner.
Made in India video-conferencing application VideoMeet has all these features making it ideal for hybrid working model and so much more.
The author, Dr Ajay Data, is Founder, VideoMeet.