The Right Technology for Seamless AV Solutions

By Eric Bixler, National Director of AV Solutions - 3 Jun, 2020
Collaboration & UC
4 Minutes Read

Simple AV solutions do not mean less technology — it means using the right technology to meet your organization’s needs and goals for seamless AV use and support. New Era Technology prioritizes spending time with our customers to discuss, develop, and maintain standards for their collaboration spaces.  It does not matter the size or type of organization; the core goals are more alike than different. Universal end-user collaboration platform goals typically encompass:

  • Consistent user experience (UX)
  • Features that will be utilized versus unnecessary add-ons
  • Flexible solutions to support new platforms (as change is the only constant)

Many customers initially try off-the-shelf solutions, only to have mixed results. While some solutions may work well in smaller rollouts, when trying to scale the AV solution to an entire enterprise, many find that the off-the-shelf solution is not as successful as it seemed to be when initially evaluated. Ultimately, what was considered “good enough” did not actually equivalate to “good enough” for end-users when expanding the solution, therefore curtailing the overall experience. Like smartphones, which have successfully achieved the universal goals listed above, the devices aren’t successful because they are simple or low tech — it is quite the opposite. Smartphones are incredible pieces of technology that require robust networks to meet an individual’s needs and goals (compared to stripped-down flip phones).

Finding the Right AV Solution

When New Era Technology develops collaboration solutions for our customers, we place priority on listening to the goals and challenges, and place less focus on the words used to describe the problems. A simple-to-use AV system without superfluous features does not mean it is a simple system with no features. This often requires thought and product evaluation that is complex and loaded with features. These collaboration features allow the professional to configure the system in a way that meets the intended goal. Gone are the days of Henry Ford who said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color he wants, as long as it’s black.

Customers expect choice in their solutions, and the ability to customize their preferences and organizational requirement. Perhaps a customer is more interested in features like the ones listed below, but believes they are out of reach.

Key AV solution features to consider:

  • Technology that powers-up when a person walks into the room
  • Requiring minimal (if any) connection to allow the presenter to use the space
  • Ability to use applications on user’s PC to connect to remote sites, or the call is already connected to remote sites.
  • Not losing meeting time due to the help desk having visibility of the system, making help very accessible
  • The ability for the room to shut down and reset for the next user after meeting completion
  • Ability for technology managers to see who used the room, when they used the room, and how they used the room

These collaboration platform capabilities (along with many others) are available to any customer when the right technology and services are matched with the goals.

Looking Forward

The performance of the conference room will be more important than ever as organizations begin to return to offices in the coming months. It is much easier to meet when we are all in the same atmosphere. Virtual meetings work well with a webcam and headphones when users are working remotely, sitting in a quiet corner of their homes. However, as some will return to the office, these technologies and solutions will often be asked to perform in a way they were not designed, such as group settings.

Taking these “simple” personal solutions like Zoom and Microsoft Teams will require the right technology to work in a group setting.  Our first reaction may be to use the 100 webcams that worked well in our favorite corner at home.  However, customers may realize as they look to use the simple solution to solve their problems, it is the solutions that are simple to use and the ones that work is what is truly needed. Being on the front-end of this concept by thinking and planning through the AV deployment of the simple solution is critical. New Era can serve as a trusted adviser to help you through the AV process and troubleshoot any issues along the way.

To learn more, please contact New Era Technology at solutions@neweratech.com.

Author: Eric Bixler, National Director of AV Solutions