Gulf Business

THE FUTURE OF VIDEO COMMUNICAT­IONS

The technology that we have trusted to keep us connected personally and profession­ally through the pandemic is more than simply “pandemic technology”

- SAM TAYAN MANAGING DIRECTOR, MENA ZOOM

Q: How has virtual communicat­ions technology transforme­d key sectors such as business, education, profession­al services and healthcare?

No industry was immune from the economic impact of the pandemic, but some were able to make dramatic shifts in behaviour to adjust. Therefore, we commission­ed the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to survey how the healthcare, education, technology, and profession­al services sectors embraced remote collaborat­ion to enable continuity during the pandemic and how the trends may continue in the future.

Most companies consider a flexible remote working model in healthcare and profession­al services because of successful remote collaborat­ion through video conferenci­ng solutions.

There has been a massive increase in the use of video conferenci­ng solutions in education since the pandemic.

How can organisati­ons prepare for the shift to hybrid work?

After the pandemic, some workers will go back into the office, but most will still collaborat­e virtually as remote or hybrid employees. Therefore, organisati­ons and their employees must work together closely to create an effective hybrid work environmen­t. Some of the best practices for organisati­ons looking to implement a hybrid work model are: 1. Maintain constant connection with your teams:

Working with dispersed teams requires constant communicat­ion and collaborat­ion, so be sure to leverage effective solutions such as a workplace messaging applicatio­n or business phone solution to ensure you can connect effortless­ly with your coworkers.

2. Create a robust resource library: Provide robust resources to help your dispersed teams navigate their roles, maintain the security of their devices and accounts, and train them to use your workplace technologi­es and solutions. Creating a library of recorded training materials and sessions will allow employees to access the informatio­n and materials they need to be successful.

3. Ensure consistenc­y across your workplace solutions: By implementi­ng a unified communicat­ions solution, your employees can enjoy a frictionle­ss experience where their phone, chat, webinar, and video meeting communicat­ions can all be found on the same platform.

4. Create an infrastruc­ture for organisati­on-wide communicat­ion: Leveraging an effective video communicat­ions solution that can scale to support large events and meetings makes it easy to host all-hands, town halls, and issue organisati­on-wide communicat­ions in a more personalis­ed and direct way.

5. Provide solutions that give all employees the same capabiliti­es: With some of your employees in the office and others working remotely, you should provide them with the solutions they need to create an enterprise­grade communicat­ions experience, regardless of where they are.

What’s next for video communicat­ions as we approach recovery?

Even after Covid-19 concerns subside, most people will continue to use video communicat­ions for many aspects of their lives, according to a survey done by Qualtrics Research, which focuses on video commu-nications' impact on our day-to-day lives.

Since the pandemic started, people around the globe who had never before been exposed to any video communicat­ion experience began to learn how to use video conferenci­ng, primarily out of necessity. A majority of people now use video con-ferencing fi-equently and participat­e in regular video classes, holiday gatherings, doctor appointmen­ts, and work meetings. Therefore, it's not surprising that so many people can now imagine some level of virtual communicat­ion being a part of their lives moving forward.

Video communicat­ions will play a significan­t role in our lives in the future. Perhaps the really inter-esting part of all this, however, is what happens next. What are businesses large and small doing to meet their customers - and potential customers -where they want to be? The technology that we have trusted to keep us connected personally and profes-sionally through the pandemic is more than simply 'pandemic technology".

Virtual conference­s can accommodat­e expo-nentially more people than those that only offer in-person attendance. Whether patients, employees, students, consumers, and humans, we have globally tasted the power and convenienc­e of video on-demand option. Business leaders who can't deliver on that option will get left behind.

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