Meeting room solutions: 6 questions to ask before investing

Ease of installation is non-negotiable – whether you choose a basic setup (an all-in-one video bar and a display), or a complex setup with multiple cameras, speakers, microphones, touch displays and wireless conferencing devices. 

Ease of installation will help you quickly deploy the technology, so your conference rooms are ready in no time. But how can you tell a device is easy to install?  

Fewer and standardized cables such as USB or HDMI or even wireless capabilities. This will speed up installation, reduce drilling, tech challenges, and cable clutter.  

Several factors contribute to your meeting room tech's reliability:  

• Hardware quality: Reliable devices are manufactured using high-quality materials that can withstand regular use and occasional mishaps, such as being dropped or bumped. This includes the durability of both external components and internal electronics. 
• Software quality: The software powering these devices should be stable and benefit from regular updates, to improve functionality over time and keep up with evolving standards. 
• Simple maintenance, quality service and support: Devices should be easy to maintain, and come with extensive customer support including technical assistance and hardware replacement. 
  
• Security: Your tech of choice must come with compelling security certifications. Make sure that it´s been rigorously tested and that it meets robust encryption standards to guarantee security and confidentiality. 

User-friendliness in meeting room technology is essential to ensure that everyone can effortlessly join and participate in meetings. Several elements contribute to making meeting room technology user-friendly:  

• Intuitive design for a smooth experience: The technology should have straightforward and clear interfaces, and intuitive controls (for e.g. well-designed buttons, readable screens, simple menus, clear labels) that will allow meeting attendees to start video conferences instantly. 
• No training required: The technology should be accessible for a wide range of users to use daily without training, allowing even those with minimal tech skills to operate it efficiently. 
• BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) support: Your meeting room technology should allow meeting participants to easily connect using their own devices, be it laptops, tablets or smartphones. 

Flexibility in meeting room technology is essential because it allows easy adaptation to various technologies, meeting formats and participant needs, ensuring productivity and satisfaction regardless of changing requirements. 

A flexible conference room solution will: 

• be compatible with other meeting room hardware and software. This is what we call interoperability and it is essential. Pick a solution with strong technology partners that can guarantee multiple meeting room devices will function seamlessly together. 
• make it easy for people to join a meeting from different devices whether that is laptops, tablets or smartphones. 
• allow easy access not only to employees but also guests; all while maintaining the infrastructure security and data confidentiality.  
• support multiple videoconferencing platforms (such as Microsoft Teams or Zoom). 
• be easily adjustable to fit different meeting room setups.  

The platform should present in a clear and visually-appealing way how your install base is functioning at a given moment and any overdue actions you have to take to ensure devices are running at their best.  

Management platforms should alert administrators immediately about issues such as disconnected cables or overheating units, to act quickly, decrease downtime and maintain operational continuity. 

Access to data will open the way for understanding employee meeting behavior, optimizing workspaces and increasing Return on Investment on the technology you worked so hard to implement. Among many others, here are four key questions you will have an answer to: 

• Are workers adopting meeting technology?  
• Is that happening company-wide or only in some locations? 
• Are some meeting spaces underutilized? If yes, now you can investigate why and optimize your spaces.  
• Do employees prefer hybrid meetings or do they meet face-to-face? 

A solution is considered carbon neutral when the net carbon emissions released throughout its entire lifecycle – from production to disposal – are reduced to zero. This entails reducing emissions as much as possible and then balancing out the remaining emissions by investing in carbon offset activities. 

These activities include:

• renewable energy projects
• reforestation or afforestation
• restoring coastal and marine ecosystems
• regenerative agriculture 
• other carbon capture and storage methods

What's more, the process involves third-party certification by independent organizations. Certifications will provide credibility and transparency, reassuring consumers and stakeholders that the product is truly carbon-neutral and truly enacts climate action.