Video conferencing is an integral technology for large and small business alike, allowing for flexibility, internal or external collaboration, and more timely responses in an everchanging workspace.
While the way we look at workspaces and how we work is ever evolving, the pandemic the world now finds itself in has forced changes at a much faster pace than any of us could have predicted. So, what does this mean for the future of video conferencing?
Increase in Working-From-Home
As a greater percentage of the workforce shifts to working remotely, the number of video conferences held daily is bound to increase. Many employers who never considered the option of telework, have now shifted their employees to in-home offices. Without the distraction of office chatter, some companies have seen a significant uptick in productivity. Businesses have felt this benefit and will likely consider some form of telework post pandemic.
Non-Business Appointments Will Happen Online
In the wake of the crisis, many doctors have shifted to virtual appointments, resulting in shorter appointment times, which allows doctors to see more patients in a day. This is an obvious benefit to medical staff who typically have jam packed schedules.
Now, imagine the benefit from the patient’s point of view. Doctor’s appointments take employees away from the office, sometimes for several hours. That appointment can now be as simple as booking a conference room, having your 15-minute appointment and then returning to your desk. This scenario benefits both the doctor and patient. Of course, this would be limited to minor appointments and consultations that don’t require in person interaction. Expect to see increased adoption of Telehealth in the very near future.
Security Will Tighten
With increased visibility, there are bound to be security concerns. Zoom has recently dealt with the issue of hijackers joining random conference calls. There’s also the issue of security when working outside of the office. Once employees step out their office doors, they are officially in an uncontrolled environment where sensitive data is no longer safe. Web conferencing platforms will have to institute tighter security to combat these issues. We expect to see a very large focus on safety measures going forward.
Platforms Will Become More Robust
As traffic increases, special features will increase as well. We’ve already features like virtual backgrounds and whiteboards added to both Zoom and Microsoft Teams. I expect (and hope, fingers crossed) we will also see a decrease in bandwidth usage to help with making calls in areas with weaker signals and to help maintain call quality across the board.
Business Travel Will Decrease
Many executives will trade in their business trip and opt for a virtual meeting instead. Saving on the cost of a flight, a hotel room and per diem expenses is a tempting alternative to many companies. The past month has proven that while nothing beats face-to-face interactions, a lot of those in-person meetings have worked just as well online as they would have in real life. With the amount of cost savings, you can bet organizations will be looking how utilizing video conferencing can help with their bottom line.
Looking Forward
Companies that plan to adopt teleworking post-pandemic will need to plan to make it efficient long-term. Will there be a learning curve? Of course. But ultimately, as with many other technological advancements, the evolution of web conferencing means less time, less money, and less stress in business and in life.
