To help make your search easier, below is a list of the top 5 mistakes to avoid when choosing a meeting room system:
1. Not understanding your needs – make sure you know what you want before looking at systems
The first step whenever you choose a new video conferencing system should always be to determine your meeting room needs. Is face-to-face and eye contact more important, or do you mainly need a system that enables screen sharing and document sharing? Does the room need to be booked in advance, or have multiple uses? What about audio? – will sound travel through false ceilings? Will I need a separate conference phone, or acoustic panelling? And what about video quality? Will high-definition video work, or do you need full 4K video conferencing?
It sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how often organisations choose video conferencing technology without knowing what they really need. This can lead to a video system that’s too complex for your users or video quality that leaves them frustrated.
An experienced AV provider will know the right questions to ask you early on in your project.
2. Not doing your research – take the time to read reviews and compare different systems
Once you’ve determined your video conferencing needs, it’s time to start shopping.
Research is vital when you’re investing in a system that will need to adapt over long periods of time in a fast-changing sector, it is important your provider knows where the market is going as well as what is currently available.
Instead of comparing video conferencing systems themselves, many organisations simply look at a list of video conferencing system manufacturers and choose the first one they see or the one with the best marketing.
This can be a mistake – your relationship with your provider will be an on-going experience and the support you will need is just as important as the initial installation that they will provide. Before engaging, due diligence can give peace of mind, including case studies, testimonials and reference sites. Video conferencing reviews often highlight different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s important to invest time researching your provider as well as video conferencing systems before you purchase one.
3. Overlooking hidden costs – some systems may seem cheaper upfront, but have hidden costs down the road
Another mistake is failing to consider the hidden costs of video conferencing systems.
When you buy a video conferencing system, you need to consider more than just the video conferencing equipment itself.
For example, if you’re buying a video conferencing system that also includes video conferencing endpoint software, you’ll need to factor in on-going licenses, maintenance and annual renewal costs, before deploying video conferencing across your organisation.
Similarly, video conferencing systems that include video conference endpoints typically require video conferencing endpoints to be on a network. If video conferencing endpoints aren’t on a network, that means you’ll need to pay extra for video conferencing licenses and remote support.
4. Choosing a system that’s too complex – go for something simple that is easy to use and understand
Often video conferencing system buyers make the mistake of sacrificing ease-of-use for more features.
Video conference systems that are too complex may appear more feature-rich, but in reality, they can be much more complex to use.
This means users may be frustrated by not being able to quickly access the features they need, and this could lead to them avoiding video conferencing altogether.
Video conferencing systems that are too complex can also bring hidden costs – for example, if an organisation chooses a video conference system with too many features, the system itself may be too difficult to manage and may increase your companies down-time.
While it can be tempting to choose a video conferencing system that has all the bells and whistles, the best systems are generally those that offer simplicity to your users.
5. Not getting help when needed – if you’re not sure how to use a system or need help setting it up, don’t be afraid to ask for help
Finally, another mistake many buyers make is not getting the help they need when setting up or using their video conferencing system.
Many organisations believe they can set up and use their video conference system by themselves, but this isn’t always the case. You don’t know what you don’t know and comparing current capabilities, which may feel adequate, to professional connected solutions that will enable you to understand and make informed decisions.
If you want to avoid this mistake and get the most out of your next video conference system purchase, we recommend talking with a technology provider.
A technology provider can help you determine your video conferencing needs, find the right system for you, and provide training and on-going support after installation.
Ultimately, working with a technology provider is the best way to ensure you get the most from your next meeting room system.
We can help you determine which technology is right for your organisation, as well as help you avoid common mistakes such as overlooking hidden costs and choosing a system that’s too complex.
Making sure your new technology works well together and providing you with the support you need after installation, to help you steer your company in the right direction so you get the most from your new technology investments.
Why D&A Media?
With almost 30 years experience working with technology, we are able to adapt to our clients individual needs, including room sizes, shape of the room and the acoustics within the space to ensure that remote participants feel as though they are in the room with you.
Technology is changing at a very fast pace and we are always looking ahead, our in-house engineers have worked on complex projects for many years and our job is to simplify for all users, so we know the right questions to ask giving you confidence in choosing the right solution that will grow with you.
With access to remote support and a dedicated support email, phone number or video, our technical team will get to know you and will be on hand ready to assist you and your users.
Want to know more?
Click here, to book a meeting with one of our professionals.