• Collaboration
• Collaboration Technology
• Service and Support

Summary

• Effective AV tech adoption requires comprehensive end user training. The more value teams see in new technology and the more comfortable they feel using it, the more ROI your business will experience.
• The first step towards ensuring the adoption of new video conferencing technology is to understand your specific needs as an organization. This makes it easier to buy appropriate technology for your team.
• The next step is to evaluate different technology options and buy the most appropriate one for your business. Working with technology consultants can help you choose solutions that remove the potential for friction when your team members use them and reduce abandonment.
• Ongoing training and support are essential to help staff confidently use new AV systems. Investing in technology also means investing in people to ensure effective communication and collaboration.

Audio Visual Technology Adoption Starts with Better End User Training

Encouraging your team to adopt and use audio visual technology is about more than just design and deployment. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how useful your video conferencing system is if your team members don’t understand how to use it.

Investing in comprehensive end user training for your team shows them what your AV technology is capable of, and how to use it effectively—increasing the likelihood that they’ll adopt it and improving your ROI. As providers of custom hybrid technology solutions for organizations in a broad range of industries, our team is here to show you why workshops and consulting should always be a part of any technology investment you make for your business.

How End User Training Encourages AV Tech Adoption

Most organizations recognize the need for audio visual technology. But not having clarity on what this technology is needed for, what specific tools are being purchased, or how they’re being deployed all make large-scale adoption less likely. End user training provides clarity during each of these critical phases to ensure that organizations are set up to succeed.

Identifying Organizational Needs

There’s no such thing as one-size-fits-all AV technology—that’s why we design custom hybrid workplace solutions for each of our clients. But before we can do that, it’s vital that you understand what communication challenges your organization is trying to solve.

Example: Improving Screen Real Estate on Multi-Point Calls

Let’s say a business wants to bring three locations (Toronto, New York, San Francisco) into the same video call. This is called a multi-point call (as opposed to a point-to-point call, which takes place between just two endpoints).

Pretty much any traditional video conferencing vendor can make this happen—but wait. Now let’s say the same business has dual screens at each location, and wants each location to see the other two on separate monitors (a person in Toronto would see New York on one screen and San Francisco on the other, and so on).

Suddenly, there aren’t so many appropriate video conferencing options. That’s because most vendors use a communication protocol called H.323. When a multi-point call is made using H.323, the video streams from each location are effectively combined and sent to the other locations as a single stream.

This single video stream can only be viewed on a single screen—which causes the video images of the remote locations to shrink on the display, dramatically diminishing their value.

Bottom line: being aligned with your audio visual provider on your organization’s specific goals is the key to investing in appropriate systems. Consulting with ET Group before buying video conferencing technology would allow this business to rule out vendors offering standard H.323 solutions ahead of time, whereas skipping this step could lead towards buying technology that doesn’t work for them.

Buying the Right Technology

Once your goals are clearly defined and you’ve consulted with our experts, you’re in a position to choose tools that support your organization. To see what this might look like, let’s return to the example we introduced in the last section.

Example: Evaluating Three Potential Options for Multi-Point Video Calls

Our example business now has clarity on what they want to achieve, and knows that traditional H.323 offerings aren’t the answer. Now they need help choosing between three other options:

• Option 1: Use More than One Codec. Set up each location with two codecs and two cameras, then have each codec in the office call one of the other 2 offices. This solution works, but it’s clumsy and expensive—since it requires twice as many codecs and cameras. It also won’t scale, so if the business needs to add a fourth or fifth location later, it’ll be out of luck.

• Option 2: Invest in a High-End Telepresence Solution. This approach also requires multiple cameras and codecs at each location, but the images are stitched together and combined. The new images are then sent to each other location as a single image that can be split across both of their monitors. This type of solution offers excellent user experience, but is expensive to set up initially as it requires a substantial amount of technology and integration is relatively complex.

• Option 3: Use Newer Video Technology. If the business uses a newer video technology instead of H.323, they can deploy room systems that allow the use of a single processor (codec equivalent) to put full-screen images on both monitors in each location. These commercial video solutions are easier to scale up as well, and can even cost less than typical H.323 systems.

Bottom line: Working with technology consultants to learn about the technology available to your organization and make informed decisions prevents your team from running into challenges down the road. This removes the potential for friction and improves the likelihood that your audio visual technology will continue to be used.

Clarifying Deployments for Staff

Working with consultants to clarify your organization’s needs and educate your leadership about the different technologies available can prevent many of the problems that hamper adoption. However, you’ll still need to make sure your staff is comfortable using the new system once it’s been deployed.

Example: Encouraging Team Members to Use New Video Conferencing Systems

Let’s assume that the business in our example has opted to invest in newer video technology like SIP, an internet-based protocol that offers better scalability and flexibility.

This solves the issue of making calls between locations—but some team members may shy away from using the new technology because they’re used to older and more established protocols. While placing phone calls or sending emails to other locations may be more comfortable for some, it’s also less efficient for the business and may lead to some information being lost in translation.

Bottom line: at this point, the organization needs ongoing training to make their staff aware of the new system’s capabilities and help them feel confident using it. Workshops from ET Group can help by providing team members with essential skills for thriving in hybrid workplaces, recontracting the ways in which they work together, embracing design thinking, and more.

Investing in People Is a Prerequisite for Investing in Technology

At ET Group, we believe that technology is only useful insofar as it supports people to communicate and collaborate effectively. That’s why we consider end user training a must for organizations that want to make sure the audio visual technology they invest in is being adopted and used.

Start out by clarifying your needs and consulting with experts who can present appropriate options for meeting them—this helps you avoid many of the pitfalls that can lead to team members abandoning new technologies out of frustration. Then, follow up by providing your team with comprehensive training that helps them see how your new investment solves their pain points and gives them the competencies they need to use it effectively.

To learn more about our hybrid workplace solutions or the training we can provide for your workforce, book a discovery call with ET Group. To learn more about end user training for audio visual systems, browse the FAQ below.

Frequently Asked Questions about End User Training for AV Technology

Why can’t I buy audio visual technology without investing in end user training?

We do not recommend purchasing technology without training your personnel on how to use it effectively. This creates frustration that eventually leads to abandonment, and can also cost more in the long run by making meetings less efficient or secure.

Can tech support improve AV tech adoption?

Yes—the right support is instrumental in helping your team feel comfortable enough with new technology to adopt and use it. ET Group’s support services keep user experience consistent and productive, encouraging personnel to stay connected and collaborate with the tools you’ve purchased.

How can end user training be adapted for different skill levels?

Always purchase new audio visual technology from organizations that can provide accessible training for members of your team with different proficiencies or experience levels. ET Group offers workshops aimed at different audiences (team leaders, intact teams, etc.) so that everyone can understand how your new technologies relate to their role and find effective ways to use them.

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