It is very easy to get confused if you are considering purchasing videoconferencing equipment. There are many choices in hardware and technology and there are many sources to acquire the technology.
The first big mistake companies make is not considering how they intend to use the technology in the first place. You really need to drill down into your main application and explore variety of potential uses and implementing video conferencing.
Ask who you intend to conference with: Other offices internal to your company; Outside of the company network with key accounts or vendors in the supply chain; Field service people with mobile devices; etc. The obvious drivers to get videoconferencing technology is to reduce travel cost, however videoconferencing has a profound effect on production. Consider how this technology will make productivity more efficient.
The second big mistake is no training or support after the videoconferencing is deployed. Many times managers are eager to roll out a videoconferencing throughout the enterprise only to find out that it’s underutilized and in some cases not used at all. Resellers or dealers should have a formal training program for everyone in the company who needs to use videoconferencing. This should be on going as personal change over time. Videoconferencing really needs to become part of the company’s communications culture. Implementing video conferencing without training and support often fail. Companies who get the training often purchase more videoconferencing as they experience a tremendous benefits like cost reduction and increased productivity.
The third big mistake companies are not considering their network when purchasing videoconferencing. Videoconferencing requires bandwidth. Often companies are a little too eager to deploy equipment only to find there is not enough bandwidth. The result is poor video quality; poor audio quality; and connection problems. Many times companies conclude that the equipment is faulty. More often than not it’s the network.
There are many ways to correct these problems, for example, reconfiguring the network to MPLS, or Multi Protocol Label Switching. Simply, this prioritizes data packages for voice and video. This could have a major impact on videoconferencing quality. You need to contact your network provider to help you determine the proper amount of bandwidth and the configuration of your network. Implementing video conferencing on your network is critical.
J.W. Hornyak Videoconferencing & Telecommunications
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