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Discover the Latest News and Information Related to Business Video Conferencing Systems from BCS
Tips for a More Professional At-Home Video Conference
With more and more employees from all types of industries all over the world beginning to telecommute, working from home offices, kitchen counters and dining room tables, video conferences have surged in popularity. Once used by remote workers and to stay connected with office locations in other states or countries, video conferencing is now used by schools, entire offices and even fitness studios to stay connected with each other during the COVID-19 crisis.
While some virtual meetings may be casual in nature, staying at home doesn’t mean professionalism has to be left back at the office. Here are a few tips to keep it professional during your next important video conference:
- Choose your background carefully. Rather than displaying the clutter in your home, choose a space for digital meetings that won’t be distracting to others. A plain wall works wonders, and doesn’t have to be your permanent work space. Use a nightstand, end table or even a barstool as a temporary “tripod.”
- Make sure your space is well-lit. Don’t make others in the meeting squint through yellow lighting or a dark room. Set up your space near a window for natural lighting, or supplement with a few LED lamps.
- Practice video conferencing etiquette. Do you have pets and children in your home? Did you start the dishwasher or a load of laundry right before logging into Zoom? Try to eliminate background noises by choosing a quiet space, or muting your microphone when you aren’t speaking. This is especially important in conferences with multiple attendees.
- Pretend you’re in the office – everyone can see you! When you get ready for your meeting in the morning, know you’re getting dressed to go into the office. Yes, no one will be able to see your sweatpants, but it’s always a good idea to be aware of how you come across to others. You will have to see them in person again soon! It’s also easy to get distracted when others can’t see what you’re looking at, but they will notice if you aren’t paying attention. Close tabs and put away your phone before the meeting.
Does your company need to set its employees up for better at-home conferencing? BCS can help you find the perfect solution and dominate your business’ technology in 2020. Give us a call today at (757) 497-3100 or contact us online.
Making Office Communication Easy
Modern business relies on phone calls, emails, video conferencing and more for the bulk of information transfer. Unfortunately, many employees (and even their CEOs) are apprehensive when it comes to using virtual communication tools. Whether it’s because they’re unfamiliar with the technology or lack efficient and up-to-date tools, this apprehension hurts your bottom line. It’s important to make office communication easy.
If you notice too many dropped calls or missed important messages, it’s for a reason. It’s an employers job to identify and eliminate that reason. Below, we address the common fears employees have about using communication tools and how to fix-it them.
Lack of Etiquette –
Workers might be avoiding long email strings, chat-oriented apps or conference calls (video and otherwise) because they are unfamiliar with the k proper etiquette on these platforms. Not everyone grew up with virtual communication, so it’s important to ensure employees are comfortable using it.
Write out guidelines and proper procedures when using different mediums and share it with the entire team. That way, no one feels singled out. If you notice there are still some who avoid picking up the phone or cam, suggest role play and coaching as a means to practice.
Too Complicated-
Not all technology is easy to use, especially complicated office phone systems. So many of us are used to making calls easily from our cell phones, and your staff may be avoiding making or answering calls because they just don’t know how to perform regular actions like transferring a call or conferencing in a colleague! It is a great idea to include a phone system guide in your employee welcome packet. If you still see people experiencing difficulties, it may be time for a different system altogether.
Out of Date-
Yes, your office has a chat system, but if it takes too long to send and receive messages, your team won’t use it. Employees steer clear of a system that creates frustration and adds time to their work. That goes for any technology your office uses. It’s imperative to make sure all systems are up to date or they won’t be used. Identify where you need updates with a consultation from BCS Voice and Data. We identify areas where your business can implement better technology to improve efficiency and ultimately help your bottom line.
Your employees’ biggest fear should be the office microwave, not the video conferencing room. BCS Voice and Data can help give your team the tools they need to work efficiently and quickly. Contact us today to learn about our suite of tools to get your team confidently communicating with those around them.
Improve Client Relationships Through Video Conferencing
How often do you meet with your highest-paying client? How about your lowest-paying client? Do you meet in person or via phone? Do you interact with touch points in-between meetings? Depending on the products or services your company offers, your answers to these questions may be different. No matter what you do, though, customer service is probably near the top of your priority list.
One easy way to both streamline communication with clients and improve the overall relationship is to integrate video conferencing into the customer-relationship-management mix. Read on for the top 3 reasons that your company should boost its use of video conferencing technology ASAP. Read more
You Deserve Better Conference Calls
We’ve all been there. It’s 8am and three out of six participants have joined the call. Carl is unable to get through on the line, no one can hear Jennifer, and the office coffee maker is broken. Ok, that last part has nothing to do with the conference call but it definitely makes the whole situation more of a challenge. Read more
3 Things to Scare Clients Away
What’s the spookiest part of fall? It’s not always Halloween, horror movies or haunted houses. For the business owner or sales manager, losing clients or potential clients from communication issues can be the most frightening. But, how does it happen? Here are some common problems that can scare clients away:
- Never reaching the right person. If your phone system is too complicated and your employees can’t be reached quickly, or the call is dropped t in the process, clients can’t communicate their needs or requests efficiently. Make sure your phone system can handle your business needs, your employees are trained on how to use it effectively and your connection is solid.
- Being unprepared. You may have put together a great presentation, but if you can’t access the right files, or your conference room has dated equipment, it may fall flat — and certainly wont impress potential clients. Always have a backup method for storing your information, and consider updating your conference room with the right equipment for video conferencing and presentations.
- Down time. If you are a business that runs on technology, it’s important that your network is working at all times. Frequent down time is sure to scare away any clients that are relying on you to make announcements, updates or run their services. IT support and network monitoring can help your office run smoothly, without down time or data breaches.
If you’re looking for ways to improve the efficiency of your business and create the best relationships with your clients, it’s time to give BCS a call. Whether it’s remote network monitoring services and IT support, cloud-based phone systems or conference room solutions, our experts are here to improve communication and keep your information safe and accessible. Contact us today at (757) 497-3100 today, or use our online form.
What Does a Modern Conference Room Need?
Conference rooms still serve the same purposes they have always served: a huddle room for the exchange of ideas and updates between employees, and a quiet place to communicate with clients. However, with more people working remotely, more companies expanding internationally and more businesses using digital platforms for their businesses, the modern conference room requires technology updates that bring us far, far away from conference rooms of the past.
So, what does a modern conference room need?
Your conference rooms need to have the technology to communicate with employees and clients who can’t be in the office with you. This means that you’ll need a great phone and video conferencing system, and the tools to support them. For instance, a phone system that just makes calls can’t help you keep up with remote employees. Choosing a system that is fully integrated means you’ll spend less time forwarding calls trying to connect to the right person, and more time on the work you’re there to do. Similarly, a video conferencing system is no good if you don’t have desktop or network sharing to make sure everyone on the call is looking at the right information.
Aside from the technology to make conversation and collaboration easy, your conference room should be comfortable! This means making sure your seating is arranged so employees and visitors don’t have to strain to see each other or the presentation in front of them. Make sure the color and lighting in the room is comfortable, but not too comfortable – you don’t want your clients dozing off because of yellow, dim lighting putting them to sleep.
Your company’s message and goals are the most important part of communication and connecting with new clients, but the way you send out your message can have a huge impact. To learn more about the solutions that BCS offers to update your conference room, give us a call at (757) 497-3100, or use our online contact form.
StarLeaf Breeze: Easy “Breezy” Video Conferencing for Companies of All Sizes
What is your conference call experience usually like? Depending on the technology you use, you might experience audio interruptions, frozen screens, disconnected users, and other annoying limitations. Conference calls, especially video calls, have a mixed reputation, with some business professionals preferring traditional phone meetings because they require less fuss and seem to have fewer issues. Does this sound like you? If so, it’s time to try StarLeaf Breeze.
The StarLeaf video conferencing software is easy to use and provides a great user experience for everyone involved, no matter how far away. If you have remote workers, national or international clients, or hope to have some, StarLeaf is the video conferencing solution for you and your company. Feature rich and adaptable, it’s also incredibly easy to use!
Watch this video for a fun look at the ease and capabilities of the StarLeaf Breeze technology:
https://youtu.be/Pn0NqCNHSfY
Will StarLeaf Breeze suit your needs? Contact BCS Voice & Data to learn more. We can let you experience a free test drive of the technology and walk you through your options. Call us today at (757) 497-3100. We serve clients in Virginia Beach and the Hampton Roads area as well as nationally.
StarLeaf Breeze Video Review
We recently asked one of our StarLeaf Breeze users to share a review of their experience. They went above and beyond and actually created a video review of the video conference system. Here’s what they had to say:
Why You Need a Huddle Room
It used to be that company meetings were always held in big, elaborate boardrooms. While full-scale boardrooms are still relevant and necessary for some businesses and industries, many business owners are realizing that meeting-space needs are changing. More workers are telecommuting and the structure of the traditional office is shifting to smaller collaborative teams. Enter the convenience and innovation of the huddle room.
What is a Huddle Room?
A huddle room is a small room or section of an open space that can support several meeting attendees. It is typically set up with a flat panel display, a small table and AV equipment (camera, microphone and/or virtual communication hub). While we are definitely seeing more huddle rooms in “traditional” offices, they are a very common feature of open offices.
Benefits
Huddle rooms are the future of meetings thanks to their:
- Flexibility. No need to schedule time in a full conference room. The affordability and space-consciousness of huddle rooms make it easy to hold meetings at a moment’s notice.
- Accommodation of small groups. Everyone loves a good staff meeting, right? Well, maybe not everyone. Streamline and get more productive with condensed meetings with fewer team members.
- Affordability. Rather than incur the cost of setting up one or more full-featured conference rooms, small to medium sized businesses can take advantage of the lower price point associated with huddle rooms. But lower cost does not mean fewer features. A huddle room designed by an IT professional will give you everything you need to knock phone and video conferences out of the park without the commitment to a full conference room.
- Space-consciousness. This one may seem pretty obvious based on what we’ve said so far, but one of the greatest benefits of a huddle room is the office space you save.
One of the more significant components of a huddle room for most organizations is video conferencing equipment, which just so happens to be our specialty at BCS Voice & Data. Sure, we can help build you a complex, impressive conference room. We can also utilize StarLeaf technology to set up a huddle room that meets or exceeds your business’s needs. Call now for more information at (757) 497-3100.