It’s been nearly two years since the world was forced to adapt to a new normal practically overnight. Who would have imagined the innovations we would have seen in such a brief period of time? It’s certainly true that necessity is the mother of invention.
When teams around the world were sent home to work remotely, many thought collaboration efforts would quickly fall to pieces. Sure, plenty used video conferencing services before the pandemic, but the technology took on new life in 2020 when it became the lifeblood of the business world. Video conferencing tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams allowed teams to communicate and collaborate from remote locations as if they were in the same room, which in turn enabled the wheels of business to keep on turning.
The video conferencing boom has brought with it a variety of trends that continue to shape the way teams work together. What video conference trends will impact teams in 2022?
1. Integration
Nobody conducts business on a single platform anymore, but that doesn’t mean business owners want different aspects of their companies living in different systems. Likewise, it’s seldom that partners will all use the same software programs, which can hinder collaboration. One team might be using Zoom while another is accustomed to Microsoft or Cisco. As more software and hardware platforms are integrated, meetings will only improve thanks to higher-quality video and audio calls. It’s no longer uncommon to have team members attending conference calls from their mobile devices while connecting with others in a conference room and customers in their individual offices, all sharing files from a variety of productivity software options.
2. AI
Artificial intelligence is changing the world around us every day, and video conferencing is no exception. Thanks to innovations like object detection, AI is enhancing our immersion within conferencing sessions. Other capabilities like smart camera controls allow users to monitor video conference participants with automated camera panning. Remote attendees can control what appears in their backgrounds thanks to smart camera and remote capabilities. No longer are video conferences hindered by the lack of human feeling and touch. Thanks to facial recognition technology, AI can control a camera, following those who are speaking and changing camera angles to capture them in a frame, much like a human camera operator. Other AI-based software can integrate natural language processing for real-time language translation.
3. Privacy and security
The wide adoption of cloud-based video conferencing technology has brought with it the expected security concerns. Companies want to protect their data as it is shared across remote locations, particularly in areas like healthcare, finance and law, where privacy is paramount. Innovations in privacy will continue in 2022, and solutions will continue to protect users’ data from fraud and hacks. In fact, privacy and security will become so important to consumers that companies will distinguish themselves based on their ability to safeguard our most sensitive information.
4. The cloud
Cloud-based video conferencing solutions have never been more popular, and many teams wouldn’t have made it through the pandemic without them. Thanks to cloud-based video conferencing, teams can schedule meetings with colleagues or invite customers to view a presentation from anywhere without additional investment in hardware or software. By subscribing to a cloud-based solution, teams can collaborate using technology without the need to upgrade their infrastructure. As teams expand their remote reach, cloud-based solutions will only grow in importance in 2022.
5. Hybrid workplaces
Don’t expect a return to pre-pandemic office normalcy… ever. According to a Harris Poll survey, more than half of employees now want flexible work benefits, specifically the ability to work remotely when possible. An increasingly popular solution is the hybrid workplace. In fact, 72% of workers told Slack they want a combination of home and office work. In a hybrid workplace environment, more teams will dedicate on-site rooms and open workspaces to video conferences while others join from remote locations. Tools like Zoom Rooms and Microsoft Teams Rooms allow remote teams to conduct meetings as if they were all sitting around the same conference table.
6. Gamification
Keeping remote teams engaged during video conference meetings remains a challenge in 2022, and gamification is an increasingly popular solution. In this case, gamification refers not only to competitive activities but any sort of game elements that can be implemented into non-gaming environments. For example, teams might use strategies like awarding points, rewards and badges for participation in video conference meetings. Likewise, members can communicate with emojis to express their reactions to presentation elements. As remote communication becomes the new business norm, we’ll only see more gamification elements added to keep teams engaged with fun.
7. Remote presentations
Presentations are the lifeblood of so many organizations, and they serve as vital communication tools for both internal and external clients. Visual presentations are particularly important when working with remote teams. However, designing them can be a challenge with multiple versions, tracking edits and just trying to keep everyone on the same page. How do you collaborate efficiently and effectively from remote workplaces? Beautiful.ai’s Teams Plan makes it simple for teams to collaborate on presentations thanks to the ability to invite collaborators, add instant feedback and receive notifications when changes or comments are made on slides. The PowerPoint-alternative presentation design software also offers content management, branding control and security solutions thanks to features like Shared Slides, Shared Themes, single sign-on and team administration.
