Table of Contents
- Summary
- The current state of collaboration
- Engagement challenges
- Benefits of engagement
- What to look for
- Appendix A. Checklist for collaborative engagement
- Key takeaways
- About David Coleman
- About GigaOm
- Copyright
1. Summary
Geographically distributed organizations must understand whether collaboration is helping or hindering them. They need to know if it is increasing engagement and productivity and if not, why not. They also need to know what tools are driving employee engagement in the U.S., where two-thirds of the employees are disengaged, and what technologies will be acceptable to millenials entering the workforce in growing numbers. They should ask themselves who has successfully used these new collaboration technologies and what were the best processes to start with. Finally, they should know what they need to do to acquire one of these new cloud-based videoconferencing systems.
Through a variety of research and case studies this report demonstrates that cloud-based videoconferencing that offers high fidelity and the ability to connect seamlessly to any video end point (iOS, Android, Windows, Mac) is critical to businesses because it increases employee engagement. These tools can make the many meeting rooms that do not currently have videoconferencing equipment fully video capable at a fraction of the cost of a room-based system.
The jobs of IT professionals are changing rapidly, as is the structure of the organizations that employ them. No longer is it only IT that can make technology decisions. With free trials and SaaS-based tools, anyone in any department can try a variety of tools to see which fits them and their group, department, or process the best. Whether you are an IT professional or someone helping to run a department or organization, this report will provide valuable and practical information for you to be successful with these new technologies.
Consider the following.
- Eighty-seven percent of remote users feel more connected to their team and process when using videoconferencing.
- Sixty-five percent of communication is nonverbal.
- Videoconferencing today can be used in a wide variety of situations and at a low cost.
- Cloud-based collaborative videoconferencing is a great way to increase engagement and productivity.
- Cloud-based video tools are less expensive and easier to use, and so they can be found in almost any meeting room.
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