The pandemic has impacted a myriad different industries and the full extent to which it has changed life as we know it remains to be seen.
That said, some shifts have been easier to spot than others. Case in point the fact that you are likely reading this from a home office setup than your regular cubicle of a few years ago.
Working from home (WFH) has been a necessity for many and while some businesses are calling for employees to return to the office, the vast majority will keep the current setup in place or adopt a hybrid model.
It is this fundamental change that has prompted many an employee to invest in better hardware.
Whether that be a larger monitor or even two displays suitable for multitasking, a purpose-built webcam that captures FullHD video or a more robust wireless headset and mic combo to ensure you’re always heard loud and clear in meetings, upgrades across the board are needed.
The new normal is hybrid
To gain a bit more understanding of this changing environment and what effect WFH has truly had, we recently spoke with (virtually of course) Logitech’s head of High Touch End User Video Collaboration for South and Southern Africa, Charis Nicholas (pictured above).
The first aspect we touched on is the current status of working from home in the South Africa content. More than 30 million vaccines have been administered locally to date and while doing things virtually is the new normal for many, there is still a yearning for the in-office environment as Nicholas terms it.
“While a survey by Ipsos for the World Economic Forum found that 42 percent of South Africans are more productive when they work flexibly, most respondents (52 percent) said they still crave physical interaction with colleagues,” the Logitech executive explains.
“As a result, more organisations will be adopting hybrid work models, allowing employees to incorporate a mixture of in-office and remote work during their work week. Companies will need to adapt to this change and ensure that their employees are equipped with the right solutions while working outside the office,” she advises.
This change in where and how people choose to work has also positively impacted Logitech in terms of sales, but Nicholas was mum on precise numbers. That said, it appears like the video conferencing division is thriving at the moment.
“Although I can’t comment on the details, we were very proud in Q1 2021 to be named the Market Leader in Video Conferencing Devices by Frost & Sullivan, recognising the company has achieved the greatest market share resulting from outstanding performance, products, and services,” she enthuses.
Where to focus
For those technology laggards who have been reluctant in making necessary upgrades to their WFH setup, Nicholas has some advice on what to prioritise, as well as what Logitech hardware you should reach for first.
“Prioritise audio quality. Companies need to invest in video conferencing software with excellent audio background processing that eliminates unwanted sounds and focuses on the speaker’s voice. If your speakers are too loud, the software will not distinguish your actual voice from other voices on the call,” highlights Nicholas.
“You might have already experienced this issue during meetings: two people on a video conference call start talking simultaneously, and no one can understand what’s being said because the sounds become warbled. The problem would stop as soon as one person talks at a time. However, if everyone on the call wears headphones with noise-cancelling microphones, you avoid this problem altogether, and everyone has a much better experience,” she adds.
If there is indeed a WFH video conferencing starter kit, Nicholas believes these three devices should be your launching point:
Not solely about hardware
The upshot of upgrading your video conferencing hardware extends beyond looking and sounding good on calls and team meetings too.
For Nicholas, it is becoming increasingly important for businesses to adequately provision technology for its employees.
Being able to allow, “organisations to prioritise high-quality enterprise-class service reliability and support for both employees and clients,” is one such example.
As is the ability to help companies, “upgrade their legacy audio or web conferencing tools to full video conferencing solutions comprising audio conferencing, screen sharing, chat, meeting recording, and event live streaming.”
There is an increasing uptake in functional software to pair with newly acquired hardware too, Nicholas explains, with Logitech’s own in-house solutions delivering value in this regard.
Here she highlights the Sync 3.0 which, “now supports personal collaboration devices, such as webcams, headsets, and Logi Dock, making it easy for IT administrators to manage conference rooms and workstations from a single cloud-based interface.”
“The Sync software platform provides incredible ease of use and functionality that our customers need to run their IT operations in support of video collaboration equipment and can be used in conjunction with the leading service provider platforms,” Nicholas continues.
It is clear then that in the WFH era, your old hardware and software simply isn’t going to cut it. With more expected from employers and employees alike, investing in the right solutions to enable seamless video conferencing is a must.
In order to find out more about Logitech’s video conferencing solutions, whether it be for the home or boardroom, head here.
