Elevate the Zoom MEETING Experience for Hybrid Workers
Maintain Meeting Equality In and Out of the Meeting Room
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
workstyles
workspaces
the device landscape
audio and video selection checklist
how can poly help?
Zoom software is a critical communications tool for hybrid work, where success depends on employees collaborating productively whether they’re working in the office, remotely, or on the go. Although Zoom software works with employee laptops and smartphones, the built in web cams, microphones, and speakers in those personal devices don’t meet enterprise-grade standards to optimize hybrid work. Look for features like 4K HD video, dual microphones, and noise cancellation to help ensure remote and hybrid employees can consistently:
focus and concentrate TO perform at their best
Fully engage with remote managers, colleagues, customers, and partners
PROJECT A PROFESSIONAL PRESENCE OF YOUR BUSINESS AND BRAND
GARTNER PREDICTS THAT BY 2024, ONLY 25% OF ENTERPRISE MEETINGS WILL BE IN-PERSON¹
With only 25% of people joining meetings in-person, how can IT leaders create meeting equality for all attendees?
WHY IS MEETING EQUALITY IMPORTANT?
Meeting equality ensures all meeting participants can be heard with greater clarity and seen with equal power, regardless of the location from which they join a meeting. Adding professional-grade audio and video devices across the Zoom solution suite helps you achieve this experience for your entire workforce.
This guide is designed to help you make informed decisions about audio and video solutions and technology features required to achieve meeting equality for all employees with Zoom.
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You’ll get expert tips and insights on:
Identifying the best Zoom-certified audio and video device features.
Choosing the right conference equipment based on your various workstyles and workspaces.
Deploying video conferencing solutions that enable meeting equality for every employee.
Both workstyles and workspaces factor into the dynamics of every Zoom meeting experience. People don’t just call in from different locations at the office, at home, and on the go — they also have different roles, needs, and preferences for the audio and video devices they use. To provide the best Zoom meeting experience for all your hybrid workers, start by aligning equipment to the ways they work.
ALIGN CONFERENCE EQUIPMENT TO WORKSTYLES AND WORKSPACES
WORKSTYLES
Poly research shows that...
OF ENTERPRISE WORKSTYLES CAN BE REPRESENTED BY SIX PERSONAS.²
92%
A true work-from-anywhere professional, this person divides their time equally between working at home, on the road, and in shared spaces or meeting rooms at the office.
FLEXIBLE WORKER
equip them with:
Portable video camera for virtual face-to-face engagement.
Portable headset that can block out the background noise of changing environments.
Portable video camera for face-to-face engagement.
Devices that move seamlessly from home to the road to office meeting rooms.
Workstyle Example:
THE RIGHT Audio and video equipment levels the playing field for everyone on the team.
individual workspaces
Individual workspaces, either at home or in the office, need the crystal-clear audio and video found in professional-grade cameras, phones, and headsets so employees can:
Block background noise and distractions on all sides of the call.
Pick up on subtle audio and visual cues so it feels as if they’re in the same room, even when they’re not.
Participate with the same presence as in-room participants.
CONFERENCE ROOMS
Be seen and heard clearly by everyone, even those at the far end of the room.
Feel they have an equal presence, and ability to participate confidently, even in a group setting.
Stay in the camera frame as they speak and move about the room so everyone can follow the action during fast-moving conversations.
Conference rooms should be equipped with high-quality, intuitive audio and video conferencing devices to help call participants:
conference rooms
By outfitting people and meeting spaces with equipment that allows everyone to meet as equals, you make every Zoom call a productive and powerful meeting experience.
Employee experience and well-being have become an important area of focus when managing a hybrid workforce. Choosing the right audio and video devices for workspace usage, size, privacy, and noise levels helps ensure the best experience for groups and individuals and can reduce the occurrence of video burnout. Keep in mind that deployment approaches including using a dedicated video appliance, a dedicated PC in the room, or bringing your own device have important trade-offs in terms of cost and ease of use.
on the go
at the desk
in the room
Individuals conducting business away from their home or office.
Noise-canceling audio devices establish quiet zones in shared spaces.
Mobile headsets enable focus and seamless call transfers between desktops and mobile phones.
Portable speakerphones provide enterprise-quality audio and noise cancellation for individuals or small groups.
Portable web cams are easy to bring on-the-go and offer better video quality than a laptop or phone camera.
Bluetooth-enabled headsets with long battery life, noise cancellation, and all-day comfort enable focus work and the ability to move around.
Desk phones configured as Zoom Phone Appliances deliver uninterrupted calling in a consistent, native experience for users.
Professional-grade personal video devices offer consistent clarity and an instant upgrade to built-in laptop cameras.
Personal meeting displays optimized for video conferencing manage cameras, microphones, speakers, and lighting in a single device.
Individuals working from a personal desk, at home, or in the office, and with or without privacy.
AT THE DESK
Video conferencing technology should be right-sized for the space, with a wider field of view and additional audio devices for larger rooms, or a narrower field of view with built-in audio for focus spaces.
AI-based audio and video solutions keep active participants in the camera frame and manage background noise.
In-room touch pads paired with Zoom Workspace Reservation create a flexible drop-in office environment while Zoom Room Voice Commands offer a hands-free experience.
Video solutions with intelligent multi-camera technology clearly capture everyone in the room at their best angle, and automatically track and frame speakers.
Individuals or groups joining scheduled or unscheduled meetings in Zoom Rooms of various sizes.
IN THE ROOM
The device landscape
Devices that support Zoom software across workstyles and workspaces generally fall into four categories. The following table provides information to help determine the best configuration for your organization’s Zoom Rooms, Zoom Meetings, Zoom Phones, and Zoom Contact Center deployments.
GROUP AUDIO AND VIDEO
personal video
HEADSETS
desk phones
group audio and video for zoom rooms
Meeting room solutions that offer the flexibility you want: the simplicity of all-in-one audio and video, the customizability of using a PC or Mac, or the convenience of BYOD.
innovative features to look for:
Video solutions built to support Zoom innovations like Smart Gallery, workspace reservation, and multi-camera mode.
Multi-directional microphones that track and capture the natural voices of presenters as they move, so everyone can hear and be heard clearly.
Devices work together seamlessly and can connect with legacy platforms, reducing IT burden.
Increased engagement and productivity when all participants can see and hear speakers clearly.
Native Zoom Rooms experiences put on-premise and remote participants on equal footing.
benefits:
Zoom Meetings are hands-free for presenters and satisfying for those on the far end of calls.
Employees can get help for remote meetings no matter where they’re calling in from.
Consistently good video call quality helps build and maintain relationships.
Automated speaker framing and tracking, so everyone can see you clearly.
Remote tracking, monitoring, and updating of devices to reduce IT burden.
HD video cameras with clear image quality, vibrant and accurate colors, and automatic lighting adjustments.
PERSONAL VIDEo for zoom MEETINGS
All-day comfort and focus.
Participate on calls from any location, while blocking out background noise.
Hear and sound crystal clear on every Zoom call.
Wide range of wearing styles and options to match individual workstyles and workspaces.
Premium technology features including active noise-blocking technologies designed for business use.
Professional-grade headsets with built-in call control functionality including mute, volume, and answer.
HEADSETS for zoom MEETINGS AND ZOOM CONTACT CENTER
Easily transfer Zoom audio calls from phone to video.
Innovative audio technology helps ensure you sound clear even in noisy environments.
Reliable and seamless Zoom Phone experiences.
Zoom Phone Appliances that deliver blended video and audio experiences.
Desk phones equipped with advanced technologies that block out distracting noise.
VoIP-enabled solutions certified for Zoom Phone that turn the desk into a personal Zoom Room experience.
DESK PHONES FOR ZOOM PHONE AND ZOOM CONTACT CENTER
AUDIO AND VIDEO SELECTION CHECKLIST
How can IT build and manage a communication and collaboration ecosystem for Zoom that meets the needs of a hybrid workforce? Simplify the decision-making process with this checklist:
Select Zoom certified hardware for reliable audio and video solutions that are easy to set up and use for seamless communication and collaboration.
Equip your workforce with audio and video devices that match their work environments and job functions.
Look for cloud-based solutions that include software that augments Zoom Device Management with the ability to provision, monitor, update, and track usage across your audio and video device portfolio.
If you have a global operation or employees who travel, having local inventory and support can be a lifesaver.
Take advantage of service offerings from experienced vendors that can help you plan, deploy, and manage large rollouts.
How can Poly help?
With 60 years of experience creating high-quality audio and video solutions, Poly is your one-stop-shop for Zoom certified equipment. Our broad selection of professional-grade audio and video devices, for groups and individuals, will help maximize your Zoom software investment, and enable meeting equality across your hybrid workforce. Take advantage of a free 20-minute consulting call with one of Poly’s Zoom deployment experts to give your organization advice on topics including:
Capacity planning
Video etiquette
Managing a flexible work environment
Optimizing solutions to work with third parties
Employee best practices for collaboration between hybrid workspaces
©2022 Poly. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 8.22 1863353
1 Gartner, “Effective Meetings for a Hybrid Workforce,” July 28, 2021 2 Poly Global Persona Research, FactWorks 2021
