How to empower collaboration as the meeting experience evolves

A new breed of Cisco meeting technology holds the key to increased engagement and collaboration.

Staying connected in the hybrid age

The pandemic has changed the way we meet – and our typical meeting behaviour. Meetings per person have increased by 12.9%, while the average meeting length has decreased by 20.1%. Shorter, more frequent meetings with staff joining from wherever they’re working mean the traditional meeting model is no longer fit for purpose.

So, what about the quick fixes that emerged during the pandemic? Many organisations adopted meeting tools in crisis mode, only to find that facilitating genuine engagement goes beyond video and audio capabilities.

A new approach to the meeting experience is required to give the hybrid workforce the opportunity to connect, create and communicate in ways that suit them best, wherever they are working.

What is must-have meeting tech in the 2020s?

Meeting tech should be easy to use and provide a consistent experience, regardless of where people are located. Collaboration features like digital whiteboards, real-time transcription and virtual break out rooms are key to a successful hybrid meeting experience.

Your meeting technology checklist

Flexibility: ability to integrate with cloud, on premise and hybrid infrastructure
Personalisation: allow staff to engage in ways that suit them best
Artificial intelligence: harness insights to improve collaboration and outcomes
Inclusion: help everyone fully participate before, during and after the meeting
Usability: make it easy for people to login, share and collaborate
Security: ensure all information and communication channels are protected
Scalability: support future growth and evolving business requirements

The right meeting tech for the right time

Barry Fialkov, Outcomex Collaboration Practice Lead, says: “The move to cloud for all workloads has simplified the work from home approach. It is now time for organisations to have a hybrid work policy in place that caters for this new way of working.” One cloud-first solution that is ideal for whatever location you work from and that ticks all the boxes is Cisco’s Webex Meetings platform.

An all-in-one communications system, Webex brings people together with calling, meeting, messaging and collaboration functionality — supporting integrated audio, video and content sharing on any device.

The Webex Meetings solution is specifically designed for the hybrid age, with flexible deployment options and robust integration capability. The system for mid-sized and enterprise grade organisations meets your business needs now and paves the way for future growth.

Webex Meetings is:

User friendly: no downloads or plugins needed to schedule and run meetings
Intelligent: AI and ML powered real-time transcription, translation and reactions
Secure: industry-leading encryption, data loss prevention and compliance
Scalable: robust cloud architecture easily scaled to meet changing business needs.

Bringing the hybrid workforce together

Webex Meetings is a powerful system with three key elements bringing the workforce together and empowering collaboration.

#1 Voice intelligence

AI-powered and voice activated, the Webex Assistant automates common meeting tasks. Real-time transcription and closed-captioning offer choices on how to engage and interact.

#2 People insights

Get real-time meeting participant details like their position and contact information to help improve decision-making, enhance relationships and identify collaborative opportunities.

#3 Simple integration

Integrate Webex Meetings with popular productivity tools including calendars and learning tools, share multimedia files, and stream Webex meetings live online.

Simplifying the tech transition

Complexity and cost are common barriers to adopting new tech in your hybrid workforce.

The idea of overlaying your existing tech stack with yet another new system might seem a bridge too far. But starting again with a clean slate means extra costs, long lead times, and organisational disruption as staff learn a completely new system.

Cisco’s Webex platform seamlessly integrates with your existing technology investments and enables cloud-first technology. Maintain your on-premise presence, move certain areas to the cloud or embrace full cloud migration.

Support your hybrid workforce with Cisco and Outcomex

Committed to boosting productivity via technology, Outcomex leverages the power of Cisco to deliver a range of meeting and collaboration solutions, such as Webex Meetings.

Recognised as a Cisco Gold Partner with Master Collaboration Specialisation, we’re proud to support your business with the power of Cisco.