In the last two years, the surge in video conferencing usage is nothing short of monumental. The pandemic forced us all to work from home en masse, and video conferencing was used by virtually every major business.
So what can we expect to see this year in terms of video conferencing innovations? Here are some trends to look out for:
1. User experience
Tools like FaceTime and WhatsApp are some of the most widely used video calling tools in the consumer market today. What makes them so popular? They’re easy to use. Just one tap of a button and you’re connected to people anywhere in the world. This focus on the user experience is trickling into the professional world.
Organizations (and their employees) are going to move towards video conferencing solutions that offer the best user experience. For example, if you had to spend several minutes digging through your emails or team messaging app for a meeting ID (and possibly password), you’d be more than frustrated.
Video conferences should be quick to prepare for and effortless to join. They should also offer collaboration features such as breakout rooms and whiteboarding.
When it comes to video, organizations will move towards solutions that make video conferencing as easy as starting a FaceTime call and as feature-rich as a professional meeting.
Browser-based video solutions like RingCentral Video allow users to join meetings with colleagues and customers with just the click of a link. No need to download and maintain apps or set up any meeting IDs. Everything lives in browsers so users can jump straight into the conversation.
2. Video quality
As video meeting usage increases in both small businesses and enterprises, having video quality that’s just “good enough” isn’t going to cut it. Employees (especially remote workers) need to connect with their colleagues and customers in a way that replicates in-person interactions. Video quality is key to achieving that.
Going forward, HD video and audio will become the standard for video conferencing. We might also begin to see initial testing of UHD (ultra-high-definition) 4K video meetings, as computer and mobile displays—as well as internet performance—are starting to support that resolution.
3. Integrations with productivity tools
With the average business meeting running about an hour, the cost of ineffective meetings to an organization can add up very quickly.
While there are many non-technical ways employers can improve the productivity of their meetings, like setting clear objectives and having an agenda, we’ll likely see more video meeting solutions that offer integrations with productivity tools to help their users do more in less time.
For instance, features like AI-generated meeting summaries, whiteboards, live transcriptions, and integrations with productivity apps can help participants collaborate as if they were meeting face to face.
4. Enhanced security and privacy features
Privacy and security are top priorities for any organization. But as more businesses see the benefits of video conferencing and adoption improves in industries like healthcare or law, we can expect more solutions that offer innovative ways to protect their users’ data and communications against fraud and abuse.
For example, RingCentral video meetings have dynamic end-to-end encryption, which can be manually turned on or off in any meeting. That’s on top of our Transport Layer Security (TLS) and Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP) encryption between all endpoints.
5. Hybrid meeting rooms
Companies with hybrid work arrangements have employees who constantly zip in and out of the office. And when they’re in the office, they take their meetings in person.
So today’s in-office meeting rooms need to allow employees to collaborate with their colleagues who aren’t in the office. That means video conferencing hardware that brings in-office and remote workers together.
In 2022 and beyond, more businesses will equip their rooms with TVs, speakers, and video conferencing appliances that allow all teams to meet together—wherever they work from.
The future of meetings
As hybrid and remote work increases and more meetings are held virtually, video communications will be a huge focus for organizations going forward. Make sure your organization is ready to adapt.
Originally published Apr 09, 2020, updated Oct 10, 2023