Zoom Video Communications : “Video” Better than “In-Person” Meetings, How’s That Possible?

Executive Insights, Thought Leadership

'Video' Better than 'In-Person' Meetings, How's That Possible?

Magnus Falk

May 27, 20214 min read

When I joined Zoom as a CIO advisor, I attended a webinar where I listened to our CEO, Eric Yuan, describe how he wanted to make video meetings better than in-person meetings. Thank goodness it was a webinar, because I'm not great with my poker face, and I'm sure my reaction would have been interesting. However, the more I considered the mission, the more I saw the wisdom of Eric's words. Now I believe that Eric is spot on: many types of meetings are more effective in a virtual space than in person.

Creating a more effective meeting experience

As employees begin returning to the office, there are meetings that we are all eager to experience in person, from get-to-know-you sessions, to celebrations for a job well done, to holiday parties.

However, the meetings that absolutely require physical presence are few and far between. The vast majority of meetings, like status reporting, board updates, brainstorming sessions, and project management meetings, can happen over video, and may be more effective in a virtual space. Video meetings even have the capability to streamline and simplify customer interactions.

Fostering talent & improving productivity

During the pandemic, many leaders were surprised that the productivity of their teams increased. Many who had previously believed that working from home was an oxymoron began to wonder why they hadn't previously trusted their staff more.

Despite the fact that colleagues were further apart, they were able to accomplish more than ever, giving business leaders a clear signal that employees working remotely can maintain or even increase productivity. As a result, many organisations are now recognising the efficacy of a hybrid workforce model and are repositioning their operations and workspaces around this hybrid approach.

Transforming service delivery with Zoom

One of the reasons why video meetings are so effective is that users can fine-tune their technology to suit the meeting objective. For example, doctors and medical personnel are now able to interact with patients directly in their homes through intuitive and dynamic video access with security features that help protect patient privacy. These medical professionals can send prescriptions to patients by the best courier available, or to a local pharmacist so patients can pick up their medicine directly. Medical equipment for remote monitoring is becoming increasingly common, enabling patients to provide data to medical staff on video calls. Mental health patients can connect with therapists one-on-one or participate in group counselling sessions over video.

For financial services, the convenience of being at home with all your resources at hand makes meetings more accessible, productive, and streamlined. Pulling your partner into the session for five minutes to discuss a particular point is frictionless with the ability to launch a meeting right from Zoom Chat and elevate a Zoom Phone call to a meeting.

Cultivating trust

Anxiety about the recent pandemic and the possibility of infection affects people in different ways. If you're hosting in-person gatherings where one or more attendees are concerned about hygiene, meetings will not be as successful as they could be. With the ability to attend meetings via video, each attendee has the option to decide what works best for them without worrying about being excluded if they attend virtually.

In addition, for those attending in person, it's important to give options that limit the need to physically interact with equipment that others may have touched, like enabling voice activation for meeting initiation and allowing participants to control the Zoom room using their own mobile.

Employees will build trust as they see their organisations doing the right things to keep them safe, having all learned so much over the last year. Zoom has delivered many innovations that can be used to keep employees safe and be seen to keep them safe.

Build forward with confidence

Employers and colleagues have more options to be efficient, effective, and safe when using video for work and collaboration. For more tips and ideas on how to enable your hybrid workforce, visit our Building Forward page.

Don't forget to share this post