Examining the Real World Impact of Video Conferencing: 3 Use Cases
Email, IM, phone calls – they all help us connect with colleagues, however, sometimes they’re not enough. There’s an old adage about how 93% of communication is nonverbal. Putting aside 
whether or not the percentage really is that high, the importance of face time to building long-lasting connections can’t be ignored.
How can this need for face time be reconciled with the ever-present desire for more mobility? That juggling act falls to IT and it usually leads to a discussion of video. Here are three use cases detailing how the Arraya team has helped customers leverage Cisco’s video solutions to support their evolving communication and collaboration initiatives.
Use Case #1: Simplifying video conferencing
End users want mobility and they want flexibility. One thing they don’t want? Complexity. Even the most powerful video conferencing solutions can fail to deliver much in the way of ROI if employees find them too complex for regular use.
Cisco’s TelePresence Management Suite (TMS) simplifies the logistics involved with planning a video conference. TMS will automatically book the rooms and ports needed for a conference based on input from the person planning it. In addition, TMS integrates with numerous external apps, including Microsoft Outlook, to ensure the right people receive notice of and access to a video conference.
For one of our customers, a health care and rehabilitation facility located in central Pennsylvania, video has become a critical part of external communications. Among the solutions we’ve helped the customer deploy is a UCS TelePresence system built on an on-premises video infrastructure, including TMS with Microsoft Exchange integration and Jabber Guest. These tools let the customer’s team hone their abilities by scheduling educational sessions with outside consultants. Handling these interactions remotely increases the ease with which sessions can be scheduled and cuts the travel expenses racked up by consultants.
Use Case #2: Face time no matter where employees are
The simplest way to define today’s workspaces is “wherever an employee happens to be.” Anything beyond that is going to turn into a lengthy list. Even though employees may be scattered, they still need to form connections and work together as a team. According to one study, 87% of remote users feel more connected when they have access to video.
Cisco’s Unified Communications Manager is a call control platform capable of managing the ins and outs of employee communication. It covers the entirety of the communication spectrum, including voice, video, and messaging among others. This reliable, highly-scalable solution lets employees start a video conference as easily as they start an instant message conversation.
One of our clients – a global provider of laboratory technology – saw value in increasing the amount of face time its employees had with outside consultants. The customer also wanted to provide that same level of connectivity to remote employees. Arraya helped the customer achieve these goals by deploying UC technology which upgraded endpoints to handle “desk-to-desk video” capabilities. This let staffers and consultants connect via video – without the need for a massive infrastructure overhaul.
Use Case #3: Caring for patients remotely
Health care providers are treating larger and larger populations, due in part to people living longer. Despite the positives inherent in that statement, it’s a reality that has also served to put great strain on providers. After all, there are only so many skilled professionals to treat that ever-increasing list of patients.
Cisco’s TelePresence solution eliminates borders, allowing health care providers to better serve more patients. This solution connects a provider’s team with a distant subject matter expert. The resulting bridge allows a provider’s team to tap into the expert’s knowledge and gain insight and training which could prove invaluable when it comes to serving patients. Beyond that, TelePresence can link patients with specialists via video and audio, allowing for remote consultations and increasing the number of patients a lone specialist can treat.
Delays associated with specialists traveling amongst multiple healthcare networks was an issue that lead one of our customers – a collection of healthcare facilities spread across southeastern Pennsylvania – to embrace TelePresence. Working with Arraya to deploy the necessary technology – including server connector, expressway, etc. – helped the customer give employees the training and 360 degree collaborative care options needed to deliver an unmatched quality of care to patients. Also, these solutions improved the efficiency of patient-specialist interactions by minimizing the need for costly and time-consuming travel.
Fostering collaboration with video
Want to learn more about how Arraya can help your business reach its communication and collaboration goals? Visit us at http://www.arrayasolutions.com/contact-us/. Or, we can also be reached directly through our Twitter (@ArrayaSolutions), LinkedIn, and Facebook pages. Be sure to follow us on each of those platforms to access our latest company news, blog posts, and special offers.
