Today, corporate customers have more experience with AV technology than ever before. Reliability is extremely important. From high projection presentations to sophisticated videoconferencing systems, the corporate AV market increasingly depends on top-notch, cutting edge technology to deliver. AVI-SPL Sales Bid Estimator Patrick Britton, who has worked in the industry for 12 years, shares the latest tips and trends for corporate environments.
Q: What technology has been on the rise in terms of effectively equipping executive boardrooms, training rooms and auditoriums?
Over the past year, I have seen a dramatic increase in requests for videoconferencing solutions. The reasons behind this lie in the introduction of HD videoconferencing and tele-presence solutions, the improved quality of the more traditional line of these products, and a reduction in the costs for the components and required infrastructure (ISDN lines, network bandwidth).
At the same time, travel has gotten more expensive, increasing the cost of attending meetings out of town and overseas. Because of this, it’s much easier for a company to see the return on its investment through the use of videoconferencing technology. All of these combined factors certainly make the need for videoconferencing systems more appealing.
Q: Have you seen in increase in digital signage applications?
There has been a greater demand for these systems, as companies are looking for ways to share important information with their employees, partners and visitors. Digital signage is a technology that can quickly and easily impact a variety of settings. Sometimes these systems are as simples as a few displays in a lobby or cafeteria. In other cases, clients can effectively use them as a network of dozens of displays distributed across a campus, sharing information specific to a building or department.
Q: Do you have any application tips that you’d like to share with end-users?
I always try to work with my clients to make their systems as easy to use as possible. In my opinion, fear is the number one reason that AV systems are not fully utilized. People are afraid of technology. When you introduce that technology into a potentially stressful business environment where someone needs to present information to their peers or management, the potential for disaster is high. By customizing the technology and adequately addressing concerns, we can certainly make the transition into new technology as seamless as possible.
The top concern of nearly every customer is that the system function reliably and meets their needs. Ease-of-use has a direct relationship to reliability. We now have the ability to introduce a control system that can make the AV technology as easy to use as an ATM machine. The cost of the control system can be offset by the increased use of the technology. If a customer wants multiple rooms, I always recommend that they keep the interface (touch panel or pushbuttons) as similar as possible from room to room. Someone who uses Room A should feel familiarity when they walk into Room C. These small details will encourage people to maximize their use of the technology.
