In more than 15 years of selling, installing and training clients in video conferencing occasionally we find a video conferencing deployment that fails or falls short in its use. We found three basic reasons for this failure.
Reason one – The network does not accommodate the video conferencing application. Clients often implement video conferencing without considering their network– After it’s installed they are disappointed because connections are unreliable and video and or audio quality is poor. They blame the equipment which reveals the problem but doesn’t cause the problem. For the past 15 years we haven’t seen a poorly manufactured video conferencing CODEC. For the most part all the manufacturers make and good reliable equipment. More often than not the real problem is found in the network. Three solutions will help. First make sure there is enough bandwidth. Second, consider a dedicated circuit for the CODEC if you are concerned about your network or security. Third, make sure your network is configured to prioritize Video and Audio traffic. This means implementing MPLS, (Multi Protocol Label Switching), with QoS, (Quality of Service). Fourth, if you are installing behind your firewall make sure your routers and firewall settings are configured to accommodate video conferencing.
Reason two – No “buy-in” from the stakeholders. When there is some type of change in a company, whether it’s procedural or technical there are always those who don’t accept the change. Generally, management is requesting video conferencing technology. After this change those who would be using it fall into three categories. The first is enthusiastic and accepts the technology; the second is a bit skeptical, but will use the technology anyway — Over time the second group accepts and often becomes enthusiastic about the technology; the third group will avoid using the technology all together. If the third group gets all of the attention, video conferencing will certainly fall short and even fail after deployment. The key here is to focus on the first and second group of stakeholders. Ignore the third group and video conferencing will certainly meet and even exceed expectations. Often clients will subsequently expand the use of video conferencing.
Reason three – No support and a lack of training. The good news is it takes very little training to show users how to make a video conferencing call. In fact a video conferencing CODEC today is easier to use than most cell phones. Management needs to encourage and support the use of video conferencing. Years ago Proctor and Gamble made a significant investment in video conferencing equipment. The CEO sent a memo to all in the company to cut back on any travel between P&G offices. Stakeholders, who want to spend more time at home and less time on the road, are very happy. P&G management is happy because of the impact on the travel budget. This is a successful deployment with management support and a calculated R.O.I.
J.W. Hornyak Videoconferencing & Telecommunications
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