With so many businesses using video conferencing as the foundation of delivering their business, it is highly critical to make sure that these rooms are reliable, easy to use and work for your business. All too often the people put in charge of delivering an AV project are swamped by their day-to-day working roles or under pressure to get something in quickly and mistakes happen.
Systems are poorly designed for the environment.
Systems are unreliable.
Systems are difficult to use.
Businesses, such as yours, then lean on audio visual integrators to get the project designed and delivered. Or you may choose to lean on your IT MSP or IT supplier to get your video conferencing system installed. Here is a secret that you may not already be aware of…
The best IT service providers partner with AV integrators to deliver the best projects for their clients. Many projects are delivered in this way but you may also choose to lead the project yourself. Delivering a meeting room technology can be a different experience for many especially if IT isn’t your main role.
So what should you expect when you bring a professional in to install a video conference system?
1. Initial consultation
Typically speaking, this is the first step in your VC project. You may invite an integrator into the business to discuss the ideas you have and allow them to see what your business is looking to achieve. This could be a brief, informal chat or a formal tender process but expect to be asked a lot of questions! Don’t worry if you don’t have the answers straight away, a professional will explain any of the design considerations that you may need to understand before being able to answer. Some of the questions you might be asked are:
– What are you looking to achieve in this space?
– Who are your typical users? Are they always internal staff, remote workers or external customers and guests?
– Have you seen a particular brand or product already?
– What are your biggest problems with the products you already have or have used?
– What is your favourite element of your current VC system?
And don’t be afraid of asking more than one AV installation company. It is quite typical to get two or three AV companies in to discuss the project with you to be able to get comparative quotations and ideas. It is often the case that somebody comes up with a different idea that shapes the project.
2. Design
Once the AV integrator has understood your needs and your vision, a system design will be put together. The design will usually consist of the various technologies that you may need to deliver the best room which could include:
– Video conferencing cameras
– Meeting room audio
– Microphones
– Display technologies (imagine how great an LED wall would look in your boardroom!)
– Control systems
– Meeting room booking tablets
– Acoustic treatment
You may have only discussed one small element but don’t be surprised if you are also shown complimentary technologies. Often systems will provide you with far more uses than just a way to communicate with colleagues and being made aware of these can give you a far greater experience overall.
The design will often include factors such as:
– Room layout
– Room usage
– Lighting
– Materials
– Acoustics
For simple spaces, you might find that a simple site survey is sufficient and is paired with your initial consultation. For larger spaces or where multiple products are likely to be used, you may find that a technical site survey is carried out prior to providing you with a quotation. A technical site survey will give your AV installer an idea of what products will need to be used, any materials to be considered and give them an idea of exactly how your project will be delivered. If the project is being delivered by a partner or has several decision-makers, this technical site survey will be used to give everybody a view of the space as well. Even if the meeting room is being used 10 times a day, it is very rare to see above the ceiling or below the floor, critical spaces for many systems. You may have remote workers who rarely visit a particular office so being able to show them the space and how the equipment could be used is important.
You may also be given the opportunity to physically see or use some of the products available. Many manufacturers will have experience centres and would be more than happy to invite you into their space and show off their systems. You might even have the opportunity to have the video conferencing system trialled in your meeting rooms and get your end users to give you some feedback before buying 100 video bars.
All of this leads to (ideally) accepting a quotation which leads to…
3. Planning
It may be that a technical site visit is required at this stage to understand exactly how the physical product is to be delivered. At this stage, you will typically have a set of specific products lined up and an idea of what the space will look like. Don’t be afraid to change your mind, even at this stage. It will likely incur costs but it is far better to deliver the right VC system first time than having to revisit it at a later stage. The planning stage will normally look at:
– Who is responsible for managing the AV installation
– Producing the drawings and documentation for the AV engineers
– Who is responsible for the installation on the client side
– How will the products physically get into the rooms
– When can the install be completed
The planning process is two sided as well. There are some important factors to consider as the client or end user and these are often overlooked because you may not be familiar with bringing contractors onto site. These will often include:
– If it is a shared building, there may be noise restrictions (no drilling into ceilings at 10am!)
– Your health and safety director may require specific documentation or an induction be completed prior to work commencing.
– Do contractors require checks prior to attending site? This is especially important if engineers are working in education environments where a DBS check is required.
– Can contractors gain access to the room and any other spaces? This may include your comms rooms.
– If you aren’t in charge of delivering the IT, are your IT team aware that the works will be going ahead? Ideally, they would be involved in the design stages but often get overlooked when the installation is going ahead.
You will normally be guided through these points by your AV integrator but being aware of them puts you ahead of the game!
Once the documentation, equipment and engineers are in place, then it’s time for the exciting bit: getting the VC system into your meeting rooms!
4. Physical installation
All the meetings and emails boil down to this moment, when your engineers turn up on site for the first time. It is often the most forgotten element as well, expecting that engineers will simply start work straight away. Discounting the need for ID, documentation, inductions and any sign ins, which can sometimes take up to two hours, your engineers need to check in with your site contact, understand the environment and source the equipment (which is often stored in somebodies office!).
Generally speaking, most engineers will either have all the information they need to complete the project, a project manager will be on site, or both. They need to understand what your vision is and have only a few minutes over coffee before starting work so taking five minutes to make sure they understand fully will save so many headaches. Even things as boring as where you want the screens to be centred is so critical.
The engineers will then check the environment is exactly as expected and install the equipment in a safe manner. Time will be taken to make sure everything is in the right place, securely mounted, neatly fitted, completed to any design specifications and drawings and will be fit for use. They may be installing one video conferencing bar or multiple control systems across your building, but the same care will be used throughout.
A waste management plan should have already been discussed, even if it means simply putting it into a pile for somebody to remove at a later date, and your engineers should be made aware of things such as planned fire drills, Taco Tuesday in your canteen or that there is an office dog. All really mundane things that you forget when you don’t have guests in your office every day but all important so that the engineers can factor this into your install.
5. Commissioning and testing your video conferencing system
Depending on the size of your project, this may simply be a few minutes of work or it could be days of testing that has been pre-built into your plan. However long it is scheduled for, you should make sure that you have time booked out to sit down and fully test your systems before you sign off on the project.
To commission most video conferencing systems, engineers will need to have access to the system via it’s IP address. They will need some access to the correct network which may need to be cleared prior to work going ahead. They may also need your log in details, or for you to be on hand to input any log in details. Of course, you will have already made sure the account being used is suitable and ready to go! The engineers may need some time to configure the systems, ensuring the best experience for users, so expect a few questions, maybe an update dance or two, and some failed testing.
It is very typical for systems during testing to not work as anticipated first time. That’s why testing is so important, to iron out those moments where the microphone is too quiet or the screen isn’t showing the right content. Once the engineers have tweaked, tested and configured, it’ll be your turn to do exactly the same. Put yourself in your users shoes and make sure every element is working. Commissioning means that the engineers have checked for consistency across the installation and testing has given them the opportunity to test in a perfect environment. If you notice something isn’t flowing as smooth as you’d expect, ask them. It may be that something needs further tweaking or was missed so make sure you check everything!
6. The final sweep
It’s all done! You should now have a wonderful new video conferencing system, control system, LED wall, some other AV system in your space! All that hard work and effort has paid off and you can now take time to relax. Kind of.
Once the waste is dealt with, your engineers are likely to want a signature to sign the installation off. At MPAV Ltd, we do this digitally to ensure our partners or end users get confirmation that the project is completed as quickly as possible. No scrunched up bits of paper in pockets, just a clearly signed and photographed document showing how well it has been left.
You may need to carry out some extra training, or the brief hand over the engineers gave you during training may be enough but you will also need to consider who else might require training. MPAV Ltd choose to provide specific training days to you but also to super users. These are the people who are most likely to be around when the room is in use such as front of house staff, office managers and IT support engineers. If the right people are confident with using the systems, they can pass the confidence on and you’ll receive fewer calls to turn on the TV.
7. On going support and maintenance
It’s great to be trained but what happens when something happens that you didn’t expect or can resolve on your own? By bringing in a professional AV supplier to bring your meeting rooms to life, they will understand how the system was set up, installed and they can make sure that they have everything they need to service your system sufficiently. By selecting a maintenance contract, they can access devices remotely, update, carry out necessary repairs and maintain your system for as long as you choose to keep it.
Yes it is entirely possible to add a maintenance contract to a system you’ve installed yourselves or installed by a previous integrator, but be aware that there may be extra costs because it may be incorrectly installed in the first place.
With you spending a large amount of money investing in the right technologies, it makes sense to get a professional AV installation company to make your meeting room environments the best that they can be. With their help, an integrator will make sure that your systems meet or exceed your requirements and keep your business communications on track.MPAV Ltd have done this for multiple businesses and partners across a huge number of sectors so if you’ve found a need for meeting room technologies in your business, get in contact with us on 01296 593818 today.
