Many organizations have taken (or will take) a gradual, phased approach to bring employees back to the physical office on a full-time basis. Many will choose, instead, to continue working remotely. This will, therefore, create an entirely new hybrid work situation to manage. Zoom emphasized this as they unveiled the latest additions to their communication and collaboration platform. When this happens, IT leaders and business managers will face the challenge of simultaneously supporting both in-office and remote workers.
With the new features the Zoom team is working on, they will surely make this platform ready to support hybrid work. Thus facilitating the return to the office with video-enabled workspaces and solutions with which teams can continue to work safely and effectively from anywhere.
New solutions for hybrid working
Zoom Rooms, Zoom Rooms Appliances, and Zoom for Home solutions are packed with features designed to support hybrid workforces and companies return to the office safely. For example, with the Zoom Rooms Kiosk Mode feature, a virtual receptionist can greet employees and company guests safely using a Zoom Rooms for Touch device.
You can also easily pair your iOS or Android mobile client to participate in meetings in a Zoom Room. The mobile client will automatically be placed in companion mode during the meeting.
Through the Zoom Rooms Controller app, you’ll have access to all room controls from your smartphone, including the ability to start or join a meeting. The controls are complete with audio, video, etc., eliminating the need for users to share the room controller. Supported cameras also allow users to see in real-time how many people are in a room, ensuring that social distancing mandates are met, and meeting spaces are not overcrowded.
Regarding room monitoring, Neat, maker of Zoom Rooms Appliances, has released Neat Sense. This enables you to manage and continuously monitor air quality, humidity, CO2 and volatile organic compounds, as well as the number of people in the room. All data and statistics will be fully available in the Zoom dashboard. Environmental data can also be displayed on all Neat devices for real-time feedback on the safety of the company’s meeting rooms.
Collaboration has also been enhanced, such as with improvements in sharing capabilities. Users can now send a Zoom Rooms for Touch whiteboard to Zoom Chat or email. If it’s a personal Zoom Room, you can also send it to chat groups. This helps simplify content sharing outside of the meeting room, improving cohesiveness in the new hybrid workforce.
Zoom Rooms for Touch users can also control the desktop of the person who is sharing the screen directly from their device, further simplifying collaboration.
These are just a few of the new and improved features available or soon to be released on the Zoom platform.
