But what happens when these devices don’t work the way they’re expected to? Chaos, division, and a little bit of what Patrick Lencioni called “Death by Meeting.” These problems are made worse by the injustice of it all. You researched and bought the best technology available. You even paid for someone else to install it.
How did this happen?
To answer this question, I reached out to two of Continuant’s AV experts: Enterprise AV Manager Kevin Bell, and AV Sales Architect Stephen Dlugolonski. They gave me the rundown on 4 AV pitfalls and the best ways to avoid them.
At the end of the day, you expect your meeting rooms to work.
How do they work? Chances are, you don’t really know and don’t really care. Most of the time, that’s a fine perspective to have. It’s not your job. All that’s expected of you is to push a button and start the call.
But what if it doesn’t work?
It’s a source of extreme frustration. It’s supposed to work but it doesn’t, and you don’t understand why. In the end, the technology itself bears the brunt of the blame, and across the organization, aversion to it grows and only makes the problem worse.
Kevin refers to it as a “fear of technology.” That doesn’t mean you or the other users scream and faint at the sight of a control panel. It means everyone’s going to avoid using it as much as possible.
Expectations weren’t met, understanding isn’t there, and now the whole thing is turning into a waste of time and money.
It’s a source of extreme frustration. It’s supposed to work but it doesn’t, and you don’t understand why. In the end, the technology itself bears the brunt of the blame, and across the organization, aversion to it grows and only makes the problem worse.
Designing rooms with complex AV setups takes effort and a lot of careful consideration. The conversations users have with designers in the early stages of development will make or break the room setup in ways both parties can miss.
It's another case where differences in expectations and understanding become a problem. The designers don’t ask the right questions, missing out on the actual wants and needs of the users. When they finally deploy the solution, it works great on paper but isn’t what the client wanted.
Overcoming this pitfall requires designers to be forward about their offerings and users to be honest about their needs and potential lack of understanding.
Owning up to a lack of understanding is much easier said than done.
Sometimes when an AV system starts not working like it’s supposed to, users within the organization attempt to fix it themselves. Their accolades may include setting up an AV system in their home, “running tech” at a work, school, or church event, or reading a Reddit post.
The in-house amateur tech wizards come with the best intentions but end up touching things they shouldn’t be touching. A meeting room solution isn’t the same as a set of backyard speakers and treating it as though it is will only make the problems worse.
It's another case where differences in expectations and understanding become a problem. The designers don’t ask the right questions, missing out on the actual wants and needs of the users. Overcoming this pitfall requires designers to be forward about their offerings and users to be honest about their needs and potential lack of understanding.
This is where things get technical.
BYOD is an appealing prospect of modern technology. With everyone and their mother carrying around a laptop and smartphone, who wouldn’t want a meeting room set up where you just plug in and press go?
Well, it’s never really that simple. When was the last time you and the other users updated the drivers on your laptops? If you have the wrong drivers installed, the AV system can become very inconsistent, not to mention frustrating.
Beyond drivers, Stephen highlighted a technical component that can cause major issues: USB-C cables.
These cables range in price from $7 to $150, and length is far from the only difference. Some will be great for charging your phone but won’t display any video from your laptop when you use it in the meeting room.
Features like display port (DP) alt mode are very important when choosing a cable for your meeting rooms, which is something your room hardware, laptop, and cable both need to support.
Switching to HDMI cables doesn’t always make things better. If you have a shiny new MacBook pro, it doesn’t have an HDMI port, therefore you’ll need an adapter. Now you’ve introduced a whole new component, and potentially a whole new problem.
A BYOD setup seems like it’s the most sensible option in the modern workplace, but it only works if everyone knows what their devices are capable of and exactly what kind of cables they’re using.
With these four pitfalls laid out, how does one avoid them? Not surprisingly, you’ll get around a lot of them by having Continuant handle it from day 1.
Continuant doesn’t just supply blueprints and equipment for AV setups. We also provide a whole suite of services, including adoption and change management (ACM). Our ACM team provides documentation and user training to improve understanding.
We also make sure you’re asking the right questions during the design process. We’re committed to taking extra steps to ensure the design is done right the first time. That means each room functions consistently, the right cables are in the right places, and in-house amateur tech wizards don’t have a chance to get into places they shouldn’t when equipment is secured properly.
We also provide a whole suite of services, including adoption and change management (ACM). We also make sure you’re asking the right questions during the design process. We’re committed to taking extra steps to ensure the design is done right the first time.
Customers come to us upset with their AV systems fairly often. Sometimes this is our cue to go in and give them an overhaul, but other times all they need is some training. Our ACM team comes in and turns it all around. By the time training is complete, the customers love their setups.
One institute of higher education came to us frustrated beyond belief. Their users primarily used Macs, but their setup only worked with PCs. Continuant came in and made the system vendor agnostic.
Another organization had an issue during a BYOD takeover. USB-C cables were new at the time, and this organization was having too many issues with cable-related inconsistencies. When our team arrived, we realized it was an issue with the cable’s orientation. All that was needed was a little bit of re-engineering the system, and it all worked out for the customer in the end.
Nearly every AV issue we encounter stems from the same core problem: a disconnect between what people ask for or expect, and how the technology actually works.
That’s why having the right partner matters. At Continuant, we help you plan smarter, train your users, and support your systems over the long haul. Our approach is built to ensure your AV environment is not only functional but consistent and easy to use.
Ready to dodge those AV pitfalls? Connect with us today.