Telepresence Rooms Must Be Properly Designed

When you're using telepresence rooms it's important to have an immersive experience. You want the best and most natural meeting experience possible so your contacts, clients and employees can have a predictable participatory discussion that is free from distractions. This includes the design of the telepresence rooms, which must have excellent lighting and audio components, meet recommended dimensions, adequate power, and HVAC requirements as well.

Small distractions can build up when human beings are in uncomfortable surroundings. You may even want to go so far as to include certain colors on the walls, framed art, and pay special attention to the fabrics and textures of the furniture and flooring as well. This gives the telepresence rooms an overall look and feel that is in keeping with the branding and image of your company.

When discussing important and critical business through telepresence meetings face-to-face, the communication and interaction should be as clear and natural as possible. This creates the greatest chance of overall understanding of what has been discussed so everyone at the meeting is on the same page. There are some elements of the room that should be in place that will help with this seamless experience.

Make sure the room has been treated with the best acoustical materials and architectural interior design. The lighting must be optimal for reading and viewing video without being irritating to the eyes. When these principle elements are applied it's called “room remediation.” The company that provides the telepresence rooms should be able to tell you exactly what the rooms include to make your meeting as distraction-free as possible. Having said this, there should be room for flexibility as well.

Know if anyone attending the meeting has special needs of any kind. Perhaps one of the attendees is physically challenged or has trouble with their vision. Take these conditions into consideration. Something as simple as incorrect or insufficient lighting can create poor video quality, which can be an interference.

Ultimately, you want everyone on both sides of the telepresence meeting to feel like they are having a real face-to-face meeting. This will engage everyone to a greater degree, which can only provide a higher level of energy and creativity to the task at hand. Instead of feeling inhibited by the sense that the more they move and talk the less will be heard and understood, your participants can freely contribute.

Scientific studies show that as human beings we gain most of our understanding and communication through physical cues and facial expressions when we speak to each other. If you can't be in the same room for a meeting, then finding the best telepresence rooms with the best equipment is the next best thing.

There are a number of successful and meticulous companies who offer this service. Make sure you check to see if they have rooms in areas near where your participants can gather. If the participants need to travel too long of a distance to get to the meeting, it can defeat the entire purpose of why you set up the meeting via telepresence. Know where your people are and where they can meet. It's good business.

Calendar Sync Applications Are Your Best Friend

The toughest part about a telepresence meeting is getting everyone there who needs to be there at the right time and the right place. After that it's usually a breeze. There’s calendar sync software that many telepresence facilities use which helps you set appointments, send invitations to participants and make sure the rooms are booked at the right time. It's important though that everyone who is supposed to attend check the calendar regularly before the scheduled time for any updates.

Most calendar sync systems are compatible with all the major operating systems, so that’s not usually an issue for the participants of the meeting. Determine which software application host has the most current and relevant meeting information. This will help to avoid any potential problems down the line. Once you've determined the calendar sync system you want to use, keep a backup of the schedule. Knowing you have this data will allow you to keep everyone informed of the meeting details and any updates at any time.

The best way to do this is to have everyone who will be participating in the meeting log into the calendar sync application on the telepresence facility's website. There is usually a choice as to which server you want to access the program from, which eliminates calendar sync troubles.

Once you book the room and lock in the time, everyone who is part of the meeting will get a confirmation message instantly. Of course, the calendar sync system can bring people together from all over the world. No matter where your participants are situated around the world, the calendar sync application gets everyone to the meeting on time and engaged.

The synchronization operations area of the telepresence facility's website will show you when any information in the server database was last updated as well as updated meetings, schedules for a time and date and any other information you need to relay to your participants. You can also call the telepresence facility's help center to verify any details.

You can then go back into the calendar sync application and make any necessary changes to the schedule. The calendar sync application is a complex technological system that makes scheduling very convenient for teleconference meetings.

For the best experience in the scheduling and calendar sync sections of a telepresence website, use it efficiently. If you are the one responsible for organizing the meeting, then be thoroughly prepared before you actually book the room for the smoothest and most pleasant conference experience.

Other advantages to using a calendar sync system at the same telepresence facility each time is the ability to allow the system to remember your company information. That way you don’t have to re-enter it as well as allowing the system to present your company branding when participants are checking the data. An added bonus is the elimination of excessive phone calls to confirm appointments between participants and no need for faxes. The calendar sync application does all this for you. 

Video conferencing technology could be considered a toolbox of aids to business function & growth.  There are many things in this toolbox, all useful and appropriate for specific needs.  Whygo, a videoconferencing broker for over 70% of the world’s major bridging providers, has opened their toolbox online to offer you access to extremely competitive video, audio, and web conferencing rates.  We have excellent customer service reps to help you choose the tools you need for your business no matter if the connections are to desktop (PC) or boardroom, private or public, ISDN or IP, Standard Definition or High Definition, or even Tele-Presence locations.

For a personal telepresence service with high definition audio & video on your computer over the internet, Whygo uses the Vidyo system to offer the best quality video picture and sound over standard broadband connections allowing you to use your current compatible boardroom video conferencing system or any other broadband connection such as a home, hotel, or coffee shop.

Unlike a flash or Java-based system, Vidyo uses Scalable Video Coding to take the best parts of the picture and sounds and removing poorer quality bits.  The result is less freezing and pixilation with more useable bandwidth for your videoconference.  The processing power of your PC and the speeds of the broadband internet connection can deliver up to HD quality desktop video conferencing to multiple users at one time.  For many businesses, this is a simple, reliable, inexpensive solution for an increasingly mobile workforce.

Another tool in the video conferencing toolbox is audio conferencing; on-demand 24 hours a day, seven days a week without the need to make a reservation.  You dial a permanent number and enter a conference code to access a variety of features allowing you to control and secure your conference; muting all callers except the chairperson, locking the conference to additional callers, conference record, playback, operator intervention at your request only.  You simply open an account and forward the relevant details (telephone numbers and codes) to your colleagues.

The WebEx web conferencing/collaboration tool allows you to share anything on your desktop with your participants.  You can engage your team by sharing a PowerPoint presentation, demonstrating software, showing website navigation, and transferring files.  Reservationless-PlusSM integration allows you to control the audio portion of your meeting directly from the web interface.

If you need to connect two or more groups of people, the video conference facility booking system will allow you to quickly find nearby video conferencing rooms and set up your seminar or conference with all the technological support you require for success.  Your group goes to the local facility and connects with colleagues in other facilities across the world without the cost of airfare or hotel.

Certain facilities even have the ultimate in videoconferencing…Telepresence.  Seamless high-definition life-size video combines with studio quality high-fidelity acoustics, giving you the absolute best video conferencing experience available today.  You will feel that every participant is sitting in the same room or at the same table.

Such a complete toolbox of opportunity deserves a look inside to see which tool you could use today.  Whygo has live, real-time assistance to help you select the tool you need for your business success.

Using Telepresence Facilities Saves Time and Money

Telepresence is the new generation of video conferencing. Most companies can benefit from this technology that employs very high bandwidth networks. For security reasons, it's vital that the telepresence conference be conducted through a private network. Depending on where your employees or contact people are, this can be a problem. That's why there are telepresence facilities across the nation and in various parts of the world.

Many telepresence facilities will provide you with a private meeting room with tasteful décor and comfortable furniture as well as one or more large HD screens to have an immersion experience. You'll need to make sure that the equipment offered at the telepresence facilities is compatible with the transmitting equipment.

For example, it will depend on the software that enables interoperability between existing pieces of equipment. Some software is now integrated into certain brands of audio and video equipment and other brands of equipment currently do not have compatibility with any other vendor or video conferencing system.

You'll need to examine the type of network that's offered by the telepresence facility. If it's a closed network, you may only be able to link within that network and then hire other facilities to connect with everyone in your meeting unless you use an immersive telepresence system. If it is an open network, you'll be able to connect via a gateway service. In addition to a full service telepresence facility, you may also need to bring in a variety of independent suppliers. The independent suppliers will be able to link up from your own telepresence equipment in your facility to someone else's equipment in another location.

Within many large corporations, video conferencing is well established and the capabilities are growing all the time. In fact, there are millions of video conferencing systems in use throughout the world today. Using an advanced network of public video conferencing and telepresence facilities your company can link to them all.

There are almost endless ways to employ this technology that you may not have thought of. You can interview new recruits, used in high legal courts, in-house business presentations when offices are in different locations, product training demonstrations, sales presentations, product launches, business assessment, B2B consultancy services, castings and auditions for TV production and there are some hotels that have this type of technology in virtual meeting rooms.

Ultimately, telepresence and video conferencing are the way of the future. It's an extremely convenient and cost efficient alternative to sending your employees to various parts of the country or around the world. This way you avoid putting your company and your people through any travel hassles, flight delays, over-priced airfares and accommodation needs.

Besides all this, there's usually a very fast and easy way to book the telepresence facilities. Most companies who provide this service will allow their users to book the rooms and equipment they need right on their website. The steps are usually laid out for you including pricing, pictures of the rooms and exact addresses and directions to the facilities. This only increases the level of productivity within your company and reduces the carbon footprint your company leaves behind. It also improves staff morale by allowing them to have a better balanced work and home life! With a telepresence system, everyone wins!

Telepresence Scheduling Can Be Smooth and Easy

Telepresence scheduling can be pretty easy if everyone stays on the same page. Many companies that offer telepresence meeting rooms have online booking software so you can visit their site and choose the date and room you want to meet in. This software will also let you cancel the meeting as well.

Additionally, you'll be able to invite participants, submit and modify details of the meeting and set privacy preferences through the use of the software system as well. This can usually be done for up to 2 months before the time of the meeting and if you want to book a time further into the future, this may take specific instructions from their helpline to lock it in. Remember, for all telepresence meetings there must to 2 different rooms booked. These facilities are not for single group meetings.

Many telepresence companies have tried to accommodate their customer's needs by providing as many different rooms in as many different locations around the world as possible. This means there will be meeting rooms available that are in a building the telepresence company does not own. When this is the case, you'll need to speak with someone on the phone to make sure the room is booked properly.

When booking a room online, you'll need to pull up the calendar of events at the telepresence facilities so you can book the room at an available time. However, if you want to keep the name of the company and any individuals connected with the meeting private, you can select an option to do so. That way the room will be marked as booked on the public calendar, but no one will know who has booked the room.

If you meet regularly at a telepresence room then you can select a recurring appointments option. There are also possibilities to book the rooms for usually a minimum of an hour or two all the way up to a full day event and even 24 hrs.

There are also specific calendar settings within the settings themselves. If the meeting is marked as private or has a limited number of participants, then anyone who wants to see the calendar for these events must have permission to access that calendar. However, this changes when a conference room is booked. Conference rooms are usually booked under global access calendar scheduling especially if the conference room is at a proxy location.

Much of this type of scheduling is contingent upon the availability of everyone invited to the meeting. They must all be available at the time the meeting is due and within the proximity of the location. The logistics of getting people to the telepresence meetings at the correct time can be the biggest hurdle. Once everyone has arrived though, the meetings tend to go off without a technical glitch. Telepresence technology is advanced and with a responsible company running the facility you should be able to hold productive and distraction-free meetings every time you book the rooms!

What is Telepresence and Why Does Your Company Need It?

Telepresence is basically a group of technologies that allows someone to interact with someone else almost as if they were in the room with them even if they are on the other side of the world. This means that the technologies of telepresence allow the users to experience the communication with their senses in much the same way if they were standing in front of them.

As well, users of telepresence can manipulate the technologies to affect the communication they send and receive to the remote location. These technologies allow the flow of information to travel back and forth in both directions. The telepresence technologies are especially popular and useful in the area of videoconferencing used extensively in large corporations that have contacts and employees all over the world. Much of this technology is via video and creates very sharp images and clear sound for excellent communications.

Another wonderful advancement of these technologies comes in the form of mobile collaboration. Smart phones have moved in and taken over so that what was started in the office can continue on the road. The power and convenience of telepresence technologies is unparalleled and considered a necessity by many mega companies.

There are substantial benefits to using these technologies besides just being able to communicate clearly via remote locations. The bottom line is money. When it comes to large companies in particular, they can get more done in less time via telepresence technologies. The companies can reduce the amount of travel spending, create less environmental impact, improve their employees' lives in general by cutting down on absences from home and ultimately improve employee productivity.

Instead of traveling long distances for a face-to-face meeting, personnel can now use a telepresence system, which brings each member of the meeting into the telepresence “room.” Everyone can see and hear everyone speak to every one else in the meeting. Of course, this saves enormous amounts of time and money for the company and its staff members.

Telepresence conferencing is far superior to phone conferencing and the visual abilities greatly enhance the communications between the members. Human beings perceive communication by many cues that go well beyond verbal. Body language and facial expressions are a critical part of that communication.

The use of mobile collaboration of telepresence systems is no less impressive or valuable to a company. The mobile system combines the use of video, audio and other advanced capabilities so that an employee can use their smart phone or other hand-held device and participate in a multi-party conference in real time. This is another cost effective way for companies to keep their people informed and up to date. It also allows their staff to solve problems more quickly, prevent downtime, increase productivity and improve customer service.

The telepresence technologies are extremely versatile and many types of industries are using it as well as businesses large and small. So, if someone asks you “What is telepresence” you can tell them it's a set of revolutionary technologies that has an endless stream of possibilities!

Securing A Video Conferencing Facility From Whygo

How much would it cost your business to arrange a seminar or a conference with your staff and clients? Include coordinating the travel time, hotels, meals, transportation costs, and days lost in productivity. The expense escalates exponentially as the number involved increases. Now think how it could be if you could have communication across long distances with video and audio contact, perhaps even graphics and data exchange, at your own office. All parties merely travel to the nearest video conferencing facility and, after the meeting, return to work or home.

Whygo is a videoconference room broker. We provide the network you need to communicate effectively with your specific staff and clientele. The venues you are working with will be briefed on your requirements and do their best to provide you with a successful videoconference experience. The technology and tech support would be provided with many other perks as well.

Whygo's Worldwide Video Conferencing Facilities

There are over three thousand facilities across the globe, spanning all time zones. These locations are offered to the public on a fee-for-usage basis. They vary in size and technological detail, both clearly labeled when you use the search feature on the Whygo website.

The first step in the simple process is choosing a location. As an example, a research group at Chadron State College in Nebraska, US would like to brainstorm with colleagues in Singapore. A quick search shows that there is a site in Chadron that has a room capacity of 62 (you don‘t need that much room, but it is reasonably close), can operate all 24 hours at prices varying according to time slot. The range is currently $395 to $480 an hour and the facility has flip charts, hands free phone, internet, and whiteboard (a shared document that can be marked during the session). They will cater biscuits (cookies), tea and coffee, and water. A room coordinator will be available to make sure the equipment is on and operational, greet the incoming attendees, troubleshoot, and answer questions about the facility.

The technology available is clearly marked yet unintelligible to those not in the IT field. You have the advantage of on-call support staffs who can help you determine if this facility will meet your requirements. It seems to be what you need, so now you see if your colleagues in Singapore have a similar site within their reach.

Video Conferencing Facilities In Singapore

There are twenty five sites in Singapore! Which one is the best for your brainstorming session? Once again, the support staff at Whygo will help you figure it out. You don’t need as large a room; there are only 8 researchers in Singapore. The site at the Chevron House will suffice; it handles up to 8 people and provides the technology you prefer for your conference. This fee will be between $265 and $385 an hour. Both sites are available all 24 hours so it is a matter of deciding when both teams can sit down and talk for an hour to work out some details in your project. Once you know when you want both rooms, it is easy to book both locations and acquaint yourself with the material on the Whygo website on video conferencing meetings and tips.

For less than the cost of one plane ticket from Nebraska to Singapore, everyone on this research project has been able to present opinions, argue points, show data, negotiate difficulties, and communicate effectively in a video conference facility that enables them to focus on their work rather than the technology.