Generational Shift in the Workplace Is Boosting Use of Video Conferencing: Lifesize
With the bulk of the millennial generation now fully in the workforce and moving into decision-maker roles, the way business gets done is changing. And it involves a lot more collaboration over video, according to a new report from Lifesize.
The Austin, Texas-based video conferencing solutions provider released its 2019 Impact of Video Conferencing Report on Aug. 27. It tells the story of a shifting demographic workforce that’s more seamlessly integrating video conferencing into its collaboration experiences. The report features a survey of 1,300 business professionals.
First off, more work is happening remotely. Rather than trudge into the office, more meetings are conducted using video conferencing from a variety of locations:
- 51% of workers have taken video calls for work from a home office.
- 33% have done so from a coworking space.
- 24% from a coffee shop or other restaurant.
- 21% from their bedroom.
- 14% from an airport.
- 11% while driving (Info-Tech doesn’t advise trying this yourself).
- 3% even admit to joining one from a restroom.
Perhaps because of this move towards collaborating from remote locations, companies are replacing larger meeting rooms with smaller “huddle” rooms for collaboration. Those rooms feature video conferencing systems heavily, with about one-third of professionals using conference room equipment to conduct some meetings.
Those meetings don’t always lead to positive experiences. Video conferencing technology is nothing new, but it seems that many still have trouble using it to connect to a fluid collaboration exercise. Almost half of workers say that technical difficulties are the top detractor to call experience, 46% say they suffer poor audio quality or echo, and another 40% complain of poor video quality or clarity. (Most people can tolerate video that’s pixelated, but bad audio quality is a true deal breaker when it comes to collaboration.)
Still, the millennials that grew up with digital technology as the default way to work are pushing through the difficulties and driving more video conferencing in the workplace. Among those age 18 to 29, 62% have used video communication at work. For those age 30 to 44, 63% have done the same. Compare those groups to the age 45 to 60 crowd, where only 43% have used video conferencing.
Looking at where the workers experienced video conferencing for the first time across those same age brackets is interesting. While Skype, the Microsoft-owned video conferencing tool for consumers, is the most common first video experience for users across all demographics, there are many differences after that. For example, WebEx is a common first experience for users over 30, but it isn’t the first video experience of anyone under the age of 30. Instead, that age group is more likely to remember using Google Hangouts or an enterprise cloud solution like Lifesize or Zoom for their first video experience.
Source: Web Conferencing Data Quadrant at SoftwareReviews, Report Published April 10, 2019
Our Take
Shifts in go-to video conferencing solutions show the need for enterprises to approach video conferencing with an interoperability strategy in mind. Being able to support a variety of applications will ease the experience of users looking to set up a meeting and start collaborating. The trends suggest that as younger demographics continue to shift into the workforce and receive promotions into more senior positions, work via video collaboration will become a normal part of daily meetings.
Want to Know More?
How Skype Could Ruin Microsoft’s Messaging Cannibalization Plans