What’s your plan?
The technology is simple. Changing people is hard.
Today’s video technology can transform organizations. Seeing colleagues face to face develops relationships. Video can be a key to improving collaboration. The technology is increasingly easy to use, but transforming into “video” people can be hard.
How will you help your users?
- Do they need help learning to use cameras and microphones?
- Are you only going to email them a link to a video or a pdf document?
- How will they learn to use video conferencing in their workflow?
We can help.
At i2i Technologies, we use video conferencing every day. Every. Single. Day. We instruct through video conference. We have meetings. We collaborate. We know video conferencing.
Here are some examples of how we helped organizations overcome their challenges when implementing a video conference solution.
The Challenge:
Dusty Equipment and Lack of Collaboration
A statewide organization has 78 hardware endpoints at 76 locations throughout a predominantly rural area. Each location had a trained person to support their video conference system. The main use of the technology was for a couple of network meetings each year.
The Results
- Dusty equipment
- Forgotten procedures
- Lack of collaboration
The coordinator contacted the i2i Technologies team for help. She had done everything she could and wanted to explore new ideas. She wondered if there was a way to use video conferencing to bring in guest speakers. Their summer programming theme was health and wellness. Bringing in experts to enhance the programs could be a great use of the technology.
She had other questions, too.
Can you use video conferencing with toddlers?
Where can I find programs for adult learners?
How can we develop our own programs?
Is there a way to share resources from a local university to rural counties?
The goal for the plan was to rebuild confidence in the technology and to replace half of the travel to statewide meetings with video conferencing.
Solution: Plug-In Plan
This challenge was perfect for a Plug-In Plan. The organization already has a process in place for supporting users and sites. The i2i Technologies team provided a new voice with fresh ideas to increase use. Our team researched content providers to find programs to support the health and wellness theme. We contacted these content providers to make sure the programs were a good fit with the theme and available during the summer.
We conducted five interactive, instructor-led video conferences for this group. Each session had between 5 and 18 sites. We practiced with cameras and microphones. We exchanged ideas and resources. We practiced collaborating.
The best part of the sessions was seeing the comfort level of the end users increase during each connection. They were well on their way to becoming “video people.”
Plan Benefits
- Maximizes organizational resources.
- Provides a different voice and new approach.
- Targets specific skills and needs.
- Builds staff confidence while supporting transformation.
The Challenge:
Large Organization New to Video Conferencing
This organization serves 70,000 people across 110 locations, covering 110 square miles. They recently invested in an enterprise video conference solution. They have multiple hardware-based codecs on mobile carts at several locations. At their main training site, they have multiple integrated rooms for conducting meetings and providing staff development sessions. The entire staff has access to a software-based client or mobile app for additional flexibility.
The challenge for this organization is not the technology. It is people, procedures, and processes. There is a lack of communication among leadership, instructional staff, and technical support. There is no internal advocate to help staff understand the possibilities for connecting with other sites to increase efficiency in their normal workflow. In addition, key decision-makers have changed roles during the roll out of the solution and were not replaced. The organization does not have an adequate internal support structure for the solution. There is one technician who was assigned to support video conferencing in addition to other job duties related to supporting the network.
The Results
- Lack of a communicated vision for change
- Lack of knowledge of the uses of the technology
- Lack of formalized procedures for use and support
Small groups throughout the organization have learned how to use the technology. These are pockets of success and could easily be replicated with guidance and vision. The number of competing initiatives and requirements for support create a barrier to usage.
The goal at this time is to support the technician with whatever request comes from leadership.
Solution: Retainer Plan
A Retainer Plan was the best choice for this organization at this time. They did not have a process in place that we could plug into. The lack of a focused vision made an Activities Plan out of the question.
The simple purchase of a large block of hours provided as needed support for the technician. No matter what directive was sent in, our team was ready. Through this partnership, he looked like a video conference rock star! Working with our team, he assisted with system upgrades, firewall configuration and testing, SSO integration support, and large-scale live event support.
Additional types of support that were provided include the following:
On-site Support for Live Events
Development/On-site Delivery/Follow-up Instructional Session for End Users
On-site Evaluation of Integrated Room Systems + Recommendations for Improvement
Creation of a Customized “How To” Guide
Plan Benefits
- Simplified billing and accounting.
- Flexible access to expert level instructional & technical support as the need develops.
- Dependable onsite support scheduled when needed.
The Challenge:
Rebuild Program with Existing Technologies
This organization has 9,000 employees at 92 locations and covers 250 square miles. They currently have 110 hardware video conference systems and multiple integrated rooms. The systems are not all the same model. Some systems are in the shared directory so others can easily dial to them. Others are not.
The challenge for this organization is that the main coordinator who helped employees retired. The utilization and knowledge of this program has steadily declined since then. The inconsistency of equipment throughout the organization makes it hard to use. No one is sure who to call for help. Many site coordinators, who were active in the past, express frustration. They are hesitant to attempt connections, even though they believe in the power of video conferencing.
The Results
- Lack of vision and direction
- Increased challenges with connections
- Decreased usage
The goal is to revitalize this program. The director of technology understands that the current video conference solution is difficult to use. They must increase use before they can get the funds to upgrade. Two key ideas emerged from our conversations with him. First, the knowledge of how to use video conferencing and basic troubleshooting skills must be distributed. There cannot be only one person who can know and do everything. Second, there must be a culture of community among site coordinators to share and lead together. The goal is to increase use and change to a Cloud-based video conference solution to provide access and ease of use for all staff.
Solution: Activities Plan
The Activities Plan fit this organization’s needs perfectly. They had a vision for what they wanted to achieve. They could clearly state their goals. We love being able to partner closely with organizations to help them plan for success.
There were four parts to their Activities Plan.
Equipment Verification and Testing
On-site Workshop
Virtual Sessions
Follow-Up
Our support team verified and tested all equipment prior to the workshop and virtual sessions. This was a key element due to limited use of the equipment and staff turnover. Members of our team went on-site for a four-day, immersive video conference workshop. Two sites were connected via video conference and co-taught by our staff. This workshop includes developing leadership skills, in addition to immersion into the technology.
We followed up the workshop with two focused follow-up sessions with this leadership group. The goal was to further develop and reinforce knowledge and skills. We also conducted multiple half-day sessions for all site coordinators (about 100) delivered via video conference.
The next steps for this group will be to continue to develop their skills in utilizing the technology. Plans include using it for instruction and within their own workflow to improve efficiency. Additional plans are in place for upgrading and transitioning their technology solution to a modern-cloud and endpoint ecosystem.
Plan Benefits
- Targeted support for specific activities.
- Customized to meet specific uses.
- Supported end user adoption.
- Developed leadership skills.
What is your plan?
Changing how people work is hard. Letting them figure out how video conferencing fits into their workflow is time consuming.
Always having a plan saves you time.
Scrambling to find answers and figure things out on your own is stressful. The security of knowing experts are close at hand to help is relaxing.
What are the specifics of the plans?
Let’s look at the building blocks of the plans: The Modules.
