The pandemic period revealed all the benefits of working from home. Several years later, those benefits are still evident.
More and more companies are choosing a hybrid work model, where employees work partly remotely and partly from the office. Although this has its advantages, it also presents practical complexities in managing workforce dispersed across multiple locations.
That’s why every company should rethink its approach to team communication and aim for a more inclusive and collaborative approach.
Hybrid Work Dynamics
The alleviation of commuting and improved work-life balance are just some of the significant advantages of hybrid work.
But hybrid work also means that everyday business meetings extend in our homes. This shift has transformed traditional office-based meetings into a new format—virtual rooms for hybrid meetings.
A thorough study shows that as of 2021, 55% of businesses worldwide now use a combination of remote and in-office work, a model that relies heavily on virtual meetings and necessary equipment. It’s likely that these numbers have enlarged even further, considering the evolving nature of work dynamics.
What Are Hybrid Meetings?
A hybrid meeting combines participants who join via video conference with those who attend in person at a physical location.
The pandemic period served as a test for these meetings, and we all passed it. Most meetings nowadays incorporate some degree of hybrid participation.
At Bicom Systems, we also run our meetings hybridly. Due to the most common issues that we have all faced, our team is constantly evaluating and improving our video conferencing solution – gloCOM Meeting.
We found that in hybrid meetings, both software and hardware change rapidly and extensively and the experiences of individuals throughout the process serve as invaluable insights for all Unified Communications (UC) providers.
This is why 89% of organizers rely on attendees' satisfaction rates. This data underscores the importance of a positive meeting experience for all participants, whether they attend in person or remotely.
The Complexity of Hybrid Meetings
The ability to connect people from different locations into a single virtual room is certainly a goal many companies should strive for. However, hybrid meetings come with a cost.
And that cost lies precisely in the greatest advantage of hybrid meetings—their flexibility. This means that the most important challenges come from the fact that the meetings involve people who are not in the same physical space, but share a virtual one.
Moreover, relying on equipment such as software and video conferencing brings new challenges that are not as common in traditional meetings.
Let’s take a look at the main challenges that we face during hybrid meetings.
Common Challenges in Hybrid Meetings
No matter how much they make it easier for participants from different locations to meet, hybrid meetings can still become challenging and affect the overall experience.
Audio and Video Issues
It’s important that every participant has a reliable audio/video (AV) connection so that everyone can follow the meeting without interruption.
Lagging, echo, background noise, and freezing screens are common AV issues in hybrid meetings.
Problems with hardware and software, bad internet connections, and other technical difficulties can also cause a hybrid meeting’s flow to be disrupted.
Communication Issues
AV is just one of the crucial aspects of hybrid meetings.
Inequity among participants, lack of engagement, and unproductive meetings are common communication issues in hybrid meetings.
Hybrid meetings need a careful balance between in-person and remote participants and give everyone an equal opportunity to contribute.
Security & Vulnerability Issues
Unlike face-to-face gatherings, hybrid meetings are vulnerable to unauthorized access and breaches of confidentiality.
Without adequate security measures, sensitive information can be exposed to external threats or misused by insiders. It is necessary to implement strong prevention measures such as secure authentication and access control.
And if there’s a lack of security education among the participants in numerous meetings, security and vulnerability can become a serious problem for the entire company.
Coordination Issues
Effective meetings go beyond overcoming technical challenges—it is about creating a seamless and equal experience for all attendees, regardless of their physical location.
Coordination challenges that are unpopular among meeting organizers and moderators are complex scheduling, invitation and limited options for managing participants.
The entire meeting experience will suffer if these kinds of problems exist. It might even needlessly affect the productivity and morale of the whole team.
Knowing why it’s crucial to continually address these challenges, we’ve developed a solution for these issues at Bicom Systems.
gloCOM Meeting Makes Hybrid Meetings Better
Hybrid work demands hybrid solutions. Bicom platform seamlessly integrates voice, video, and chat into one interface, meaning there is no longer a need for third-party applications to initiate meetings.
Our truly unified application gloCOM includes a special module for meetings called gloCOM Meeting. We designed it to simplify and enhance the experience of hybrid and online meetings across various devices.
We know how challenging and unpredictable hybrid meetings can be, so our goal was to facilitate effective communication and ensure meeting equity. And here is how we have achieved that.
Key Features of gloCOM Meeting
Whether it’s AV issues, or communication and coordination problems, intertwined with the ever-important security standard, our comprehensive suite of tools has an answer to it all.
Audio and Video Stability
gloCOM Meeting ensures pristine and clear AV connections to reduce lagging, echo, and other common hybrid meeting interruptions.
Communication Tools
Our solution features in-meeting chat, raise-hand option, and in-meeting reactions to foster effective communication.
Without interrupting others, participants can eagerly signal their wish to contribute, or express their genuine reactions while in a hybrid meeting with their colleagues.
It also supports gloCOM GO application, allowing participants to join meetings not only via desktop and web, but also from their iOS or Android mobile devices, wherever they are.
Enhanced Security
With secure authentication and role-based access controls, gloCOM Meeting addresses critical concerns by implementing the highest security measures.
We also provide comprehensive training sessions with our professionals to further enhance security awareness.
Easy Coordination
gloCOM Meeting simplifies scheduling, invitations, and overall meeting organization, making it easier for moderators to manage hybrid meetings. With just one click, both organizers and participants can get meetings running or join them.
Collaboration Flow
With the share files option in gloCOM Meeting, participants can easily send important files to their colleagues during the meeting. For those who were not present or wish to review the discussion, the record meeting option serves as a tool for productivity and revision.
Join Our Improved Hybrid Meetings
For a completely new and streamlined experience of hybrid meetings, explore our gloCOM Meeting. Discover how seamlessly hybrid meetings can unfold with our innovative solution.
Reach out to us and we’ll be more than glad to assist you!