In the pandemic era and beyond, there has been a huge amount of discussion about the need to create truly hybrid working environments that allow employees and visitors to collaborate effectively – whether they are located in the office or elsewhere. But few companies have acted on this so decisively as technology brand Jabra, which in addition to the ongoing development of its video conferencing & collaboration solutions has created a ‘super office’ and a Customer Showcase & Experience Centre at its site in Langley, UK.
Recent research conducted by Jabra underlines the extent to which office and meeting-related behaviours have changed in recent years. A remarkable 80% of meetings are now either fully remote or hybrid, with only 20% happening in person, while the perceived role of the office has evolved in favour of spaces where collaboration is enhanced when compared to working from home.
Jabra EMEA North managing director Nigel Dunn confirms that this direction of travel is set to continue, with 2023 witnessing the shift “from ‘task-based’ workspaces to ‘interaction-based’ workspaces. This means downgrading real estate footprints for more concentrated and purpose-built offices with technology that enables people to experience authentic interactions with all their colleagues, where everyone can be seen and heard and contribute on an equal footing – wherever they are.”
With this in mind, Jabra took the opportunity presented by home-working during the pandemic to reconsider its own use of office space. Consequently, it has now redeveloped its premises in Langley, UK, to accommodate a growing team and create an environment that exemplifies the benefits of the new hybrid era.
The result is an impressive space comprising five meeting/demo rooms, including The Lab for Testing and Research & Development, and a Microsoft Signature Teams Room, all of which have been installed with Jabra’s PanaCast video conferencing solutions. “These technologies provide immersive, outstanding audio and video quality with a unique 180-degree field of view that fits everyone in the picture,” says Dunn.
The flagship Microsoft Signature Teams Room features a highly flexible space that will soon be equipped with the new PanaCast 50 Video Bar System, which is due to hit the market this autumn. Completing Jabra’s portfolio for small and medium-sized meeting rooms, the PanaCast 50 Video Bar System offers a suite of scalable deployment options and a collaboration experience on native UC applications such as Microsoft Teams Rooms and Zoom Rooms.
INSIGHTS & ANALYTICS
Significantly, the new deployment also draws on Jabra’s ongoing collaboration with workplace digitalisation specialist UMA, including the integration of PanaCast 50 video cameras with the UMA Dashboard – a platform providing real-time insights and analytics into how meeting rooms and workspaces are being used. Consequently, a 10.1 inch LCD touch screen located outside The Lab and each meeting/demo room displays meeting & booking information for that room, as well as enabling the meeting rooms to be booked automatically by just walking in. In each space, a PanaCast 50 camera or separate sensor makes it possible to detect if someone is present in the room, thereby generating a range of anonymous room occupancy data that helps to optimise the use of the various spaces.
Jabra also worked with UMA to create a digital map user interface of its office floor plans that can be accessed via both mobile and web applications. Benefits of this development include: easy viewing and allocation of resources, such as desks and meeting rooms; a 3D view of the workplace that provides a virtual tour to support space planning and workplace re-configurations; and a feature called the Kiosk, which furnishes an overview of the rooms and resources being used at any one time.
The end-result of these efforts, says Dunn, is “a modern workspace for staff to feel motivated and inspired, to improve productivity and collaboration, and to meet the needs of hybrid working. The new collaboration spaces will make it much easier for our sales teams to host meetings and demo the capabilities of our products, while the Customer Experience Centre will allow people to experience the newest solutions that take collaboration and meeting room experiences to the next level. We’re tremendously excited about the opportunities this is going to open up for our customers and staff.”
Visit www.jabra.co.uk to find out more on the PanaCast video portfolio, and www.askuma.ai for additional information about UMA.
