Meetings aren’t working, according to a recent whitepaper from Verizon and Boston Consulting Group. An issue long before the pandemic, it’s one that’s become heightened in today’s anytime, anywhere work environment. To better align with shifting workforce dynamics, Verizon Business updated the desktop, mobile, and Portal applications of BlueJeans Meetings to help streamline and facilitate more immersive, inclusive, and engaging meetings.
Between the personalization of work, the great reflection, a major skills shortage across industries, and a new generation becoming the dominant majority in the workforce, employee experience has quickly risen to the top of the business priorities list. With new BlueJeans Meetings features aimed at personalizing the meeting experience to improve individual and team meeting interactions and engagement, or remove the need to meet altogether, Verizon Business is helping to drive effective collaboration.
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“No two meetings are alike, nor are the people attending them,” said Chris Lewter, vice president and general manager, BlueJeans by Verizon. “Similarly though, we are all striving for engagement, both in our personal and professional lives. And as organizations continue to place more emphasis on enhancing the employee experience as a way to drive inclusivity and retain and attract top talent, this next phase of remote and hybrid work will be all about providing the right tools to drive flexible work practices that adapt to different work engagement styles and personalities.”
Immersive meetings are more engaging
Instituting best practices and acknowledging that existing “work” expectations are antiquated is a good place to start. But creating an inclusive and productive meeting environment also requires intuitive technology to help facilitate immersive, fluid and effective meeting experiences for all participants, regardless of their work mode—office, home, or remote/field.
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From the BlueJeans Meetings desktop application, turning on Weather Person Mode allows users to overlay the presenter on top of the content being shared to facilitate a more natural, inclusive experience that simulates an in-person presentation for virtual and hybrid settings. The feature enables presenters to be placed in front of any type of content or application, expanding beyond slideware to create more dynamic and creative meeting possibilities. Furthermore, the addition of Auto-Camera Framing removes the need to purchase high-quality camera equipment and the potential for human error in camera setup, while limiting distractions by zooming in to focus on the person rather than their background.
On the BlueJeans Mobile app side, customized updates for foldable devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy Z series, utilize every screen available to maximize the video conferencing experience and make it easier for users to focus on both the content and other meeting participants—fostering a more equitable and efficient meeting experience. Similarly, participant scrolling enhances the user experience in Active Speaker view to better feature the primary speaker and other meeting attendees, and the addition of HD Content and Video Sharing for iPhone and iPad allows mobile users the ability to share 1080p Content and Video.
Personalization for meeting efficiency
Business leaders have a responsibility to make hybrid work arrangements work for everyone, which requires a focus on creating more individual and inclusive workflows for teams. New BlueJeans Meetings features that allow users to personalize the meeting experience include:
- Multi-Language Closed Captioning and Transcripts: More language options to better support diverse, dispersed teams
- Hide Self View: The ability to hide one's own video, while still allowing others to see you, reduces video fatigue caused from constant hair checks
- Binge Meetings (iOS and iPadOS): Gives users the flexibility to easily get notified and jump into their next call
- Call Kit Support (iOS and iPadOS): Providing assistance for remote worker time management, Call Kit Support for iOS and iPadOS allows users to better manage incoming phone calls while on a BlueJeans Meeting by switching over without dropping either call
- Breakout Sessions: The ability to ‘Ask for Help’ with broadcasting a message creates better communication across dispersed breakout participants
- Virtual Backgrounds: Virtual backgrounds available on iOS, iPadOS and Android devices means more options to personalize or minimize unwanted backgrounds distractions
- RTMP Streaming: On the Desktop, stream your meeting to any feed with a URL and Streaming Key (previously only available in BlueJeans Events)
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Additionally, updates to the BlueJeans app on Meta Portal can help to account for different working patterns and preferences. These include Collab Board Support and a Share Screen Link for fast second Screen Login access/share.
Providing flexible meeting and collaboration options are an important aspect for addressing inequities and enabling better work/life balance. With strong analyst report placements and award wins in 2022, including a PC Mag Editor’s Choice, a TrustRadius Top Rated Award in the Web and Video Conferencing category, G2’s Best Software List for Collaboration and Productivity Products, and a Metrigy 2022 Top Provider for Meeting Applications ranking, BlueJeans Meetings is leading the way toward providing a more unifying and comprehensive meeting experience for all users.
