Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, meeting frequency has gone through the roof. This is because, when everyone started working from home, and could no longer have easy communication like they did in the office, one of the few ways to keep up to date was to have video meetings. However, video meetings are a key aspect of hybrid working, which as we all probably know by now, is predicted as the next big movement in business. In the UK, businesses have been taking to hybrid working very quickly – London-based businesses especially, with the help of IT support London companies, are leading the way for the UK’s hybrid work movement.
Hybrid working is particularly good for small to medium-sized businesses, as they are more likely than other kinds of businesses to have remote employees, perhaps even employees living in other countries. For example, TechQuarters are a Managed IT Services London provider, a Microsoft partner, and an SMB themselves. Since March 2020, they have been conducting most of their internal work with the help of remote meetings, but now things are moving from fully remote working to hybrid working, they had some advice for how to have hybrid meetings with teams that are a mix of remote and office-based employees.
- Microsoft Teams Rooms – this particular experience from Microsoft Teams is designed to close the gap between remote and office workers. If you have access to a Microsoft Teams room, it will greatly improve the experience of hybrid meetings.
- Fluent Tools in Teams – Microsoft recently announced new capabilities within Teams to build custom apps to enhance Teams meeting experiences. With these features, you will be able to engage in collaborative exercises like whiteboarding, project boards, and design, all within a Teams video meeting.
- IT Support – This is already a crucial component of any business, but IT support can also be a big help with hybrid meetings. For example, one of the most common challenges with hybrid meetings is technical issues – if you have a knowledgeable and fast IT support provider, this will help greatly. Moreover, an IT provider can also help you with the hardware and environment of hybrid meetings. Let’s say you are in London, and have an office with a meeting room that you want to enable for hybrid meetings. A London IT provider will be able to predict the environmental considerations of your hybrid office – for example, the layout of the room, the size of screen you need; if you are using Microsoft Teams, what kind of devices will you need in the meeting room.
These are just a few considerations around setting up effective hybrid meetings for your business. With the right software and IT assistance, any business can do it.
