Why You Should Include Audiovisual Solutions In Your UC Services

There’s no denying that the world of business has changed dramatically over the past couple of years. Fully remote and hybrid working conditions have become commonplace since the pandemic, with many employees unwilling to return full-time to the office. And where once we saw business leaders and managers travelling to attend most meetings in-person, we now know that video conferencing is more time- and cost-efficient, and more environmentally friendly too. 

The adoption of this new way of working creates many opportunities for Managed Service Providers (MSPs). By adding or diversifying unified communications (UC) services to include video conferencing solutions, MSPs can generate new revenue streams. More importantly, you can resolve more of your clients’ technology challenges, thus ensuring greater satisfaction and retention.

The potential is vast. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global video conference market is set to grow to more than $19.7 billion in 2023. A key reason is the increasing adoption by small and medium-size enterprises. Many companies, small to large, recognize that prioritizing investments especially in conferencing hardware will pay dividends, given forecasts into the future of working. According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, enterprise decision makers say that by 2024:

• Only 9% anticipate that all employees will work in formal office spaces.
• 38% plan to have more geographically dispersed offices.
• 46% will invest in cloud video conferencing services to address remote and hybrid workers.
• 48% will add meeting spaces to accommodate more meetings among a dispersed workforce.

Employee engagement and productivity have come into focus when evaluating video conferencing services and solutions. Indeed, the success of hybrid meetings comes down to the audiovisual systems that companies have in place. Enterprises require high-quality audio and video peripherals to enhance the performance of software-based collaboration platforms like Microsoft Teams and Zoom. 

Video has always been a key part of the overall meeting experience, and the visual ‘coming together’ of employees is an important part of the collaboration process. More significantly, however, audio has emerged as a primary driver of productivity, engagement, and meeting equity. 

On a daily basis, your clients experience collaboration challenges and frustrations due to audio setups that are not fit for purpose. This has further created an appreciation for higher quality solutions and the benefits these deliver – that is, giving everyone equal opportunity to communicate and contribute ideas efficiently and effectively. 

Demand for superior audio ecosystems is particularly driven by a need for more scalability and adaptability. Hybrid working is still evolving and your clients want to know that their UC investments are future-proof. While better audio performance is a must-have especially for larger meeting spaces, clients also need solutions that are powerful and flexible enough to adapt to changing room configurations as companies refine their office footprint.

Such expectations are reflected in the many consultations that Shure undertakes for clients. According to our field experience, more than half of corporate facilities managers said they would increase their investment in conferencing systems. The goal is to have more advanced audio solutions that work in any size environment and perform effectively with the existing cloud conferencing services already in use.

So, why should all this matter to MSPs? 

Your clients’ evolving collaboration needs require more powerful AV systems than the DIY / all-in-one setups that are commonly deployed right now. MSPs have a considerable opportunity to help facilitate this. What’s more, in addition to one-off income from design and implementation, the ongoing management of AV endpoints offers recurring revenue and adds more value to your service contracts.

Ultimately, there has never been a better time for MSPs to embrace the new demands in AV managed services. Enabling your clients with powerful and flexible collaboration systems, providing resources and support and offering flexible service models will help you to improve relationships with existing clients and attract new customers.

Read more about AV opportunities for IT providers at p.shure.com/av-for-it-providers