Byteworks’ Cisco Webex Solution: Streamlining Meeting Rooms for Georgia Department of Economic Development
Introduction
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is instrumental in promoting economic growth in Georgia by attracting businesses, visitors, and partners to the state. Project managers, stationed across the state’s 12 regions, collaborate with partners to leverage state resources and incentives, ensuring businesses receive the necessary support and access to networks for growth.
Efficient communication is vital for the GDEcD, but they faced obstacles with their meeting and conference room AV equipment. These challenges affected operations, particularly during hybrid meetings, due to outdated systems, inconsistent setups, and technical difficulties. Team members frequently called on the already taxed IT team for support. Connectivity issues and poor audio/video quality risked the agency’s image and impeded partnership efforts.
Recognizing the need for an efficient and seamless meeting experience, the GDEcD sought a solution to streamline AV resources, reduce dependence on IT support, and provide project managers with confidence in their conference room capabilities.
The Problem
With multiple offices and teams, the GDEcD encountered various challenges when utilizing the audio-visual (AV) equipment in their conference and meeting rooms. Employees found the existing AV equipment challenging, and the room setup varied significantly from one meeting room to another. Frustration grew among users who relied on these rooms for important agency meetings.
Outdated AV systems in conference rooms made it challenging for non-technical users to connect devices, adjust settings, and troubleshoot. They often called on the IT team for help, and meetings were notorious for starting late.
Due to the complexity of the AV equipment, users also needed better audio and video quality during the conference calls. The microphone settings were often too low, leading to difficulty hearing participants on the other end of the call. Video conferencing cameras would often malfunction, resulting in blurry or distorted images.
This issue was made worse when users connected remotely, leading to connection issues and choppy audio and video. The agency was concerned that this would poorly reflect the organization’s image with global partners. The constant call for technical support was an endless burden on the in-house IT team.
“The new system has improved the user experience significantly, making it easy for people to connect to meetings and display content on large displays.”
The Solution
Byteworks streamlined the GDEcD’a conferencing system, utilizing LG smart displays and Cisco’s Webex video conferencing solution, a cloud-based communication and collaboration platform that offers video conferencing, online meetings, webinars, and file sharing.
With Webex, the agency was able to simplify the process of starting and running meetings with multiple users who had varying degrees of technical knowledge. This solution was user-friendly and intuitive, with easy-to-use WebEx service interfaces. It was also effortless for the IT team to manage with automatic updates and minimal maintenance.
With a reliable video conferencing system, the GDEcD’s teams could start a meeting with a few simple verbal commands that allowed them to focus on the meeting content and collaboration rather than technical issues.
The solution helped support the agency’s mission to attract new businesses to the state of Georgia. The agency regularly meets remotely with people from all over the world to promote the state. Any glitches during online meetings could be perceived as incompetence, affecting the agency’s ability to establish new partnerships.
The solution not only addressed the organization’s technical challenges and allowed users to connect in real-time from any location and device, making it an ideal solution for remote teams and partners.
The Impact
The Cisco Webex video conferencing solution allowed employees to utilize a sophisticated AV setup with little technical intervention. Teams needed a seamless experience for their business partners and the process to go smoothly without any glitches. A glitch in the video conferencing system could be seen as incompetence and could harm their efforts to attract businesses to Georgia.
The implementation of the Cisco Webex video conferencing solution provided significant positive impacts for the customer, including:
- Improved user experience
- Improved efficiency in starting, running, and collaborating on a meeting
- A seamless connection between the GDEcD and their partners
Overall, the solution helped the GDEcD save time and IT resources. It provided a more reliable and user-friendly video conferencing solution, essential to foster business relationships, and supported the agency’s remote workforce.
“Byteworks’ solution allowed us to free up our IT team’s time and focus on other critical tasks.”
Conclusion
Byteworks helped the GDEcD transform their meeting and conference room AV capabilities. By designing a comprehensive smart conferencing solution, the IT team at GDEcD could focus on more important tasks, and the overall efficiency and professionalism of the organization’s meetings were changed in ways that will benefit remote meeting collaboration for years to come.
“Byteworks’ solution using Cisco Webex video conferencing allowed us to streamline our communication and collaboration processes, which was critical to our success in attracting and retaining businesses in Georgia.”
As a result, the agency established itself as a forward-thinking economic development partner, capable of attracting new businesses to Georgia with a commitment to staying ahead of the technology curve.
