In a communications environment growing in complexity it's refreshing to note that the market for conferencing solutions is not only easier to address but also growing faster than ever, according to Konftel's Regional Sales Director Jeff May.
Resellers are never happier than when market dynamics converge on a no-brainer product, and according to May the conferencing market is such a gift, driven in particular by mobility, flexibility, all things IP, wireless and UC. "IP platforms and UC clients provide low cost, high quality connectivity," said May. "Wireless solutions support the flexibility and immediacy that the market demands, and together they open up more applications and provide us, the vendors, with ever more opportunities to develop increasingly flexible and seamless solutions. Conferencing really is just an extension of normal communication and meeting behaviour."
These platforms mean that video communication is becoming universal on desktops and mobile devices, enabling remote meetings to become more interactive and widespread because participants can join from literally anywhere and on any comms device. "We need to support and enhance these devices and applications by offering audio solutions that ensure group conferences are as effective as private calls," added May.
Sound quality is the de facto consideration over video during a conference, according to 80 per cent of respondents in a survey by Konftel conducted early this year. "Sound is the basis of every meeting," noted May. "The other elements can be worked around, but if you cannot clearly hear, then the meeting is over. In our survey results only two per cent value video as the most important enabler in remote meetings and six per cent screen sharing."
Meanwhile, hosted and cloud-based services will increasingly present new deployment opportunities, believes May. "At the moment, peripheral products such as conference phones are often purchased as separate items on an ad hoc basis by SMEs, but as hosted solutions penetrate this sector conference phones will also be an obvious add-on to the bundle from day one. Cloud-ready IP conference phones give customers the same seamless zero touch installation process as their other IP devices."
Konftel's strapline, 'Get Together', reflects the ongoing rise of remote meetings in a whole range of environments from the boardroom to the bedroom. There was a time when conferencing was dominated by large boardroom solutions, but today smaller devices are used by SoHo workers, and even personal devices designed especially for people on the move. "Every business will have some conferencing need at some time and many have different requirements at the same time, so it is important that we offer a range of solutions that all provide the same service over potentially different networks and in different environments," added May.
Much of Konftel's development strategy is shaped by customer feedback and the new Konftel Unite app, which is free, illustrates this approach well. "With the increase in web-based conferencing, customers and resellers report back to us that simply joining the conferences is a major problem, with customers bombarded by pin numbers, access codes, user names and different clients to install," explained May.
"Konftel Unite is a single touch app that links to a user's calendar, sends alerts when meetings are due and in the case of webinars will automatically call the conference number and enter the user's own name and password. This way conference calls start on time, no matter where a customer is or what device they are using. We want all resellers and their customers to use the app and experience simple conferencing."
Konftel is a channel-only firm that addresses all vertical markets, supported by demo units, a 'try and buy' evaluation service and new apps designed to help customers get the best possible conferencing experience. Perhaps the biggest growth sector right now is personal conferencing devices, and Konftel recently introduced the Ego product to meet demand, functioning as a portable battery powered USB and Bluetooth conference pod that turns any smartphone or tablet into a conference quality device. "The Ego ensures that any VoIP or mobile call can now be held with crystal clear HD audio for one or several people to work hands free and efficiently around it," added May. "The LCD display shows which application is in use, and it connects to the customers' own device which is familiar to them."
According to May this tangible sense of familiarity is driving new solutions for offices and boardrooms. "We know from customer feedback that users want three essentials when it comes to conferencing," said May. "Quality and flexibility are obvious, but ease of use is becoming a critical factor, particularly as more people are using conferencing, many of whom are not regular conference attendees and therefore are unfamiliar with their operation. Ease of use is ensured if people can use the same tools and user interfaces on large group conferences as they can on their own smaller and private calls.
"With more and more individuals using personal conferencing devices we will encourage them to take the same approach in larger meeting rooms and use their own devices to convene calls for bigger groups. As such our portfolio will increasingly allow customers' own devices like smartphones to present the user interface and act as a remote Bluetooth device to a central Konftel conferencing unit.
"Calls will be initiated from the smartphone, contacts can be selected and added to a call from the phone book and the whole call control is effected from the device. Konftel will have a mix of interfaces for network and device connection so that any mix of call can be convened, be it audio, web or video, and presented to the room accordingly."
The portable nature of modern conferencing units with multiple network and device connections enables resellers to leverage the power of demonstration to the max when selling conferencing solutions, noted May. "Resellers should use them to demonstrate to their customers the superb sound quality that can be achieved," he added. "It is so much easier than referring to PDFs or data sheets, and in the conferencing world, hearing is believing."
May is also a great believer in leveraging existing assets and making them better. "In just a few minutes a reseller can visit a customer's site and connect a conference of different people across different networks," he explained. "For example, a Skype For Business call can be set up via a Bluetooth or USB connection to a laptop, and the audio channelled through a wireless unit such as the Konftel 55Wx or 300Wx.
"Any number of participants can join the call and, for example, a second group of callers on the telephone network can be bridged in. Mobile calls can also be bridged into the conference. In minutes a reseller can recreate how many business meetings are taking place in every company and demonstrate how much they can be improved."
The demand drivers in the conferencing market include cost control, reduced time away from the office, increased business efficiency, collaboration for risk sharing and education, immediacy of access to information, and the rise in personal conferencing, all of which will ensure sustained growth. "The market is growing," enthused May. "The desktop conferencing market has witnessed double digit growth every year for the last 20 years, and is forecast to continue growing by all of the analysts for the foreseeable future. The market has grown in times of recession as well as the boom years. More businesses are conferencing than ever before, and more individuals are using conferencing, so demand will continue to increase and proactive resellers can make huge sales."
Conferencing also represents significant attachment and bundling opportunities with other products and services that resellers will already be providing. "In a hosted environment conference phones can be added to a customer's check list like any other device," added May. "If resellers are selling laptops or web cams, then add a product to complete the web-video-audio conferencing capability. With every PBX CCU, include a conference phone and conference pods for different rooms. If reseller's are selling minutes, SIM cards or mobile phones, add a mobile conference phone that offers free inter-SIM conference calls and uses prepaid minutes in their call plans. If reseller's do not act on these opportunities customers will buy from somebody else."•