All businesses know staying connected is the key to effective collaboration and growth. Finding ways to remove friction from communication channels is vital for bringing teams together and making processes more efficient while ensuring everyone in the organization feels included. With that in mind, we’re looking at some of the top trends in business communication technology that we expect to see booming as we move into 2024.

Asynchronous Video Conferencing

Since the pandemic, video conferencing tools have become indispensable. Many corporations realize that attending meetings remotely opens up the floor to more team members. It increases the accessibility of a company, allowing disabled people a seat at the table. It also gives firms more options when it comes to recruiting top talent, as they can source their applicants from further afield if they’re willing to communicate via video calls and conferences.

However, video conferences can become a time sink if not managed properly. A recent survey by a telecoms provider found that over 83% of respondents were spending a third of their working week in online meetings, while more than 82% felt that not all these meetings were necessary. Addressing every tiny issue that arises by gathering teams into a virtual room potentially takes them away from business-critical tasks they could be attending to.

Asynchronous video conferencing is a potential answer to the question: How do team members communicate clear messages without setting up a meeting every time? By utilizing video communication tools that record single videos and send them to a particular list of people who need that information. Recipients can then view that information in their own time, respond by leaving comments on the video, or even record their own video comments and start a conversation.

Advances in this field include tools that allow screen-sharing and other features commonly found in synchronous video calling apps (like Microsoft Teams or Zoom). Trends we expect to see moving forward include the ability to integrate video into other communication tools, such as company-wide internal messaging services and AI-powered notifications to let users know when something that requires critical attention drops into the conversation.

Make asynchronous video communication more effective by investing in hardware that supports the clarity of messages. High-quality cameras, microphones, and headsets empower team members to send crisp, clear video snippets as needed, removing the friction from business process improvement and making projects move along their timelines faster.

AI-Powered Conference Cameras

One example of hardware that can simplify video conferencing is another of our top trends for 2024: The AI-powered camera. AI tracking is a tool already implemented at a basic level in some video calling apps. For example, some software knows to focus the camera on the person speaking to help attendees know where their attention should lie. However, newer hardware is taking AI and machine learning (ML) to new levels.

The Logitech Sight, for example, pairs with the Logitech Rally Bar or Rally Bar Mini to provide a completely hybrid meeting experience. This pairing of cameras provides all attendees, remote and in-person, with multiple views of the conference. The Sight is a central unit with high-resolution lenses and omnidirectional microphones that neatly hom in on the person speaking, ensuring no attendee misses a beat. Attendees can switch the view manually or let AI track multiple people around the room, cutting out background noise and amplifying primary speakers. With 53% of workers stating they don’t feel as connected during virtual or hybrid meetings, technology like this could be the key to making remote meetings seem “real” and inclusive.

Other AI trends we expect to see in video conferencing equipment in 2024 include automatic recording of business-critical information, improvements in real-time subtitles and captions, and even translation services.

Intelligent Headsets

AI is also impacting other aspects of conferencing hardware, including headsets and headphones. As we move into 2024, expect to see noise-canceling headphones that learn exactly what users want to hear and what they want less of, adapting to user input and different environments. The right headset could even help prevent users from fatigue at work.

Take the EPOS Impact 1000 Series, for example. This headset is built for the New Open Office environment, a collaborative way of working in which members of different teams all work together in an open-plan layout. While conducive to effective teamwork, these environments can be rife with distractions that make it harder to focus, causing employees to concentrate harder and become tired more quickly. The EPOS Impact 1000 Series headsets counter this via active noise canceling (ANC) that adjusts to noise levels. This reduces distractions while ensuring users don't feel excluded when the noise level is low. Adaptive microphone technology improves the quality of dialogue for clearer conversations. The combination of advanced technologies in these headsets is called EPOS BrainAdapt™ technology and has been proven to improve efficiency and focus.

Investing in technology that supports flexible working options for your organization encourages a better work-life balance for your employees, increasing morale and productivity while reducing absenteeism. If you want more advice on staying connected with the latest advances in conferencing hardware, call 1-800-435-5634 or contact Hello Direct online.