Boom Collaboration Co-Founders Fredrik Hörnkvist and Holli Hulett discuss the latest conferencing trends in the SMB sector.
What advice do you have for SMBs investing in UCC products for business needs?
Hörnkvist - Sales of USB-based video conferencing devices continue to rocket as more organisations take the simple route to collaboration success based on instant connectivity.
SMB’s are looking to ‘level-up’ their home and office deployments whilst others are forced to re-invest after the Covid pandemic, and a rush to more flexible working. The conferencing arena continues to evolve and we’ve seen a significant shift to USB-based hardware. This is being fuelled by the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trends as well as a wider desire for simpler and quicker installation and configuration.
Companies small and big need flexibility and agility having developed longer term strategies about home working. Whether in the office or working elsewhere, simple plug-and-play deployment is becoming a dominant factor in the buying process.
Is the purchasing decision usually functionality-led or price-led, or is this dependant on the category?
Hulett - Simple cost-effective solutions are definitely the sweet spot. They need to be high quality but not overly complicated so that everyone can use them. Our new ZYGO connectivity hub, based on one cable connection, has been developed especially for this purpose. The SMB market is much more price sensitive than a big enterprise.
Are SMBs put off by business level products with too many features?
Hörnkvist - Levels of user knowledge vary greatly in this sector. In many cases there’s no IT support. There is a danger too many features such as Auto Tracking can confuse and complicate and not get used.
Advice to resellers/MSPs selling to SMBs on future-proofing?
Hulett - Wherever people are working they need quick and instant access to high performance collaboration. Gone are the days of a big clunky piece of hardware sat gathering dust in the corner of a boardroom because no one knew how to use it.
The market is definitely maturing now with some organisations having to replace their previous equipment bought during the mad rush of Covid. USB connectivity is the way forward for many and is becoming widespread across our product portfolio.
Boom is still a relatively new brand in the UK but we’ve been very well received so far. We bring something different to the table and are ideally suited to help customers capitalise on the latest market trends. Easy connectivity and high performance hardware helps create better meetings, simply.
Customer-decision making - do purchasing decisions include longevity, sustainability, efficiency, collaboration, compatibility?
Hörnkvist – Platform agnostic products offer more freedom and flexibility. Sustainability matters too. This can be paramount for some but less so for others.
Hybrid working/remote working - where do you see the market moving to - more or less of office work? Are there separate needs for home offices and company offices?
Hulett - Hybrid work models are settling down now so SMB’s can develop longer term strategies and buy with more confidence. But where people work continues to fluctuate.
However there’s no going back to how we worked before. Jumping on a video call is a natural and often daily experience. Employees in general prefer flexibility and new legislation reinforces this too. Companies need to retain the best talent and have to be flexible. We note that four-day working weeks are becoming more common too. Hybrid has opened the door to a new world. Parts of cities such as London now require less office space so are having to re-invent buildings with more leisure and residential use.
In terms of home working not everyone is lucky to have a dedicated home work space so they can visit community hubs and even cafes and hotels with business facilities which are now more common. Some people will have pets and children at home so more noise cancelling features will be required.
In your current range do you have a product or series specifically designed for SMBs? If so, what communication/collaborating features does it have that sets it apart from those designed for end users? i.e. are needs met?
Boom UNO - a portable all-in-one device which blurs the lines between home and office work. This complete conferencing system combines a 120° wide angle full HD camera with a 360° omnidirectional microphone and built-in speaker.
The compact stylish device has plug-and-play functionality via one USB cable and is available in black and white colours. A status light is complemented by full duplex HD audio, a vertically adjustable lens and touch keypad with volume and mute controls.
Boom AURA – A powerful ‘intelligent’ video bar, as the growing appeal of all-in-one devices continues to accelerate. The Boom AURA offers 4K Ultra HD picture quality, 10x digital zoom and a wide 120 degree field of view. AI functions include highly responsive facial detection and sound source localisation providing intelligent auto-framing and voice-tracking.
Six digital array mics with six metres of pick-up ensure crisp high fidelity audio and an optimal intuitive response. An 8MP CMOS sensor is combined with plug-and-play functionality.
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