The modern workplace is a symphony of collaboration – hybrid town hall meetings and all-hands calls, cloud platforms, and a growing list of unified communication tools, all of which are becoming more complex.
But with this complexity comes a challenge: How can audiovisual Managed Service Providers ensure everything works harmoniously? And what other adjustments must they make to thrive in the age of AV, IT and unified communication integration?
In this post, I share three critical ways Managed Services must adapt to add more value in the modern workplace.
AI Is the Sidekick We’ve Been Waiting For
I don't believe AI is coming to take our jobs. We’re just not advanced enough from a machine-learning perspective for this to happen in our lifetimes. Instead, I think AI is the sidekick we’ve been waiting for – especially in today's skill-short market – and will become more of a partner to us than a rival.
In fact, as I’ve observed AI being integrated into various audiovisual, unified collaboration, and digital media solutions, I see far more ways that AI will enhance and enable our capabilities.
For example, I’m just back from Service Now’s Knowledge 24 conference. Much of the conference explored how generative A I is being built into ServiceNow’s ecosystem. The range of benefits goes from simple email recaps to gathering pertinent information more quickly to combing through massive amounts of documentation to find an answer.
Just think of the possibilities when knowledge isn’t locked away in people’s heads or constrained to a few individuals. Organizations will be able to move much faster, whether that’s speed to response, or speed to closure
Flexibility Is the New Normal
Managed Services is no stranger to flexibility in terms of staffing hours. We’ve offered “follow the sun” services for several years – or being available beyond 9-5 to accommodate people in different time zones or with varying work schedules.
Now, even the idea of 9-5 is starting to fade, and the concept of a workday is changing right along with it. Employers are becoming more flexible to boost satisfaction and productivity.
For example, employees no longer have an assigned workspace in many organizations. One day, they may work in a team brainstorming space, and the next, they may work in a focus room. On other days, they may split their time between home and a flex space in the office.
The modern workplace allows employees to choose the right space for the right task. As such, Managed Services providers must rethink their delivery model to support this level of flexibility and meet their clients’ needs. This means asking questions such as:
- How do we remotely monitor a broader range of solutions?
- How do we staff our onsite teams to support users working in various spaces?
- How can we make working in different spaces stress-free for users?
Successfully answering these questions requires using both an employer and a Managed Services lens – not just one or the other.
Tech Meets Psychology
Best-in-class organizations realize that return-to-office mandates don’t work. Instead, the goal should be to draw people back into the office by giving them something they can’t get anywhere else.
First, employers must consider how their environments and technology solutions meet employees’ psychological needs. After all, today's office environment directly competes with the comforts of working from home.
From a strategy standpoint, the goal for Managed Services providers should be to remove all unnecessary complexity and deliver a consistent experience across locations.
In practical terms, it can be as simple as ensuring that tools help address everyday stressors like wayfinding, room scheduling and desk reservations. And that everything is easy to use and always up and running.
Above all else, Managed Services can help our clients “earn the commute,” by making the end user's experience stress free. This, in turn, helps people feel like their human needs are being met.
Are Your AV Tools Ready for the Modern Workplace?
I’ve been in the AV business for decades, and during that time, I’ve seen the workplace undergo several cycles of change. What we’re seeing right now is different, and the idea of a “modern workplace” shouldn’t be reduced to just a buzzword or flavor of the month.
We are in the middle of a work revolution, and everything about how we work, collaborate, and innovate is changing. Organizations that adapt to these changes and modify how they deliver their products and services are far more likely to thrive. Those who don’t adapt will falter.
The good news is you don’t have to go it alone. And you don’t have to pile more onto your internal IT team.
An audiovisual integrator can provide comprehensive solutions that resonate with the modern workforce's needs - from enterprise solutions to Managed Services.
Your Trusted AV Managed Services Partner
AVI Systems is the largest global audiovisual and unified collaboration systems integrator with 33 locations in the United States and the ability to do business nearly anywhere in the world.
In addition to our solutions, we offer a range of AV Managed Services offerings to supplement your IT team – from local system support and strategic resource placement to advocate and meeting services to Vision Monitoring and service management tools.
Contact AVI Systems today to learn more about our AV, unified collaboration, and digital media Managed Services.
©AVI Systems, Inc., 2024
