This article is designed to help you avoid the most common mistakes when installing a video conferencing solution. 

1. Poor planning. Having too many cooks in the kitchen without a clear outcome in mind. This will allow your team to wander and your vendor or partner to drive the process. If you can, dedicate a project manager or point person so that communication, intent, and the project stay focused. 
2. Not involving all the stakeholders. This is not simply an I.T. event, make sure administrators and users are engaged in the planning process. If you are being tasked by a committee, an executive, an executive team, or a peer group to come up with solutions, be sure you have both an adequate understanding of the decision process and an audience with them to provide initial findings prior to final selection. 
3. Know the scope and the budget. Not setting the project objectives up front will lead to confusion for the vendor and you having to digest far too many options. Have you stated what problems the video solution is solving and made sure that is still true once completed? 
4. Static design will fail. If you are planning only for room deployments without thinking about mobile or desktop, you are missing the trends and emerging needs. 
5. Inadequate Infrastructure: Not ensuring that the company’s network infrastructure can handle the bandwidth requirements of video conferencing can lead to poor video and audio quality. 
6. Ignoring Acoustics: Poor room acoustics can lead to echoes, background noise, and other audio issues. It’s essential to consider soundproofing and using acoustic panels. 
7. Overlooking Security: Not ensuring end-to-end encryption and secure connections can expose sensitive company information to potential eavesdroppers. 
8. Failing to Integrate with Other Tools: If the video conferencing solution doesn’t integrate well with other business tools like calendars, CRM systems, or collaboration platforms, it can reduce efficiency. 
9. Not Considering Scalability: As the company grows, so will its conferencing needs. Choosing a solution that isn’t scalable can lead to additional costs and the need for frequent upgrades. 
10. Not Testing Regularly: Failing to conduct regular tests can mean that issues go unnoticed until a crucial meeting, leading to delays and frustration. 

Balance function, budget, and reality. Not having a room design in mind or having one that does not work with the customer of your organization can create lots of adoption issues. Also, know your facility and that will help keep costs down. Trace your wires, have a good floor plan and a firm design – even for simple rooms. 

Over the years our team has seen these five components pop up across hundreds of designs. Use them as benchmarks and both you and your vendor will have a more perfect video conferencing experience. 

Bonus round? Yes. Here are two other items covered in previous posts in this series, but they show up often enough, it is worth posting again. 

Not being prepared for content sharing. Who shows content and what is the experience expected? Start with this prior to even considering building out a solution. 

Forgetting about ongoing training and support. Training – who, what, when, where, and tune-ups? Hey, products change and you change staff. How often do you refresh the training? Has your vendor provided ongoing support and as-built documentation? The more you help people use the rooms without challenges, the more adoption and adaption take hold and the happier your clients (internal customers), staff, and partners will be with the solution you have chosen. 

DCS Global and Perfect Video Conferencing work with an outstanding community of partners to help you avoid these common mistakes. Sign up for a Free Demo today.