In 2020, Zoom is a household name — not just here in Phoenix, AZ, but across the United States and overseas. It’s won the popularity contest among other video conferencing solutions due to its ease of use and reliable service. Anyone can create or join a Zoom meeting if they download the software on their smartphone or computer. But audio/video meetings are only one component of the Zoom system. Zoom Rooms are a larger, all-inclusive solution that organizations can employ to foster communication, collaboration, growth and productivity among a dispersed workforce, including in-person and remote workers. Many employers like the benefits they reap from increased remote work opportunities. It decreases overhead expenses for the organization and fosters greater efficiency and output among employees. But these benefits depend on employees having the right tools at their disposal to communicate and work together effectively. And that’s where Zoom Rooms shine.

While video is a medium that older generations are still getting used to—as anyone who has FaceTimed with their parents’ or grandparents’ foreheads can attest—for the generations currently entering the workforce, video chatting and collaborating is second nature. Millennials and Gen Z's think nothing of walking down the aisles of a grocery store video chatting with friends, and they expect that same type of video communication to be available at work as well. For your business, video collaboration is a win-win that gives workers the flexibility they crave while also providing opportunities for cooperation and collaboration that can drive innovation and growth at your company.

The video conferencing market is estimated to reach more than $20 billion by 2024. In a marketplace that size, there is no shortage of solutions vying for your attention. Here are four types of video collaboration tools that deserve it. Check our list of what’s trending in conferencing and collaboration and why. Then talk to us about your video collaboration needs.

Today’s companies are all about the flow of information from colleague to colleague and team to team. So when work at your organization gets stuck, lost, or forgotten, where does it usually come to a grinding halt? In email? On team collaboration boards? During meetings? If you find that work often stops until the next meeting or until a key team member gets back into town, there are faster, more efficient ways to keep work moving. One of those ways is to get on a video conference call right now.

Is video conferencing at your organization up in the air and all over the place? Maybe some employees love to hop on impromptu video calls with just about anyone from anywhere—even when they’re just down the hall. On the other hand, some resist turning on the camera or using video conferencing at all. You may see different departments favoring different solutions. If there is no consistent user experience and video conferencing has become a big hassle for your IT department, you’ll want to make some changes. You know you want to provide an easy, standardized experience in your meeting rooms, small or large. But what do you do when executives don’t make video conferencing a priority, don’t understand the benefits, and don’t want to set aside budget to solve your organizations collaboration issues? Start by gathering user and stakeholder feedback, researching and narrowing down your options, and then presenting the information to those who will make the final decision. State your case by beginning with the “why” behind the push for video conferencing.

Video collaboration in the workplace is more the rule than the exception. For example, 55 percent of organizations use Skype For Business—but not every tool out there will be the right fit for your particular needs and business case. Here are some best practices; to help you pick the right video collaboration tool and get the most out of it.

There are plenty of times when less is more, including when you are making decisions about your conference room technology. The best meeting room technology is a simple, one-stop, unified solution. But many conference rooms today are cluttered with technologies, including conference phones, USB speaker phones, flat panel displays, laptops or desktops running meeting applications, and lots and lots of cables. Some technologies might be compatible while others aren’t, and integrating personal devices such as mobile phones is complicated at best and impossible at worst. Meetings can already be a drag—a poorly equipped meeting space only makes it worse. The Crestron Mercury was developed to address those common—and annoying—problems with the typical meeting room user experience. And Crestron’s new partnership with online meeting platform Zoom takes meeting efficiency to the next level.