Do you remember Verizon's popular commercial series with the slogan "Can you hear me now?" This is one phrase you don't want to hear if you are on an audio or video conferencing call in your meeting room. Even if you only lose a few minutes to some garbled audio or video, think about the productivity loss. You have your team in the meeting room, your partners or supplier's team on the other end, and many people on both sides participating remotely. Multiply what all those professionals get paid for their services, and you might be surprised what a few wasted minutes of a meeting actually cost your organization.

You can banish “can you hear me now” or perhaps the newer “can you see me now” from your meetings with some smart investments in new audio-visual systems for your Tempe, AZ, offices. Read on for three ways to up your collaboration game in your meeting spaces.

Cast your mind back to middle school science (if you can!) and you’ll probably remember learning about ecosystems—a group of interconnected organisms or elements all cooperating in the same environment, like a rain forest or a coral reef. But ecosystems aren’t only found in the natural world. Interacting technologies—such as an integrated AV solution—can also form intricate systems that rely on additional interconnectivity. More broadly speaking, the systems can also connect with AV manufacturers, integrators, and end users, and missing any one of the elements threatens the health of your system. Keep reading for examples of outstanding AV systems integrated by Level 3 Audiovisual.

There are some instances—for example when you are choosing formal attire or a piece of decorative furniture—when form trumps function. In the case of audiovisual technology for a command and control center, however, form and function go hand in hand to help operators quickly receive and process information required to monitor and respond to specific incidents quickly and effectively.

If the only time you’ll wear a tuxedo is on your wedding day, you’re probably better off renting one than buying one. And if your company hosts only one or two events or conferences a year, the same is probably true of the specialized audiovisual (AV) equipment you’ll need to pull it off. Many AV applications, like meeting room technology and collaboration platforms, require a capital investment and integration expertise, but when it comes to infrequent or specialized AV needs, renting can be best.

If your presentation system stops working four days before an in-house conference, you likely have better ways to spend your time than digging up warranty information and troubleshooting the source of the problem. Researching technology investments can be a hassle, but managing and maintaining them for years can be a big commitment. How do you ensure that your audiovisual (AV) equipment, in particular, runs smoothly for years to come? You don’t have a crystal ball to tell you what’s going to go wrong, but the next best thing is to partner with a service provider that will make sure you have the right plans and agreements in place. When a customer purchases and installs new technologies, they will receive warranty information and offers to maintain their new system. The customer, the manufacturer, and the service provider are three sides of the triangle that will keep your equipment running optimally. However, “that triangle is sometimes difficult to understand,” says Mark Teifert, Director of Service and Support at Level 3 Audiovisual. Buyers may not know what’s included in warranties or who will be responsible for what. Here is a simple breakdown of terms to make sense of it all and feel confident about the long-term care of your audiovisual investments.

Have you ever purchased a new piece of personal technology—a smartphone or a laptop, for example—only to find out a few days or weeks later that a new and improved version is about to drop? In the fast-paced world of personal devices, buying the latest and greatest doesn’t mean that your investment will stay that way for long. It can be frustrating to learn you spent top dollar for something that will be obsolete in a year or two. In the world of enterprise solutions, technology upgrades require huge investments and technology buyers are responsible for protecting a company’s bottom line by spending money responsibly—not to mention being accountable to a whole lot of users. The last thing you want to do is fall into the trap of spending a lot of money on a system or technology that won’t meet the organization’s needs in the long-term. You can “future-proof” your investments—and avoid unforeseen and unnecessary upgrade costs down the road—by assessing legacy systems and existing solutions, outlining strategic goals and objectives, and researching technology solutions that can meet your current and future needs.