RealConnect: Making A Real Difference in The Way We Connect

[Kris Ahlstrom (kahlstrom)]

At Polycom, we understand that no one knows how you work better than you.  It is our goal to seamlessly extend the work you do already to include video collaboration. We do this by natively integrating our devices with one of the most widely used communications tools in business today, Microsoft’s Skype for Business.  With Polycom RealConnect for Skype for Business, we extend the Skype for Business (SfB) experience into devices, making it simple, and intuitive for any user to join a Skype for Business meeting.  RealConnect drives a “click to join” experience on any video device so users have the same join experience no matter what device they are using.

The more simple the experience, the more effective your meetings will be.  Details such as viewing participant rosters and in-conference controls such as recording and content management make a difference.

Why does this matter?  It matters because you’re deploying business solutions, not technology for technology’s sake.  It matters because when you get it right, the technology fades into the background and you simply work more efficiently.  It matters because your ROI matters and making it simple for everyone to join and participate effectively has profound issues on adoption.  It matters because adoption is the foundation of your ROI, and also the greatest risk to you achieving that ROI.  RealConnect drives adoption.

This graphic depicts real world data from an early adopter of RealConnect.  If you still think a simple and intuitive user interface doesn’t matter, then see if you can name another factor that has been proven to increase adoption by 300%!

RealConnect is a native integration enabling the extension of the Microsoft desktop productivity suite experience to any device, from voice to telepresence, from any vendor.  RealConnect brings “click to join” capability to these disparate systems and simplifies the end-user experience while preserving the natural workflow.  There's no simpler way to start your call than to click a single button when YOU are ready to join the call.  Only with click to join do you have the flexibility to adapt to today's dynamic workplace.

While others may argue that a "call me" capability provides a better experience, this is too inflexible for today’s dynamic work environment.  “Call me” is a throwback to the days of rigidly scheduled meetings and white glove video services.  What happens when the previous meeting runs long?  What if a network glitch (because it's always the network! ;-)) disrupts the call?  What if you are delayed in traffic or working remotely?  User interfaces need to be as simple as possible, yet flexible enough to allow the participant to decide when and how to join the meeting.

See how one of our customers is using RealConnect today.