As businesses expand usage of video conferencing and content, find out how to extend video’s reach and tap into tools that maximize its value.

Video has grown as businesses recognize its efficiencies and impact. Organizations use video for a variety of communications, including employee training, team communications, recruiting and onboarding, knowledge sharing, HR and benefit notifications, and town hall meetings.

In a recent Wainhouse survey, 88 percent of respondents rated video as a very or somewhat effective tool for communications. But there are opportunities for expanding the use of video and incorporating tools that help organizations use it more efficiently and effectively. Right now, it’s not enough to simply use video—the next step is to maximize its value.

COVID’s lasting impact

When the COVID crisis precipitated a shift to remote work, video conferencing became a necessity. Now that people have become familiar with using video and see its benefits, it’s gone mainstream.

Video allows businesses to connect with face-to-face interaction without the need for commuting or traveling. Screen-sharing allows people to collaborate easily, and the ability to record means those who miss a meeting or would like to reference the content later have the information they need.

The business environment is evolving. Now that people have adopted video-based collaboration, many likely won’t want to return to the way they worked previously. The Wainhouse survey found that even when business returns to “normal,” 69 percent of respondents believe they’ll continue to use video more frequently than prior to COVID.

Extending video’s reach and impact

How do we make video work harder and smarter? Organizations need to take a look at the business needs that currently exist and embrace video solutions that solve those workplace challenges.

Being able to record, archive, share, and search video content easily and efficiently are crucial for capturing and cultivating corporate knowledge. When IT executives make streaming technology purchase decisions, 54 percent look at the ability to distribute and manage video conferencing content as a very important factor. If a streaming technology platform doesn’t have these capabilities or isn’t easy to use, the organization won’t be able to maximize its video content.

Workers want these capabilities as well. For example, of those who use PC-based video conferencing, 82 percent would like video meetings to be recorded and archived for future viewing. Eighty-eight percent of all respondents believe the capability to record video meetings would make their organization run more efficiently.

Video’s role in training

Organizations can also capitalize on the power of video for employee training. Ninety-five percent of top executives and 76 percent of those who work in corporate training roles believe their organization could do more to maximize video technologies.

Recruiting speakers to share their subject matter expertise over video can enable organizations to create archives of valuable content. Young employees are especially interested in options like this, with 65 percent of respondents under 33 reporting that video gives them access to better instructors than would otherwise be accessible. Seventy-three percent of all respondents agree that on-demand videos from subject-matter experts are a helpful resource when working on new tasks. And 80 percent expressed that, as a job candidate, they would be impressed by companies that offer on-demand video training.

Building an organization’s overall knowledge base in this way turns one-time interactions into lasting corporate assets. The key is identifying those topics and meetings that are important to distribute to a broader group.

Tools that extend video’s value

When it comes to video, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Overall, the bigger the archive, the harder it is for people to find the information they need. For organizations with 50 or more archive hours of video content, 76 percent of respondents had difficulty locating what they need with the current search tools. Seventy-one percent of organizations with 10 to 49 hours of content and 60 percent of those with fewer than 10 hours also had trouble with searching.

We need advanced technology tools to maximize the value of video. Organizations need to house video content in one place and keep it organized. That way, their content is more secure, accessible, and discoverable.

Searching inside video content is becoming as important as using email. Tools like speech-to-text, facial recognition, on-screen captioning, and auto-chaptering will play a critical role in helping people use video and search archives to their fullest potential.

Speech-to-text allows users to look for and jump directly to specific parts of a video that contain key phrases. Of those viewing webcasting on a weekly basis, 73 percent think their organization should pay a premium for speech-to-text and 67 percent would use video content more frequently if they had speech-to-text for search capabilities.

Video editing tools have become extremely easy to use.  Panopto includes a free video editor.  If you’re looking for a powerful video editor that easily creates more polished videos, check out Camtasia.  With Camtasia, you can export videos directly to your Panopto library with one click.

Investing in video

Enterprise streaming platforms have an opportunity to leverage these types of tools to make video more valuable. Within organizations that have a specific budget for streaming technology platforms, workers find the platforms make it easy to share video meeting recordings with colleagues. And the larger the budget, the more people reported that ease-of-use.

Within organizations that did not have an annual budget allocated to streaming technology platforms, only 21 percent of workers strongly agreed that their platform made sharing video easier. Compare that to organizations that invest $100,000 annually, for which 69 percent of workers responded favorably. Even marginal investment can make a difference: 45 percent of workers within organizations that budget less than $10,000 annually said their platform made sharing easier.

It’s important to use a technology platform that is secure and easy to use. That simplicity must be paired with sophisticated tools that allow users to broaden video’s reach and impact. At this time, many organizations are in danger of underutilizing their video content. Taking steps to maximize the value of your organization’s video will enhance communications, boost efficiency, and expand business assets as you move into the future.

If you’d like to ensure your organization is maximizing the value of its video content, download the Wainhouse survey report.