Zoom has begun rolling out a new Meeting Rooms feature in order to aid the forthcoming return to offices. As reported by Engadget, it is designed to help minimise with others in meeting rooms and around the office.
Not many of us had heard of Zoom before March but with lockdown and working from home it has become a household name. The video conferencing software has been hard at work to continue to try to compete with the likes of Google Meet and Microsoft Teams.
One of Zoom’s main issues has been its sup par security systems. For many months calls have been plagued by ‘Zoombombers’. However, it seems that in recent months the company has introduced new systems to try and make the service more secure.
Zoom has also tried to innovate and improve over 2020 in order to keep pace with the competition. One of the reported plans for 2021 is an integrated calendar and email service to try and match up with the likes of Microsoft and Google.
This new Zoom Meeting Rooms feature sits very much under this innovation banner. Looking ahead to a time where working from home may be less prevalent with plans to stay relevant seems a very smart move from Zoom.
Zoom rolls out meeting rooms feature to help office return
Zoom Meeting Rooms has a variety of modes and features. Starting from entry to an office there is a kiosk mode where you can be greeted by a virtual receptionist to reduce contact from a Rooms to Touch device.
The feature also allows users to view the occupancy of a meeting room so avoid overcrowding. You can check an room’s air quality if the room has a Neat Sense monitor to check in on ventilation.
You also will not have to touch shared touch screens with Zoom Rooms Controller app. This allows you to control a meeting on your phone to avoid sharing a controller.
Zoom also looks to help those that will not be physically present. You can send a Rooms for Touch whiteboard to a Zoom chat or email for those working from home.
You can also host and join OnZoom sessions with Zoom for Home devices. Rooms and Zoom for Home devices also now receive as well as show meeting reactions. Realtime transcription also is a feature allowing for better post-meeting recap and for those with accessibility needs.
Overall we should see these innovative moves from Zoom as sensible ones. At some point working from home will be a thing of the past and people will be back in offices. Features to remain relevant in this world are very sensible and could keep Zoom going as we head back into the world.