Video Conferencing vs Virtual Reality: The best way for business teams to connect and collaborate
Communication tools have never been as important to companies as it is today. Remote and hybrid teams worldwide are using various communication tools to run and manage their distributed teams seamlessly. These tools help colleagues communicate effectively, boost productivity, and foster employee engagement.
Although video conferencing has been around for decades, lockdowns during 2020 forced us to turn to video conferencing platforms. Companies started to fundamentally rely on software such as Skype, Google Meets, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. And although video conferencing has served us well, it was unfortunately not able to fill the void of connectedness and the feeling of “togetherness”. Meetings and happy hours are not the same.
Togetherness is crucial for a well-running team. It builds strong relationships and bonds to uplift employee engagement and – wellness.
This necessity gave rise to a younger technology — virtual reality. Virtual reality provides a sense of real presence and unforgettable experiences. In other words, teams can gather in the same virtual space and feel like everyone is in the same room. You’ll be able to stand next to your colleague who lives 1000miles from you, in New York.
Still, adopting new technology can be scary. So, how do you know which method is more suitable for your team?
The benefits of video conferencing
1. Enables remote teams to meet regardless of physical location
Video conferencing played a pivotal role in allowing business teams to meet and discuss important topics without being in the same physical location. Teams don’t need to travel to one location to discuss important matters. Instead, everyone joins a video call while being in different locations.
Plus, you can hire the best talent regardless of location and allow them to work from anywhere.
2. Saves money & time
By making it possible for your team to meet face-to-face through video calls, you save money and time on travelling.
You’ll also save time, reduce confusion and resolve issues faster by hosting a quick meeting over a video call instead of spending hours emailing back and forth working on a topic.
Plus, you can hire the best talent regardless of location and allow them to work from anywhere.
3. Makes it easier to schedule meetings
Scheduling meetings can be challenging when your team members have busy schedules and various responsibilities, especially if your team travels often. Video conferencing makes it easier to schedule meetings since employees can join the call from anywhere, at any time and with any device.
The benefits of Virtual Reality
Virtual reality apps like Remio provides the same benefits as video conferencing with a few add-ons.
VR stands out in the sense of presence and fostering natural human interactions. Staring at a 2D square screen is impersonal, especially when everyone struggles to focus on others’ responses and keeps staring at themselves in the small window in the corner of the screen.
1. Feeling that you inhabit the same office space – a sense of presence.
The spatial audio and awareness in VR make it feel like you’re in the exact same room, even when you’re miles apart. We’ve seen many people surprised at how present and connected they feel with the team after an event or meeting in VR.
2. Maintaining a great company culture
The sense of presence VR helps develop healthy relationships in a workspace by enabling people to socialise and network more naturally. No more awkward silent zoom calls.
Remio provides tools and hosts events that encourage engagement, team bonding and communication through gamified games and experiences.
3. Brainstorming & collaboration
A quick brainstorming session in VR is a game-changer for remote teams. Your team can simply jump into VR, do a whiteboard session, draw out an action plan in real-time and share it with others after the meeting.
In Remio, you can spawn a whiteboard in any beautiful virtual space, use 3D pens to draw anywhere, plan using a Jira board, present presentations, and host private 1:1 meetings in audio-controlled rooms.
Other popular VR apps that mainly focus on collaboration include Spatial, Engage, Horizons Workrooms, and Glue.
4. Comfortable one-on-ones with casual activities.
One-on-one chats over video calls can be awkward and unnatural since both people stare at each other and wait for the other person to speak. In VR apps like Remio, you can do one-on-ones while playing casual activities like ping-pong, golf and other mini arcade games. This makes both people feel more comfortable and chat more freely.
In short, meeting in virtual reality is as close as it gets to in-person events without being in-person. Which makes communication, meetings and teambuilding effortless, time-saving and more cost-effective.
How to choose which kinds of meetings to use VR for?
Choosing between video conferencing & VR comes down to your team’s needs and which kind of meeting provides you with the most value.
If you work remotely and plan to continue to work remotely, VR can be great for whiteboard, brainstorming sessions, standups, presentations, offsites, and teambuilding events.
Those who are heading back to the office can use VR when connecting to teams located at other branches. Or to offset travel expenses for company-wide offsites and conferences.
VR is most beneficial for meeting types that require everyone’s attention since it forces team members to be fully present and engaged during the event or meeting. On the other hand, video conferencing is best for meetings where not all participants are required to participate.
What does Remio focus on?
A large count of today’s workforce is millennials. A generation that places a great emphasis on work-life balance, seeks flexibility, and time-efficient schedules. Company culture has never been this crucial.
At Remio, our primary focus is to bring teams together in a virtual space where they can gather, collaborate and have fun. A place where teams can bond and foster work relationships: a place where teams can brainstorm, whiteboard and converse.
Your team gets their own virtual company campus where you can hang out, meet, and access all our different experiences. We’ve seen teams have better one-on-one sessions because they can easily spend it over a few rounds at the virtual driving range.
If VR sounds like the right fit for your company, we’d love to help you get started. Reach out to our team with any questions you might have. events@remiovr.com
Companies have used Remio for:
Monthly or quarterly team building events
Company Offsites or conferences
Employee farewells
Team celebrations
Learn how we bring remote teams together.
