Analyst Viewpoint
The important role that video plays in digital communications has been clear for some time, and our benchmark research finds it to be one of the highest growth channels for communications in 35% of organizations. The demand for engaging and retaining customers continues to place pressure on organizations to be digitally effective in their communications, and video is a key part of this effectiveness. Using embedded video is now not just possible, but essential for organizations seeking to provide the experiences expected by the market.
Workforce members expect video capabilities for any type of meeting, especially as physical locations have become more widely distributed.
While video has been a part of the technological evolution of UCaaS (unified communications as a service) and CPaaS (Communication Platform as a Service), the challenge has been for organizations to embed these capabilities within the applications and workflows that are used by the organization. Embedded video communications are also a critical component of the virtualization of operations in support of business continuity. These imperatives face challenges since the technology available in the market has not been designed to be embedded and has lacked the configurability and the APIs needed to support the architecture requirements of using methods like WebRTC. Accordingly, through 2024 two-thirds of organizations will determine that their technology for unified communications is ineffective for meeting business continuity needs and falls short in the open communications requirements for secured and seamless interactions across devices and people.
The role of video communications continues to grow across many different organizational contexts. Customers increasingly want to engage and communicate with organizations via video as they seek to gain answers to questions or need further detail about a product. Workforce members expect video capabilities for any type of meeting, especially as physical locations have become more widely distributed. And adding video communication capabilities with external parties such as vendors, contractors and other partners is quickly becoming the norm in order to assure the highest levels of business continuity and performance. Use of video in communication has become the standard means for establishing the personalized dialogue that we all expect.
Embedding meeting capabilities in the applications used for these different types of interactions will enable effective digital experiences that support human dialogue and engagement for any type of audience. Whether interactions are between coworkers, customers, partners, patients or students, there is a strong need to engage with video both for outcome quality and accessibility reasons. Organizations should ascertain if they are providing an embedded meeting experience in every relevant interaction via the appropriate supporting applications, websites and workflows.
Organizations looking to modernize and transform their digital communications should examine how to embed video in their current and future applications and websites.
Organizations looking to modernize and transform their digital communications should examine how to embed video in their current and future applications and websites. They can achieve this by using a digital platform designed for modern communications with an architecture that enables the use of APIs and SDKs. It is essential to modernize the expectations and requirements for embedding video as a service so that this capability can be deployed across cloud computing environments regardless of an organization’s specific technology stack. Organizations will also require that these services be in compliance with industry regulations like GDPR and HIPAA. And finally, embracing technology that doesn’t require seasoned developer resources and that supports no-code or low-code development methods can help expedite the organization’s ability to embed video in existing applications and systems.
No matter the size of organization or the industry, enabling video communications across the workforce will help ensure business continuity and cost savings for operations and technology, along with a top-of-line experience for customers and other third parties. Organizations must evaluate existing technology used for communication and collaboration to determine if they meet the new vision, requirements and cost-benefit value for these tools in the modern era.
