Between tools for project management, team collaboration and group communication, the ways in which we communicate are exponentially helping us to do it better. Especially video conferencing, and how it’s reinvigorating the workplace as we know it. Consider the modern day use of a phone booth room, which is exactly what it sounds like. You may remember all the trappings of an actual (nearly ancient) phone booth. Think back to a pre-mobile time, where every street corner had a sliding glass door that opened up into a small vertical space. The caller would enter, and feel whisked away from the outside white noise into a quieter, more peaceful setting. One could pick up the receiver and dial a number found from a chained phone book. How far we have come, indeed, only to end up back where we started!
While the quintessential phone booth we once knew doesn’t exist outside on the streets anymore, it seems like they’ve made their way indoors instead. Across offices and workplaces around the world, the concept of a phone booth is still the same – it’s a spot that provides privacy and solace while making a connection elsewhere. Whatever you want to call it – a huddle room, communication space, soundproof booth, pod, phone booth room – there’s a keen interest in these novel spaces and it’s shaping the way we work and hold video conferencing meetings.
Let’s take a look at the current setup. More and more workspaces are designed to be open concept. Long benches and work tables have now replaced cubicles. Walls have been knocked down to make way for more space and glass separations. Need to locate a colleague? Sometimes all it takes is standing up and surveying the layout of the room to find her. These factors amount to a wonderful, collaborative and totally integrated workspace. But when a private chat needs to be held or a meeting discussing sensitive metrics needs to go down, the requirement for smaller, isolated spaces to convene away from the eyes and ears of everyone else is becoming more and more obvious.
Workplaces are implementing phone booth rooms to better accommodate video conferencing.
As companies employ more remote workers; encourage flex time; expand customer and or supplier reach; aim to improve productivity, etc., lines of communication need to be accessible at all times. With video conferencing, the exchange of information is direct, private, effective and fast, especially with the help of a phone booth room.
The beauty of video conferencing and calling is that communication is done at the speed of technology, facilitating an instant connection that forges a bond between callers who can see each other’s faces in real-time. A designated and confined space offers the perfect option for one to hold a meeting without disrupting the open concept workspace, which by the way, does have its drawbacks too. An open office can be overstimulating. There is plenty to be distracted by plus, it’s an open invitation for poorly timed conversation and small talk.
For many companies, there seems to be a focus on big, all-encompassing spaces, forgetting that small private corners offer people an option to get away from the hustle and bustle. An average office worker gets distracted by a human or technology every three minutes, and once that occurs, it can take up to 23 minutes to get back on track. A designated area to decompress and focus your undivided attention while engaging in video conferencing discussing a project has huge advantages – efficiency and productivity are the two top benefits of using video conferencing.
In an open concept space where people are walking to and fro, a phone booth room provides an enclosed area where you can get right down to work. No distractions. No interruptions and no one looking at your screen. This ensures a smooth and seamless video conferencing and calling experience, or at the very least, a sacred space to enter flow state! You can get away from it all in a phone booth room while still getting the advantages of an open concept workplace.
Phone booth rooms can be repurposed from a utility closet, a space under the staircase or from any unused space outfitted with a seat, table, and ventilation. Knowing that most offices are headed towards utilizing video conferencing as the forward-thinking mode of communication, there are cost-effective solutions that can be set up in less than 30 minutes.
LET CALLBRIDGE’S ADVANCED MEETING TECHNOLOGY FACILITATE BETTER FLOW AND COMMUNICATION IN AN EVERCHANGING AND EXPANDING WORKPLACE
Wherever you work, Callbridge’s video conferencing technology ensures a high quality, bespoke meeting environment – in all workplace environments. With absolute connectivity, superior audio-visual and high-speed connection, you can communicate anytime, anywhere from a phone booth room to poolside and beyond.
