How the Quebec Technology Association is Transforming with Technology – Part 2
In part one of this series I shared the story of L’Association québécoise des technologies (AQT), or the Quebec Technology Association, and the struggle it faced to connect and engage with disparate members.
In today’s post I will dive into how AQT is conquering this struggle and transforming itself with technology. Watch for the conclusion to this story in my final post next week.
If you recall, AQT had realized they needed to change the way they interacted with disparate members. Hosting events in Montreal and having members dial in over the phone, while Montreal-based members attended live, just wasn’t meeting the organization’s objectives anymore.
But what could they do? Despite their large membership size of more than 600, AQT itself is a small business. How could they enhance the experience for remote attendees? Video technology was the obvious answer, but seemed out of the question because AQT believed that only the largest enterprises could afford it.
Is this beginning to sound familiar?
Medwave Optique is a member of AQT and as such, we offered to help AQT realize what was possible with new video endpoints and technology.
For example, to allow remote members to join events via video and bring them into the discussion, we advised AQT to deploy a flexible Cisco TelePresence solution. Why? Because that allowed us to transform AQT’s existing flat-panel display into a high-definition video collaboration system.
Imagine your business doing the same, with the technology you already have. All AQT required was the codec, camera and remote control.
We tested the solution with AQT, and they loved it. Their first response, literally, was, ‘Wow. The image is so clear. It’s just like having the other members in the room with us.’”
In addition to TelePresence solution AQT added in Montreal, it also deployed a subscription-based cloud service so that disparate members could connect to the telepresence sessions. All the remote members need to do is download the free Cisco Jabber® Video for TelePresence soft client and dial into the session.
Easy? Check. Fast? Check. Small-business ready? Absolutely.
And not surprisingly, with the ability to also view video and speaker presentations through Jabber the response from members has been overwhelming. As AQT’s Lapointe told me:
“Jabber is great because it’s easy to install and free for our remote users. They love it. All they need to do is click a button, type in the address, and they’re part of the conference. We’ve never had anything like this be available to them before.”
How has the video solution changed AQT’s business? Where do they see themselves taking this deployment? I’ll answer those questions in the final part of this series next week.
Tags:- AQT
- Cisco
- cisco canada
- Cisco TelePresence
- Collaboration
- Jabber
- Mario Seguin
- Medwave Optique
- Quebec Technology Association
