Facilitating smooth hybrid meetings with a Managed Meeting Room.

The days in which all participants in a meeting gathered in a physical space are over. The pandemic has forced us into our homes, changing our way of working forever. Now that the world is slowly opening up again, the hybrid workplace is on the rise. Employers across the globe will facilitate (partial) remote working, and employees are eager to embrace the concept.

With this structure comes a new type of professional get-together: the hybrid meeting. Companies everywhere require high-quality equipment and expert knowledge to make sure their meetings go smoothly. Wortell has responded to this need by providing a managed meeting room solution. After implementing Microsoft Teams Rooms (MTR) for a customer, it connects meeting rooms to its very own MTR Premium-based Meeting Operations Center.

Meeting Operations Center: 'monitor and act' based on MTR Premium

Wortell enables customers to conduct hybrid meetings in a way that suits their organizations. First, Wortell's experts conduct a site survey to assess which Microsoft Teams equipment will best fit their needs — MTR equipment (for small, medium, or large meeting rooms) or Microsoft Surface Hub (for co-creation rooms). Then, they implement MTR to support the hybrid workplace.

But it doesn't end there. After all, it's crucial to manage and maintain meeting rooms so customers can hold smooth, uninterrupted meetings. That's where Wortell's Meeting Operations Center comes in. From here, experts monitor customers' meeting rooms 24/7 to prevent incidents and solve issues right away. The prerequisite for this service? The MTR Premium License, which allows Wortell to keep a constant eye on the dashboard that indicates the status of all equipment.

The Center's motto: 'Support, Monitor, and Act.' Once the MTR Premium License is activated, Wortell can monitor meeting rooms day and night and provide personal support to MTR users when needed. If a microphone stops working, someone disconnects a cable, or users have functional questions, Wortell takes immediate action.

When the meeting room is inoperable, experts at the Meeting Operations Center coordinate the support process from A to Z. The first thing they do is make sure no one can book the meeting room in question until everything is up and running again. Depending on the agreements made, either Wortell's experts or one of the customer’s employees — who has received proper training from Wortell — will fix or replace the equipment.

To facilitate a quick break/fix, spare parts are needed in each location. Wortell manages the inventory, replenishing stock promptly to ensure every MTR meeting room has the best possible uptime.

Occasionally, customers may encounter an obstacle during a meeting. Equipment can break or stop working, or people may not know which button to push. To solve such problems swiftly, customers can contact the Meeting Operations Center straight from Teams using the Wortell app, which is based on Azure Communication Services. They'll be connected to an expert who will instantly know which room they're calling from and what's going on, as the Meeting Operation Center's dashboard will display all relevant information.

As a result, troubleshooting is an absolute breeze: Wortell can instruct customers remotely or, in more serious cases, send experts to the meeting room so they can quickly fix the issue.

Managed meeting room solution and end-to-end service: guaranteeing uptime to boost efficiency and productivity

While working from home during the pandemic, people have gotten used to conducting smooth Teams meetings. When offices open their doors again, they will expect the same from hybrid working. Whether physical or remote, MTR meeting rooms will be like telephones — they'll be in every office, and everyone will assume they work properly.

It's paramount that employers guarantee a 99.9% uptime to their staff so they can boost efficiency and productivity. That is why Wortell provides proactive and reactive support from its Meeting Operations Center. Based on clear agreements, Wortell is ultimately responsible for preventing and fixing problems. Its experts keep a sharp eye on customers' meeting environments and act promptly when needed.

Wortell's managed meeting room solution and end-to-end service help customers thrive in the new hybrid world as it unfolds, enabling them to get the most out of themselves.

MTR Premium in practice: facilitating hybrid meetings for world-leading retailer Ahold Delhaize

Headquartered in the Netherlands, Ahold Delhaize is a world-leading food retailer with 440,000 employees. Brands in the United States include Stop & Shop, Giant Food Stores, Food Lion, Peapod, and Hannaford Bros. Co. The organization has an annual revenue of 75 billion euros, which boils down to approximately 1.5 billion per week.

To prepare for the hybrid world and facilitate hybrid meetings, Ahold Delhaize has called in Wortell's help. Wortell will be accountable for making sure 350 to 400 meeting rooms worldwide can be used hassle-free. Approximately 30,000 to 40,000 office workers will work in a smooth, hybrid way, enabled by the MTR Premium service. With Wortell's support, they'll be able to increase efficiency and productivity, conducting meetings effortlessly. Participants in a physical room will be able to talk to their co-workers at home and around the world, unbothered by technical glitches.

Wortell will monitor Ahold Delhaize's meeting rooms 24/7 and intervene immediately should problems (threaten to) arise. In each location, two Ahold Delhaize employees will be trained to troubleshoot meeting room problems based on the Meeting Operation Center's instructions. Through the Wortell app, they can stay in close contact — experts will be able to see what's wrong on the dashboard right away and explain to the employees how they can fix it.

In the words of Ahold Delhaize, Wortell will provide a 'dial tone service:' participating in a smooth hybrid meeting will be as obvious as picking up a phone and dialing a number. It's not something people will need to think about. It always works, so employees can focus and flourish — no matter where they are in the world.