20 THE CHANNEL MANAGER’S PLAYBOOK AI technologies also have advanced in leaps and bounds during the same period. In fact, reports show that AI adoption is 2.5 times greater now than it was in 2017. The market is projected to skyrocket twentyfold by 2030 to nearly $2 trillion, according to research from Next Move Strategy Consulting. Now, the two worlds are converging. Leading platforms are weaving AI capabilities into their video conferencing tools to enhance the meeting experience for maximum productivity and performance. Gone are the days when organizing, running and managing your virtual meetings was a clunky, cumbersome endeavor. Thanks to AI’s advantages, video conferencing platforms are empowering organizations to kick up their internal and external meetings several notches. Here are four of the most impactful ways AI-driven solutions can improve the meeting experience. 1. Natural Language Processing (NLP) Natural language processing is a branch of AI that enables computers to understand text and spoken words in the same way a real person can. In other words, it’s about giving AI programs the power of conversational intelligence. Modern video conferencing tools are leveraging NLP across a host of innovative capabilities, including: • Voice-to-text transcription: Using NLP, an AI-enabled platform can recognize and process complete sentences as they’re spoken during the meeting. This allows the system to automatically capture meeting notes, summarize conversations, and generate searchable transcripts. When machine learning tools are incorporated, video conferencing platforms can even identify who is speaking during the meeting. • Real-time translation: Global enterprises may be holding internal or external meetings that stretch beyond borders and include attendees who speak different languages. With AI, the meeting software can give everyone an equitable experience by automatically translating live audio into the language of any user’s choice. • Closed captions: Likewise, NLP capabilities can analyze audio and generate closed captions to make the meeting experience more inclusive for all participants. • Noise removal: From cars and pets to housemates and more, there’s no telling what sounds might suddenly disrupt and derail a meeting. Machine learning can be used to train AI to identify and remove those noises before they’re picked up. For hybrid teams, this is especially useful, as automatic background noise removal and acoustic fencing filters out distractions in different locations to keep meetings running smoothly. • Sentiment analysis: Consider the customer experience use case for video conferencing: contact center agents working on resolutions in real time. One major benefit for agents is AI’s ability to understand sentiment and tone during a conversation. Programs can analyze a speaker’s voice to uncover pain points and frustrations during the interaction. This allows managers to evaluate both customer experience and agent performance for future improvements. Rank the following communication tools that you expect your organization to use in the year 2030. (1 most prevalent to 7 least prevalent) Rank Video Meetings Messaging Email Virtual Reality In-person Meeting Softphone Desk Phone 1 21% 13% 18% 22% 14% 7% 6% 2 26% 17% 16% 11% 12% 9% 9% 3 15% 23% 16% 12% 15% 12% 8% 4 13% 15% 18% 12% 13% 16% 13% 5 10% 15% 13% 11% 15% 21% 15% 6 9% 8% 11% 10% 15% 23% 24% 7 6% 9% 10% 22% 16% 12% 26% Mean 3.15 3.61 3.63 3.98 4.14 4.51 4.98 Source: 8x8 Future of Work Report
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