Rise of the pods

More people are seeking quiet spaces to conduct video calls in – and increasing numbers of businesses are looking to install special pods for this purpose

Video-conferencing is now an established part of how business gets done. If a physical meeting cannot be arranged, or a meeting needs to be convened at short notice, then it is easy to jump onto a Zoom or Teams call to do it. So, even now that many people are back in the office, demand for video-conferencing continues to increase.

But, in the office, there can be problems – especially if it is open plan. Things like background noise and movements can provide distractions, plus a call could contain sensitive information that may not be for others in the vicinity to hear.

One solution gaining popularity is purpose-built pods, where workers can go and have a video-conference in peace and be sure that confidentiality will be maintained. As Jeff May, UK sales director at conferencing manufacturer Konftel, notes, more people returning to their offices requires more video meeting facilities. “Lots of companies are evaluating, and investing in, long-term strategies,” he says.

“Even though more people are returning to their desks not everyone will always be present at the same time so demand for video meetings will continue to accelerate. Companies are having to evaluate the best way forward and utilise space in a more effective way.”

This includes changing where meetings take place. Prepandemic, video-conferencing often took place in standard meeting rooms and boardrooms. “Now meetings can take place literally anywhere and everywhere there is internet connectivity,” says Jeff. “That could be an impromptu meeting involving one or two people, or a large scale gathering. We are seeing companies invest in lots of different meeting facilities in all shapes and sizes, from small huddle rooms to larger conference spaces.

“Workers can conference call at their desks but, obviously, in an open plan office there’s lots of background noise and the call itself could be a distraction to others. Installing some designated pods is a great option that is already gaining lots of traction.”

The reasons why these pods are gaining popularity is clear. Framery Acoustics, a Finnish manufacturer selling into the UK, has produced a range of pods for offices. They are easy and quick to access. “Pods provide on-demand privacy which will be needed even more in the future,” according to Mikko Tamminen, Framery’s market intelligence manager.

VERSATILITY OF PODS

There are several other advantages to installing video-conferencing pods in workspaces. For example, they can be easily customised – whatever colour or fabric a customer wants to use, or the finish they want, or if they want to apply graphics. Pods can be designed to fit in with existing office décor, or to stand out, whatever the customer wants.

Another selling point is that pods don’t have to be permanent; many brands design their pods to be relatively easy to assemble and disassemble – usually within hours – so they can be moved, taken out or added to, depending on the needs of the business. Often made of lightweight materials, such as fibre glass, they can be moved around an office environment.

And they don’t just have to be used for video-conferencing; they can be comfortable places to work, if someone perhaps has a deadline to meet, or something complex to work on and don’t want to be disturbed, they can step into the pod and block out distractions to focus on their task. They can also be used as spaces for employees to take a break and relax.

Brother UK has installed acoustic pods to address noise issues. “Generalised noise pollution can be a problem – people forget how loud they can be on their own call when they have headphones on, says Phil Jones, chief executive of Brother UK. “If you don’t have headphones on your office environment can seem really noisy. We solved that by installing acoustic pods; people can sit in them, shut the door, and have a Teams call. These are adaptations we have made as we go – but they all present opportunities for resellers.”

OPPORTUNITIES FOR DEALERS

Phil recalls that when Brother UK were looking for acoustic pods, finding them was difficult – he did a lot of desk research, and ended up placing an order with a business he connected with online. However, more manufacturers are now producing pod solutions in response to increasing demand, and dealers should be Wherever you alive to the possibilities that these present to join the meeting sell to customers new and old.

There are also opportunities for an equitable dealers to kit out the tech required in the pods. Pods need equipment such as power experience sockets, USB inputs, television screens or attachment options, sound systems and lighting, which dealers can sell and, in some cases, install too.

The number of businesses looking to redesign and repurpose their office space to entice more employees to come back into the office looks set to continue to grow for the remainder of the year and into 2023 – dealers can capitalise on this and sell pods into customers that have embraced video-conferencing.

These pods are both eye-catching and practical and help to bring people back into the office, knowing that they can have as much privacy as they would enjoy when working from home. They should definitely be part of conversations for dealers when pitching for furniture sales.