What your Conference Room and Chick-fil-A Have in Common

Jul 1, 2020 3:12:44 PM / by Lori Cook

Back to "normal"? Nope, not so fast! I'm not sure our expectations of "normal" will ever be the same after the things we have experienced over the last few months. If you'd told me in December when I was setting my 2020 goals that a virus would change our world, I would've called you crazy! But the truth is, it has changed everything. If you look around, you will see that life as we know it has changed both in our personal and professional worlds.

I mean, have you been to Chick-fil-A recently? They have completely reinvented how they sling the world's most famous "chicken and french fries" as my kids call it. They have moved from a dine-in establishment to a drive-thru, curb service powerhouse. I mean, the way they move thousands of cars through at lunchtime is impressive. Whoever came up with that traffic flow plan needs to be in charge of our DMV!

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It's not just our favorite restaurants that have adapted to this national crisis; we are seeing our clients across all industries reevaluating and reinventing the way that work. From temperature checks upon arrival to directional carpet, companies are changing! In our Audio Visual world, we see a surge in conversations around how to enhance meeting spaces both in the office and remotely. We are noticing that companies who have opposed a remote workforce realize that it works. We had no choice but to create a work from home environment, and things have continued to move along just as they always have.

 

Some of our top manufacturers were positioned well for this change in workstyle. With the surge in Zoom and Teams meetings, Crestron has hit a home run with its new Crestron Flex system for an integrated conferencing solution. They market this as "one device that does it all," and it's true. Not only is it end user friendly and an all in one solution, but it is also very cost-effective. 

 

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Another big ask has been for wireless connectivity and conferencing. With businesses trying to limit the amount of "touching," having a way to come into a room and display your content and kickoff a meeting, wirelessly has been a hot topic. Barco ClickShare has recently introduced its ClickShare Conference. Part of that line is the CX-30; it's a simple, wireless conferencing solution for your small to medium conference rooms that can be used on any device to bring teams together. We have partnered with Barco and will be hosting a webinar for many of our clients who have expressed interest in learning more. As an added bonus those who attend will be eligible for a FREE unit! You can find the details here.

 

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Now enough of business chatter, what have you changed personally? For us, it has been many things. Cooking 3-5 meals a day!! Mid-day naps (if you have kids, or maybe not). More reading. More family time. Board games. Movie days. Porch parties. Building forts. Church online. Grocery delivery. Bike rides. Target drive-up (this is the best thing ever invented). Zoom birthday parties. Daily devotionals.

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Although our world turned upside down, with camps and sports canceled and limited interaction with our friends, it has allowed us to slow down and realize what is most important. This has been a hard season, but it has been 100% worth it. It has given me an appreciation for things I have taken for granted in the past (like school and school lunches) and has shown me that we are all overcomer in our own way. Like Chick-fil-A we all just needed to reinvent our normal. 

Topics: Audio Visual, Crestron, Conference Room, Huddle Room, Barco, Wireless Presentation, Work From Home

Lori Cook

Written by Lori Cook

Having been with Smarter Systems since 2010, Lori is an experienced sales professional who has achieved success in working with organizations of all sizes.