Pointe Advisory solves collaboration challenges with Airtame 2

The challenge

Pointe Advisory had a collaboration problem. With meeting rooms wired for HDMI connections, they had tried several screen-sharing solutions, but solutions failed to deliver collaboration efficiency and technical simplicity. It was very time-consuming to present meeting materials, especially if more than one person was presenting.

If one person was sharing their screen and wanted to transfer access to someone else, they would have to unplug an HDMI cable, plug it into another device, and configure display settings on the new device. It made collaboration incredibly difficult, and in the end, employees would end up moving around the room to stand in front of a laptop and look at presentations there. It was not conducive to high-level business conversations, didn’t match the sophistication of their brand, and wasted a lot of time. A mess of cables running around the meeting rooms also looked unprofessional when clients were on-site for meetings.

The firm also had a secondary issue, which was digital signage. There were four displays around their office where they wanted to display information such as internal social items or important business metrics. Their previous solution had been creating a PowerPoint presentation and then placing it on a USB stick or transferring it over the network, but that required them to set up the presentation at each device individually. Every time an adjustment was made to the slides, an entirely new deck would have to be uploaded and transferred to each device. Each device also had its own password, adding to the time spent on updates.

A wireless screen sharing solution that met their criteria

The firm trialed a few solutions but had difficulty finding one that worked with both Macs and PCs. While looking for a solution, there were a few top criteria. One was that any apps for the solutions couldn’t require Admin access. Many of their clients who visited would not be able to download them on their organization-provided machines. In many cases, these devices would also not have USB ports. An app client that would run on top of admin privileges, that allowed them to screen share without violating their tech policies, was an important feature they needed.

Pointe Advisory ordered their first Airtame 2 in September 2019. The installation process was easy and when they tested it out, it did everything they needed, so after piloting it for a few weeks, they ordered an additional three.

Recapturing thousands in productivity

On the collaboration and screen sharing side, the ease and convenience were noticed by both internal and external users, and the Airtame 2 made it easy for people to enter a meeting room and quickly share to the screen. Pete Smith, Principal at Pointe Advisory, says, “We’ve had clients enjoy being able to get in and download the app quickly, and within 30 seconds, they’re up. We’ve also had interview candidates that we’ve had login and easily share things with us.”

When it comes to signage, Pete believes people now take it for granted, “I don’t think they recognize the ease and convenience. For those of us involved in managing the signage and getting it up, there was strong feedback in terms of the ease of use of Airtame Cloud and running PowerPoint slides right from there, and to update the devices remotely.” The inconvenience of HDMI cords and display settings is a thing of the past.

With Office 365 integration via Airtame Cloud Plus, users at Pointe Advisory can share materials right from the network. Files don’t have to be re-uploaded – users can simply sign in with their credentials and share materials, allowing their graphics team to quickly update presentations and then display them via Airtame Cloud. This comes in handy when they have clients in the office – presentations can easily be adapted, by individual screen, to welcome specific guests and personalize their experience in the office. During COVID, it was particularly useful – with alternating days in-office, if staff in the office needed an updated deck, or had a client visiting, Pete or a designer could update materials and quickly push it to the Airtame signage remotely.

As Pointe Advisory has resolved issues with wireless screen sharing and digital signage, they’re ready to tackle their next collaboration problem: hybrid meetings. What in the past was simple teleconference meetings where people could dial in from their phones, has become complicated with video. Currently, casting content to the screen can mean that people in the office can’t see the video of remote staff, and remote staff can’t see the shared content. It all leads back to seamlessness and professionalism: “It’s a reflection of your preparedness. If you don’t have the audio-visual solution, it interrupts the content. And when you’re delivering to a client, it’s distracting. Even if you’re working with your team internally, it’s just not productive because now you’re distracted. If it happens 2 or 3 times during a call, you’re losing 15-30 minutes, and you may only have a 45-minute meeting.”

When they heard of Airtame hybrid conferencing, which allows users to cast their screens to the call just like the Airtame 2, they knew it was the solution they were looking for, so they’ve recently ordered an Airtame Hub,

Pete stated, “Every time you get a piece of technology, it just adds other headaches. You’re solving one problem and sometimes creating two or three others. Screen sharing and hybrid meetings are an amazing value add – when they go well. But when they don’t work or you have incompatible solutions, it just eats up time, and it’s frustrating and it inhibits productivity. I think Airtame has allowed us to focus more on our work. It eliminated a lot of those hassles.”

Overall these four Airtame 2 devices have saved Pointe Advisory both time and money. Pete shares that the company has “recaptured over $120,000 in productivity and lost time annually.” In their perspective, it’s a pretty good return on investment.