The move towards remote collaboration in business has been a long time coming – but there was a sharp uptick during the pandemic. And unlike some of lockdown's novelties (the online quiz, for instance) this one appears to be here to stay.

During the pandemic, travel wasn't an option. Now, businesses are questioning whether travel should be the default option. This has coincided with the proliferation of video conferencing software and extended reality (XR) hardware to bring remote collaboration to the mainstream.

The video call market has been occupied by giants like Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Zoom – services that kept many companies afloat at a time when virtual meetings were a necessity.

SimplyVideo is a new piece of software that realises more of these platforms' potential. It does this by providing a service that can be joined from any browser, location or device with maximum security and minimum downtime.

Now imagine such a platform with XR features that allow a remote expert to pipe invaluable advice straight into a frontline worker's wearable.

Now imagine it with the ability to make low-bandwidth calls – making video calls possible in even the unfriendliest network areas.

This is SimplyVideo – an XR-ready solution that makes collaboration possible for anyone, anywhere.

What are its features?

Chat 4.0

Central to SimplyVideo is its Chat 4.0 feature. While visually similar to the chat box at the side of a Google Meet or Microsoft Teams call, Chat 4.0 takes things further.

Let's say a frontline worker is doing a maintenance job offsite. They could be thousands of miles away – but with SimplyVideo, they're able to swiftly capture and share photos with easy voice commands. Once dropped into the chat, a remote expert can annotate the image.

This in-call annotation is an invaluable tool for speeding up problem-solving in a range of industries – whether you're a medical professional at the scene of an emergency or a construction worker undergoing training.

Wherever your work takes you, you no longer need to interpret vague or glitchy directions. Even in the most high-risk or low-bandwidth locations, you can count on a smooth, reliable connection with HQ.

And whatever you share in Chat 4.0 is automatically saved in a PDF on the cloud for you to access later. This records all your text conversations as well as photos, videos and sound files.

In short, Chat 4.0 is a self-auditing, XR-friendly chat function designed to bring frontline and remote experts closer together.

3D asset visualisation

If you need to share a 3D asset, SimplyVideo allows you to do so with any device or any browser anywhere in the world.

But that's not all – anyone wearing a supported headset will be able to see and handle the asset as though in the room with you. That means a designer in Reykjavik and a project manager in Jakarta can simultaneously inspect, rotate and annotate a 3D design.

This has clear advantages for your design cycle – leaving aside the way it minimises back and forth and encourages swift, efficient collaboration, it also saves you money (no more 3D printing necessary).

This is XR with your business's interests at heart.

What are its benefits?

The key benefit of SimplyVideo is that it empowers your frontline workers by connecting them to the remote expertise they need in any given situation. No longer does "frontline" mean "out of reach" – by harnessing the power of XR and low-bandwidth video calls, no one is left in the dark.

Mission-critical photos and videos can be shared in real-time. This has all sorts of knock-on effects for a range of industries: it can improve health and safety. It can streamline the design process. It can cut back on unnecessary travel.

It can also save lives. A paramedic with an XR headset can receive critical guidance from a remote expert that could make all the difference in an emergency.

SimplyVideo is versatile. It supports a range of XR wearables as well as a broad spread of browsers and devices. And it's built for XR, meaning it's especially hot on hands-free functions. It makes the most out of wearables, maximising your ROI.

And it takes security as seriously as you would expect from a cloud-based communications service. All calls are encrypted, ensuring security from start to finish.

What are its use cases?

As well as streamlining the design process, SimplyVideo has a range of uses for a range of industries. It's been used, for instance, by an office construction company to conduct virtual building tours – feeding live onsite content into a video meeting.

Another example is sustainable energy company Ørsted, which develops, constructs and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms and more.

When embarking on a project, Ørsted carries out a rehearsal of concept or "ROC" drill. This is an offsite visualisation of the project built around physical mockups.

SimplyVideo was asked to help Ørsted carry out ROC drills in line with COVID-19 regulations. This gave team members a shared first-person view of the visualisations – even though some of the team were in Singapore and some in Europe.

Not only did SimplyVideo enable Ørsted to stay safe during the pandemic, but it also helped them to reduce costs and carbon emissions.

These benefits aren't limited to existing use cases. The possibilities are broad and far-reaching. In terms of industries, SimplyVideo can support and enhance field service, healthcare, manufacturing and logistics, energy and utilities, construction and the automotive industry.

As well as design and visualisation, it can elevate remote collaboration in settings like training, field maintenance, auditing, inspections and digital work instructions.

In short, SimplyVideo is a versatile platform designed to connect any device, anywhere – and its mission is to elevate remote communication among teams in a range of industries.

Its XR capabilities mean that you'll be able to visually collaborate on a project as though sitting across from one another – with all the positive effects this will have on problem-solving and productivity.

Interested? Then please get in touch for a free 30-day trial.