Digital Whiteboards

We’re all familiar with analog whiteboards, sometimes called dry-erase boards. They can be incredibly useful (and sometimes messy) in a business setting. They allow collaboration and easy communication. But only for the people standing directly in front of it.
But what about employees in another office, or on the road?

Fortunately, the whiteboard has gone digital, and its usefulness has increased exponentially. They allow digital ideas to be saved automatically, while holding video chat sessions and interactive meetings between remote offices at the same time. Distance between the participants is no longer an issue. The costs of digital whiteboards are much higher than for the old fashion variety. But they are on their way to becoming an indispensable item in any forward-thinking office.

What can a digital whiteboard do?
When you sit back and take a broad look at your business’s workflow, you may very well discover where a digital whiteboard can augment it.

Digital whiteboards start with image-to-text conversion. Jotting notes directly on the screen, the whiteboard can automatically interpret your handwriting and turn it into text. How many times have you had to decipher someone else’s cryptic notes? Or even your own? All participants, either in the room or participating in the meeting via a whiteboard in another location, can see your notes and you can see theirs. As with the old dry-erase board, digital whiteboards increase the level of information absorption, synthesis and retention.

Often, digital whiteboards are paired with a digital video conferencing system, allowing colleagues to engage one another more effectively when discussing a project plan or solving a certain business problem. And because not everybody needs to take notes during the meeting, they can be more focused when engaging one another.

Using interactive whiteboards encourages everyone to be part of the learning process or corporate discussions rather than simply being recipients of the already prepared information. Participants will receive exactly the same visual and audio information being shared in the meeting, ensuring that everybody is on the same page and that all attendees move forward together.

Some whiteboards allow the whiteboarding sessions to be recorded for later playback and review, as well as making it easy to email, print and/or share all the information discussed in the meeting to absent employees.

Lastly, whiteboard access is not only limited to computers that are connected to a video conferencing system. Remote users are able to connect the whiteboards to Android and iOS smart devices via an easy-to-install application.
Digital whiteboards not only bring greater efficiency and convenience in the office space, but they also foster engagement and drive performance for every employee.

Return to the Tech Trends Newsletter