Numerous UC providers have found creative ways to release high-quality video production tools that extend relative ease of use. Zoom, Cisco, and Avaya, to name a few. This has been primarily to address the fact that in-person events: while coming back, aren't entirely safe or practical. Hybrid events can be just as impactful, that is (to say) when a little production value gets added to make that production appear high-dollar.
With the right tools, these events don't have to cost (a lot of) money and can reduce aspects of events and conferences like expensive travel and the time it takes to arrive at a distant location. Time-consuming travel is a thing of the past, and (a lot) more inconveniences that commonly get associated with travel to in-person events. At least that is what UCC provider BlueJeans by Verizon is hoping for with its latest release.
It recently opened up its most contemporary offering, Verizon BlueJeans Studio, in early access: and we've got a preview of what it will extend to users once it is fully available later this month. In a blog post, Maureen Beckman, Senior Product Marketing Manager, BlueJeans, talked about what the offering will extend, now and once it becomes widely available.
For now, BlueJeans by Verizon users can access BlueJeans Studio production tools, which are today; available for early access for free for 14-days. The new tool should extend a robust set of production tools to BlueJeans Events users - lending them the ability to produce TV-quality live streams for various events even if they have relatively lackluster production skills.
Below is our breakdown of all the implications of the launch.
BlueJeans Focuses on Ease-of-Use
Following the no-code trend that the Coronavirus Pandemic brought on, BlueJeans says - no production experience is needed to leverage BlueJeans Studio. "Our web-based producer dashboard makes it easy to create beautiful, engaging video streams with just a few clicks," Beckman wrote in that blog post.
Users can create professional-grade videos for various scenarios, all of which are available in 1080p video quality. Equipped with what the firm calls seamless on-screen presenter transitions and extensive streaming capabilities - hybrid events and webinars can be streamed to websites and social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube - for a greater reach.
Of course, branding is always imperative at these kinds of events. And BlueJeans says that brands can add logos, personalized backgrounds, and colors, highlight multiple presenters, and may; place ticker banners; name cards, along with lower-third overlays - adding a real sense of production value.
When it comes to audience engagement tools, there is also no shortage of those: according to Beckman, who noted: there will be ways to engage participants via chat, Q&A, and polls in real-time. In addition, any comments, reactions, feedback, etc., can be posted directly on screen; to further drive audience engagement.
Users can also share uploaded videos, images, and screens. The platform is event agnostic, meaning it is available for any event, including influencer events, hybrid ones, interviews, product launches/demos, virtually any company-wide events: and even marketing webinars.
Verizon BlueJeans Studio Pricing
Users can pay monthly or annually; and host anywhere from 100 to 500 attendees on a standard license. That comes with the ability to host unlimited non-concurrent webinars that last two hours.
It further includes attendee registration workflow, reporting, and access to features like automated closed captioning, which leverages BlueJeans technology. Intermission and broadcast pause are also available, along with many other perks like presenter prep rooms and attendee waiting areas. One downside is that it only includes live online support.
For larger-scale events, interested individuals must contact the BlueJeans sales team. In doing so, they could gain access to hosting up to 150,000 view-only attendees. That experience will undoubtedly cost those who decide to leverage it more money: but would likely greatly benefit those in the enterprise sector.
There is no limit on the length of the events: and there is access to peer-to-peer networking for bandwidth management. There are also marketing automation integrations with Marketo and Salesforce and access to 'restricted area' events to create a secure; environment for participants.
In terms of support, the package designed for larger-scale events includes pre, during, and post-event support along with a dedicated account manager 24/7/365.
More Updates Focused on Meeting Efficiency
Last week, BlueJeans by Verizon also released a slew of features designed to enhance the efficiency of meetings, which is in line with its overall strategy. It now extends access to features like multi-language closed captioning and transcripts and supports more language options to better support more global teams that (do not) necessarily speak the same language.
Users can also access hide self-view - which lets them hide their videos while others can still see them. "Binge Meetings," available for (iOS and iPadOS), extends user notifications for their next call.
There is also "CallKit Support" for iOS and iPadOS: a feature that assists in remote worker time management, hoping to allow them to better manage incoming phone calls while on a BlueJeans Meeting by switching over without dropping either call, according to the firm.
Breakout sessions and virtual backgrounds for iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices are too: available. And finally, RTMP Streaming is now available via the BlueJeans Desktop app. Users can stream meetings to any feed with a URL and streaming key, a feature only previously obtainable via BlueJeans Events.
We seem to have reached a point in the UCC industry where companies are releasing similar features; left and right. It is not a bad thing, in theory - but really a matter of who does it better. BlueJeans is among (one of) the few taking on this concept of creating high-quality virtual events in an easy and scalable way, further making it fierce competition for the likes of Zoom and Cisco in terms of innovation.
Regarding the feature, Beckman wrote: "BlueJeans Studio is a new and included feature of BlueJeans Events we designed to elevate the virtual event experience." You can request a demo of the tool; or try it free for 14 days; after that, you will need to purchase a license.
