The Bainey Group, a general contracting company in the greater Minneapolis area of Minnesota, hired Billy Erickson as Director of Business Transformation in 2019 to lead all operational and business updates and changes to help optimize company processes to support workplace productivity.
“Even before COVID-19, we needed a company-wide video conferencing solution. With employees working out in the field and clients and partners, we needed a better way to hold meetings when we couldn’t all be together.”
Before purchasing the Meeting Owl Pro, The Bainey Group used Microsoft Teams for video conferencing when they needed to hold hybrid meetings, but they didn’t have a video conferencing camera in their conference rooms, so employees would join meetings from their laptops at their desks.
Billy purchased the Meeting Owl Pro in early 2020 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, when every meeting at The Bainey Group became hybrid.
“We’re a construction company, not a technology company, so ease of use was the most important criteria when choosing the Meeting Owl Pro. I wanted something that was easy for all of our employees to use and that didn’t require a lot of management to operate. We also wanted a 360° camera for our large conference room that seats 15 people so everyone in attendance would be visible.”
After learning about the Meeting Owl Pro on Amazon and purchasing it, Billy tested it out before deploying it in the office.
“From unboxing and setting it up to using it in meetings, the Meeting Owl has been simple to use and smooth sailing. I’m the go-to person in the office if something breaks in a conference room, and I haven’t had a single person ask me how to use it.”
Billy has heard nothing but positive feedback since the Meeting Owl Pro joined The Bainey Group.
“Before getting the Meeting Owl, we held a lot of phone meetings, or meetings where people were joining from their desks and not gathering together. People didn’t feel engaged and a part of the discussion, especially if they were joining remotely. Now, remote employees love being able to see everyone in the room, and in-person employees are eager to be a part of discussions with their coworkers and clients.”
In addition to internal feedback, The Bainey Group’s clients have also enjoyed the new technology.
“Our clients love being able to see everyone in the office on one screen in the 360° Pano view. They like knowing who’s in the room and being able to see who’s speaking when we’re talking about their projects. We also hold a lot of meetings with our partners, such as subcontractors and architects, where it’s valuable to be able to communicate effectively face-to-face.”
Billy still sees a big role for the Meeting Owl Pro at The Bainey Group outside of the current pandemic.
“The construction industry has historically relied heavily on face-to-face meetings and networking with clients. COVID-19 stopped that, which was frustrating for our leadership to not be able to spend time with clients and see their faces in the same room. The Meeting Owl bridges the gap so we can still be personable and meet face-to-face with our clients while still being safe and logistically feasible.”
“Additionally, with the Meeting Owl Pro, we can hold more meetings and get more done with our employees and clients than if we were attending in-person. Instead of driving all over town, we can hold three meetings with the Meeting Owl in the time that it would take us to attend one in-person. We’re more productive while still maintaining our personal client relationships, and we’re planning to purchase more Meeting Owls to set up in more conference spaces for that reason.”
The Meeting Owl Pro helps connect distributed workforces and external partners for highly productive and effective hybrid meetings.