AI, productivity, and the future of meetings

The future of workplace collaboration is no longer about simply connecting people across rooms or continents; it is about ensuring every voice is heard, every participant is seen, and every meeting delivers tangible value.

In a candid conversation with Dataquest, Manu Sharma, Regional Director for India & SAARC at Neat, breaks down how video collaboration has evolved since the pandemic, why flawed meeting experiences cost organisations productivity and money, and how AI-powered tools are reshaping the way teams engage. From the challenges faced by Indian enterprises to the opportunities for SMEs, Manu highlights the critical role of technology in driving meeting equity and preparing organisations for the AI-first era of collaboration. 

The IDC report highlights that while Indian organisations believe working from the office boosts productivity, they are still losing significant hours to unproductive meetings. How do you explain this monetary loss and the flawed collaboration behind it?

Four years ago, before the pandemic, video conferencing was considered an elite infrastructure facility. In most organisations, there were only one or two meeting rooms, often called boardrooms, where board meetings took place. This meant that video conferencing was limited to important people in the organisation.

When the pandemic happened and we were all locked in our houses, businesses still had to run. That’s when the world realised that video collaboration cannot be confined only to a few. If an organisation had to be resilient, meaning it could continue delivering regardless of external challenges, then investment in proper and resilient collaboration infrastructure became essential.

Video quickly became the default. When working remotely, the quality of video collaboration, the experience around it became crucial not just for productivity but also for employee well-being. Imagine an employee walking into a meeting room with important decisions to be made, only to lose 5–10 minutes figuring out how to start the meeting or use unintuitive equipment. Not only are those minutes wasted, but the energy of the meeting is also lost.

IDC’s report found that in APAC, there is about 10–11% productivity loss, roughly 4 to 4.5 hours a week, due to faulty equipment. Pre-pandemic, the technology was based on IP, requiring dedicated fixed lines to transmit video and audio signals. It was expensive and not scalable. During the pandemic, people discovered cloud-based video platforms like Zoom. With just an app and basic internet, employees could join meetings from anywhere. This flexibility made Zoom and later Microsoft Teams and Google Meet extremely popular.

As platforms shifted, the need arose for room-based video collaboration devices that could integrate with these platforms. That is where Neat is positioned—we provide video conferencing devices that work seamlessly with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet, enabling intuitive and immersive collaboration.

How can AI-enhanced collaboration tools be positioned as a solution in this scenario, and how do they move beyond fixing issues to becoming competitive differentiators?

AI enhances the overall collaboration experience. For example, it can autocorrect audio. If the audio quality is poor, AI can enhance it so conversations are clearer. The system becomes smart enough to detect packet loss during a call and compensate for it. Similarly, AI can improve video quality.

It also helps with productivity features. AI tools can summarise meetings, generate real-time transcripts, and enable cross-language communication. For instance, if you and I speak different languages, AI-generated transcripts can allow us to communicate effectively in real time. At many levels, AI plays a role in making interactions richer and more inclusive.

Indian organisations are cost-conscious and often hesitate to invest in new infrastructure. How can companies transform the meeting experience without being overwhelmed by expenses? What steps should they take to ensure ROI?

Many customers initially calculate the investment by multiplying the cost of the equipment by the number of rooms they have. For large organisations, that becomes too big an investment. But not every room needs a video conferencing device. The first step is to study room utilisation.

At Neat, we have a tool called Meet Pulse, which measures occupancy in real time. It captures the number of participants in a room and meeting frequency, allowing admins to analyse usage patterns. Organisations can start small, deploy in five or ten rooms, measure the impact, and then scale gradually.

This piecemeal approach ensures ROI can be measured. Customers can see improved productivity in those rooms before extending the investment to other rooms or branches.

Hybrid and remote models are now common. What features or capabilities should organisations prioritise when selecting collaboration tools?

Most participants in a meeting are usually in the office, while others join remotely. It’s critical that remote participants not only see and hear what’s happening in the room but also feel included.

Traditional systems broadcast a broad picture of the room, making it difficult to identify who is speaking. Often, in-room participants talk among themselves, sidelining remote attendees. This reduces engagement for those joining virtually.

At Neat, our first goal was to ensure meeting equity. That means everyone in the room is seen and heard equally, with equal screen space. Remote participants can clearly see who is speaking. We’ve taken this further with Neat Centre, a camera and mic system placed directly on the table or ceiling. It ensures flawless audio and video pickup, making meetings intuitive, immersive, and engaging for everyone.

How do technical meeting issues affect employee retention, especially when entry-level jobs are shrinking while demand for tech talent is rising?

Technical issues play a significant role. Imagine stepping into an important meeting eager to start discussions, only to be delayed by faulty equipment or setup issues. This increases anxiety, wastes valuable time, and lowers productivity.

In India, where commutes are long and urban infrastructure is strained, employees value time efficiency. Constant frustration with meeting setups directly impacts morale and retention.

While the IDC report focuses on larger companies with around 1,000 employees, how can SMEs and MSMEs benefit from such solutions?

Collaboration is a human requirement, regardless of organisation size. SMEs may not collaborate internally as frequently, but they rely heavily on collaboration with key customers. Most SMEs have a few major clients who are central to their business, and effective communication with them is critical.

For SMEs, ensuring smooth, reliable collaboration is even more important. With fewer customers, there is no room for error. Effective collaboration tools safeguard business relationships and growth.

Looking ahead to 2026 and beyond, what major challenges will workforce collaboration face in India, and how should companies prepare now?

AI is already driving efficiencies in platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet. Organisations must identify the right technologies that help employees fully leverage these AI enhancements.

Take summarisation as an example. AI can summarise meetings in under a minute, but if the device microphones don’t pick up audio clearly, the summary will be inaccurate. The system’s microphones are essentially its ears. Poor hardware leads to poor AI outputs.

As organisations adopt AI platforms, they must also invest in the right hardware to maximise value. AI is non-negotiable going forward; it will continue to enhance productivity. But it must be paired with reliable devices. At Neat, we focus on providing those tools to ensure employees can make the most of AI-driven platforms.