TIPS FOR BEST PRACTICE, SUCCESSFUL BOOKINGS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

TIPS FOR BEST PRACTICE, SUCCESSFUL BOOKINGS AND TROUBLESHOOTING

PROTOCOLS, ETIQUETTE AND CUSTOMER SERVICE Teaching and meeting via videoconferencing can be different from face-to-face situations, therefore knowing the correct protocols and best practice, and providing good customer service to clients is very important. You will need to know the relevant protocols and demonstrate best practice, as you will be expected to show others how to use videoconferencing, assist teachers and induct students. You may also be dealing with external clients who have no prior knowledge of videoconferencing. All videoconferencing clients, whether internal or external, deserve a high level of customer service. You should also take note of booking etiquette when placing bookings. Below are a number of points to consider when making bookings, assisting others to prepare for a videoconference, instructions to provide to videoconferencing users and other general tips to keep in mind as a Site Co-ordinator. Always set good presets. The best presets have minimal excess space around the person / people in the shot. Make sure the videoconference notification is in the room with you prior to the start time. This will provide you with the booking details. It also provides the Service Desk number for when experiencing difficulties. If you have not received the confirmation or have misplaced your copy refer to TBA Online, or if this is not available at the time, please contact Telstra ivision for a replacement copy. Site Co-ordinators should attend the commencement of every videoconference to ensure that a successful connection has been established. Arrive 10 minutes early if you are the chairperson or organiser of a videoconference, or a few minutes early otherwise. Always announce yourself when joining a conference, especially if you arrive late. Make sure that all relevant equipment is on and operational. This may involve checking cables and that the power is on. The chairperson should do a rollcall to see if all sites are in attendance at the beginning of a conference. In a large videoconference each site should elect a spokesperson and / or a remote control operator. Never ask open ended questions. Ask sites individually to avoid confusion, e.g. Hervey Bay do you have any questions, Loganlea what do you think, etc. Where possible it is good etiquette to speak to an individual person at each site by name rather than site, as this is more personal. When in a multipoint VC always have your mute button on when not speaking. Due to the auto switch function of the system if you don t have your mute button on other sites will continue to see you rather than the person presenting. Avoid side conversations as the microphone may pick up on what you are saying. It can also be distracting for the person delivering the presentation if they can see you having a chat in the middle of their session. Speak to the camera not the microphone. Send out resources well before the VC. While this is most important for teaching conferences it is also necessary for meetings. If you wish to display a PowerPoint on a laptop or computer ensure that you have organised this beforehand. Ensure that all teaching resources (e.g. laptop, document camera) are ready and available for teachers before the start of their class. When booking rooms on TBA Online that have Contact SC to Book ensure that you do contact the Site Co-ordinator before placing the booking. If you don t your booking may have to be cancelled due to a prior non-vc booking taking place in that room.

Contact numbers, instructions, signs and other manuals should be displayed appropriately around the room. When displaying documents on the document camera ensure that you use the correct font, size, layout and colour. Pastel paper is preferred. When pointing to something on the document camera use a pen or pointer, not your finger. There are many different kinds of commercial bookings that may be held at your site. If your site is involved in a court case you may be required to provide a bible. All commercial clients should be given adequate privacy during their conferences. Always check the Notes section on the videoconference notification for more information. When recording a videoconference, whether you are using a DVD / VCR, Videostreaming or TCS, always ask permission from all participants before you start recording. This is due to privacy issues. If you want to tape a VC you may be required to bring your own DVD or videotape. Always check with your Site Co-ordinator well before the start of the conference. Do not tap the conference table the microphone will pick up this noise and amplify it at the far-end. IP to IP Point to Point dialling: HOW WILL YOUR CONFERENCE CONNECT? The host site will automatically connect to the receiving site. No manual dialling is required. The videoconference will connect at the booked start time. If it does not dial the other site please contact Telstra ivision. IP to ISDN Point to Point dialling: These conferences are treated as multipoint conferences (see below). Multipoint conferences: The Videolinq Bridge dials out to all sites involved in multipoint videoconferences. The Videolinq Bridge will connect to sites at the booked start time. The bridge won t dial out to audio port participants in an administration or professional development videoconference, they will need to dial in. The bridge won t dial out to Movi participants, they will need to dial in.

BOOKING BEST PRACTICES The following points are specifically for booking videoconferences and checking TBA Online. Make sure all relevant fields of the TBA Online Booking Form are filled out correctly. If you are booking a site that is not part of the Videolinq network please provide the following information: 1. Technical contact name (e.g. a Site Co-ordinator) 2. Telephone number and e-mail address 3. VC room telephone number (if applicable) 4. IP or ISDN number 5. Equipment model 6. Name and phone number of attendee Having this information makes processing the booking and testing unknown sites easier to manage. It is also a good idea to name the site in the TBA Online Booking Form. When making a booking please put either the name and contact number of the attendee, or if there are multiple attendees or students, enter the number of participants. This will help Site Co-ordinators set up the room. If you re using Off Net sites, audio ports or Movi you may be required to change the dialling instructions to say the site will place a call to the bridge. Please note it is standard practice that audio port attendees for administration and professional development conferences and all Movi users will dial in to the bridge, however the bridge will dial out to students using an audio port for teaching conferences. Site Co-ordinators should print the Videoconference Notification either the afternoon prior to the conference or on the day of the conference, and leave it in the room for the conference attendee. If the details of the conference change after the start time then a Post Conference Amendment / Cancellation should be completed within 48 hours of the conference taking place. Please note that all Post Conference Amendments and Cancellations need to be processed by the 1 st day of the following month (e.g. if booking was on 30 June then the change should be made by 1 July) in order to be documented in the Telstra ivision Monthly Report. Post Conference Amendments and Cancellations will not be included if received after the 1 st business day of the following month. All commercial bookings (anyone external to Queensland Government) should be directed to contact Telstra ivision s MyConference Video Team on 1800 637 480. For all other Queensland Government department bookings (non TAFE Queensland) contact the Videolinq Administration Officer on (07) 4862 7401. If Telstra ivision s MyConference Video Team have booked the conference, please direct all enquires to do with the booking to the MyConference Video Team Customer Service Representative. This will be the person who sent you the confirmation. Going directly to the MyConference Video Team Customer Service Representative will ensure that your problems are dealt with efficiently. Also please ensure that after each commercial conference you send back the Post Conference Analysis form (supplied with the booking confirmation), direct to the Telstra ivision MyConference Video Team. This will ensure that if the conference goes over scheduled time, or incurs additional charges, such as photocopying, reversal of call, etc., your site will receive the correct amount of money for reimbursement. This form MUST be returned to Telstra ivision s MyConference Video Team within 48 hours from when the conference occurred.

TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS FROM THE SERVICE DESK If the following problems occur during your videoconference please use these tips before contacting the Telstra ivision Service Desk: Call Disconnects: Wait for reconnection prompt and press YES If reconnection prompt doesn t appear call Telstra ivision immediately Audio Problems Check the volume on main monitor Check volume on VC system is turned up sufficiently Check microphone is in correct position Check mute button is not on Video Problems If your monitor is black check that the power is on and that there is a cable that connects the monitor to the VC system If your screen is blue, and you cannot see the far end or the videoconference system s menu screen, make sure your monitor is on the correct channel, e.g. HD15, HDMI1, HDMI2, Option1, Option2, by pressing the Input button on your main monitor If you are able to see the videoconference system s menu and yourself on the screen, but still cannot see the far end, your image is distorting or the far end cannot see you, press the grey main camera button on your remote control If you have checked that all of the above is in order and you continue to experience problems, please call the Telstra ivision Service Desk on 1800 025 369.