Dutch governmental organization PZH says our patented Neat Symmetry feature is THE solution for more equitable and inclusive hybrid meetings between its in-office and remote employees. At the same time, PZH also loves Neat Pulse, which gives employees complete control over its multiple Neat deployments.

The Provincie Zuid Holland (PZH) has an important mission: “Better every day.” It sounds simple enough, but the reality is that this governmental organization has a vast scope of work. Responsibilities range from city and traffic planning, economic and environmental stewardship, agriculture, water and the supervision of finances for South Holland municipalities, all the way through to culture, recreation, youth and elderly care, and other administrative affairs. In short, Provincie Zuid Holland aims to shape all the key aspects of modern life safely and sustainably for all.

Somewhat ahead of the curve, the PZH workforce was already regularly working from home long before the pandemic. 90% of meetings remained in-person, though, and Microsoft Teams and Skype for Business were used by just a handful of people on personal devices, typically for ad-hoc chat. Telephone calls – more than video calls – were the mainstay of communication at this time.

Fast-forward to today, and PZH is a genuinely hybrid operation powered by Microsoft Teams video collaboration, done in a Neat way. PZH currently uses our devices Neat Board, Neat Bar, Neat Bar Pro and Neat Pad. Neat Center is also in the pipeline. Let’s look at the benefits PZH has enjoyed since partnering with Neat.

Meetings that feel more natural

At PZH, meeting spaces typically fall into three camps: small spaces for up to eight people, large rooms for 16-25 people and open spaces for more informal gatherings. PHZ has intentionally designed its in-office environment for comfort and collaboration, but what about the people working from home? Before PZH updated its video technology, remote employees felt removed from the action.

One of the reasons for this was that the webcam displayed the office meeting room at large, which made it difficult to see individual faces and expressions. The solution is our patented Neat Symmetry feature. Neat Symmetry displays everyone individually and equally on-screen, restoring a greater sense of equity between remote and in-office teammates.

Employees didn’t feel like they were part of the online Teams meetings because the entire room was in view. With that feedback, we started looking for an alternative, which led us to find Neat. Neat’s auto-framing functionality is THE solution for our organization. Each person in the meeting room is automatically framed, making online meetings feel like physical ones.

Daniel de Korte, Project Employee (ICT), PZH

The communication is quite natural. It’s almost as if everyone is sitting together. People at home can see everyone’s facial expressions.

Ruud Bradenburg, Infrastructure Specialist, PZH

Unrivalled simplicity all around

Another significant benefit is how easy Neat devices are to install versus other market options. Setting up a Neat device for the first time required no special training or expertise. All you need to do is follow the instructions on-screen. Indeed, anyone can do it. Positioning devices in the room is straightforward, too, with our custom-made snap-on mounts. For example, take Neat Bar. The mount fits snugly on top of any smaller screen or monitor by simply attaching it to your monitor’s back with sturdy adhesive tape.

Next, to ‘wake up’ and start using a Neat device, you only need to walk into the room, and the it senses your presence. Then, with just one touch, you can start your call. These high levels of user-friendliness save so much time and take the stress out of video collaboration. Frantic calls to IT are a thing of the past.

People can start using a Microsoft Teams meeting room with a simple action.

Diego Jansen, Advisor Information Management, PZH

Central device visibility and control from anywhere

When an organization invests in multiple devices like PZH has, having a central overview of the status of those devices and control over them is critical. That’s why PZH loves Neat Pulse, our full-service offering with premium support from Neat specialists. Neat Pulse lets you access devices remotely and configure and change settings on the fly, such as which applications or updates you want to run. It also shows you live device status, paired and grouped devices on a clear visual display, plus data on room occupancy and air quality.

Feel-good support and future confidence

Lastly, PZH values Neat’s excellent communication, reliability and expertise. As a partner, they feel that Neat’s team of specialists has provided trustworthy guidance and that stock has been available and delivered on-demand when needed.

They also believe that investing in Neat helps make them poised and ready to seize the future. Our close partnership with Microsoft Teams means we have a clear innovation roadmap and a regular software release schedule that keeps devices bang up-to-date. You could say that Neat devices get better with age!

Neat keeps adding new functionality and improvements. So, it’s definitely a good investment, especially since these advanced devices are future-ready.

Daniel de Korte, Project Employee (ICT), PZH

Discover more about Neat’s pioneering devices and Neat Pulse.