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A global data solutions company discusses how Lifesize aids and accelerates company-wide collaboration

“We’re focused on accelerating the pace at which we collaborate, and we’ve made video a key part of how we operate. It’s become the lifeblood of how we work.”

Return Path, a global data solutions provider that helps the world’s leading companies promote and protect their brands, has nearly 500 employees across 13 offices worldwide. Scott Roth is its chief marketing officer, with a team of 50 employees spread across seven locations. While their global network gives them expertise and perspective from different markets, it presents a challenge for how they communicate. Lifesize allows Return Path to overcome this challenge with high-quality video conferencing, allowing their team to collaborate regardless of location.

What is Return Path’s greatest challenge today?

Return Path has been around for more than 15 years. As most companies mature, their growth rate slows, but we’re trying to buck that trend by accelerating our growth. We provide a suite of software and data that helps companies optimize the performance of their email marketing campaigns, helps them protect their brands from fraudulent emails and helps them get deeper insights into consumer behavior. There’s a huge demand for what we do, but our real challenge is: how do we continue to innovate so we can continue our growth rate over time?

How are you addressing this challenge?

To be successful, we need to collaborate and rapidly change our teams’ direction in response to market and customer demands. We need to move quickly to build new products, put new processes in place and enter into new markets. We’re combining the wisdom of being a mature company with a culture of innovation to have a nimble reaction time and capitalize on new trends in the market.

How can a company of your size and global scope be nimble?

We’re focused on accelerating the pace at which we collaborate, and we’ve made video a key part of how we operate. It’s become the lifeblood of how we work.

We have deeper, richer conversations when we have face-to-face connections on video. Video holds you accountable and ensures that you’re going to be present and active in the meeting, which takes the conversation to the next level.

Video conversations—whether within the company or with external partners and clients—give you the ability to read nonverbal cues. In audio conferencing, you don’t see body language, and you can’t read what’s actually happening in the room. Lifesize gives you the advantage of seeing people’s reactions in real time: did they receive the message positively or negatively? Do they look confused or are they questioning what I’m saying? With this insight, you can hone your message and change the course of where you’re going in real time to have a more productive conversation.

How has this played out specifically?

One of the most exciting projects I’ve been a part of was relaunching our brand. We created a new visual identity, new messaging and new positioning for the company with a significant amount of help from third parties. We worked with an agency on this strategy, and video was the backbone of our collaboration. They got to know us intimately as a part of the process, and video helped them feel like they were a part of our business. Connecting with them over video was central to the success of this project.

Internally, our executive team, which is spread across five locations, has a private video meeting room where we can connect anytime. Whether it’s scheduled or impromptu, we like being able to pop into the room and connect with each other anytime. This ability to connect directly via video, quickly and easily, regardless of location or device has been central to our company’s agility. When you’re having tough critical conversations or important meetings, you want to be face to face. If you can’t be face to face, Lifesize is the next best thing. Plus, the quality really stands out; with Lifesize, we always have a crystal clear picture that’s never choppy or delayed. The quality is there, and it really feels like we’re meeting face to face.

How has video affected you personally?

I’ve made video a top priority because I’m a remote employee, and it’s easy for me to be out of sight, out of mind. Video helps me counter this plight, which has paid huge dividends.

Video is a critical component in how I communicate with my peers, with my boss and with my team; everyone knows they have an open door to connect with me via video any time. My colleagues say we have higher quality conversations because there are no barriers to our ability to meet face to face and to see eye to eye.