Understanding sound experiences

Think back to the last conference call you joined, or the last time a customer or colleague called you. Did you clearly hear everything that was said? If you had to ask someone to repeat themselves due to bad audio, then you’re not alone.

People working in organizations worldwide are mishearing each other on a daily basis, and bad audio is to blame. Not only does this lead to frustration, confusion and wasted time, but it costs money. In fact, “What?” is one of the most expensive word in business today.

More and more people are working from home, where they are very dependent on good audio tools to stay focused and productive and collaboration solutions to better collaborate with co-workers and others. The rise of the open plan office; fantastic for collaboration, but it comes with a raft of potential distractions. According to new research by global market research firm IPSOS and high-end audio brand EPOS, almost all (95%) of end-users and decision makers experience at least one auditory pain point at work on a regular basis.

Common complaints include being disturbed by loud colleagues (50%), overall noise levels in working environments (48%) and interruptions from colleagues (46%). These findings and more are revealed in EPOS’ Understanding Sound Experience Study, which surveyed 2,500 end-users and decision makers of audio equipment, over 75% of whom work in organisations of over 200 people.

Through the proliferation of technology and an evolution in traditional working schedules and locations, the amount of telephone calls, conference calls and teleconferences that take place in the modern world of work have also increased. But at present, these communication channels aren’t without their downsides, with end-users citing background noise (42%), having to repeat yourself (34%) and asking for information to be repeated (34%) featuring in their top three frustrations. In total, 87% of end-users surveyed have experienced at least one pain point due to poor sound quality on calls, regardless whether in the office or working from home.

These audio pain points are adding up to lost productivity. In fact, on average end-users are losing 29 minutes per week due to poor sound quality on voice calls. For the average full-time worker, this equates to just over three days of lost time, and from an employer perspective, this lost productivity has significant cost repercussions.

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