Understanding Sound Experiences: 2020 Report —
Recently EPOS launched a new global research report showing the impact of bad audio on workers productivity both in and out of the office, and what this means for a business’s bottom line.
EPOS surveyed 2,500 end users and decision makers of audio equipment, over 75% of whom work in organizations of more than 200 people
With working from home the new normal, these specific findings may be of interest:
• Remote communication encourages flexible working, but also has downsides: 44% of workers reporting poor sound quality while making phone calls, and 39% the same with Internet calls
• Decision makers say that: video calls or meetings help them feel closer to their teams (27%), maintain personal relationships while working from elsewhere (24%), and establish trust in working relationships (23%).
• The average modern worker loses 29 minutes per week due to poor sound quality on voice calls. This is almost 30 minutes of lost productivity per week for every employee. quality on voice calls, time spent double checking information via follow-up emails or calls. For the average full-time worker, this equates to just over 3 days of lost time per year.
o Resulting in 69% of today’s workers spending additional time on work to make up for poor sound quality.
o Equating to over $725 of wasted expenditure per employee per annum based on the average annual wage.
o Organizations that employ over 100 people risk losing over $70,000 per annum in lost revenue.
• 95% of modern workers experience audio pain points which impact concentration and efficiency,
• Common complaints include being disturbed by loud colleagues (50%),
• overall noise levels in working environments (48%), and
• interruptions from colleagues (46%).
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• The productivity cost: This time wasted contributes to a productivity cost to the employer. Looking for example at the average UK wage according to OECD data, 29 minutes a week equates to £389.48 ($482.54) per employee, per year of salary spent on needless work. For organizations with 10 employees, this is a productivity loss resulting in £3,894.80 ($4,825.35) wasted expenditure per year. Extrapolated further, businesses that employ over 100 people risk losing over £30,000 ($37,171.63) per annum in this way.
There is however a recognized solution to many of these frustrations and issues with bad audio. Some 79% of decision makers agree that good audio equipment such as headsets, headphones and speaker phones can alleviate auditory pain points both on and off calls. The best headset solutions on the market today include features such as AI-based noise cancellation technology, meaning a loud colleague or a noisy working environment is no longer a distraction.
Additionally, they can be big time savers. The best enterprise headsets on the market today come with dedicated buttons to instantly launch collaboration tools. According to the research, the most popular of these platforms are Skype for Business (used by 38% of end users), Microsoft Teams (27%) and Webex (16%). Decision makers say that video calls or meetings help them feel closer to their teams (27%), maintain personal relationships while working from elsewhere (24%) and establish trust in working relationships (23%).
"It is clear that employees would benefit from higher quality audio solutions to support their productivity and well-being as remote working becomes more popular," comments Theis Moerk, Vice President of Product Management, Enterprise Solutions. "It’s a positive development that 93% of decision makers are planning to purchase new equipment within the next 12 months, motivated in large part by the desire to keep up with the latest technology.
"This is expected to include collaboration tools like headsets and speakerphones to match the ongoing UC deployments, where the importance of the endpoints is getting clearer. You simply won’t get the full benefits of a UC deployment without considering the full experience. In the future we expect organizations to provide high-quality headsets to employees in the same way as they do laptops and smartphones; an essential part of the toolkit of the modern worker."
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About EPOS
EPOS is an audio and video solution company developing and selling devices for business professionals and the gaming community. Based on leading and advanced technologies, the Danish founded company delivers high-end audio and video solutions with design, technology and performance as paramount parameters.
EPOS is part of the Demant Group – a world-leading audio and hearing technology group. With headquarters in Copenhagen, Denmark, EPOS operates in a global market with offices and partners in more than 30 countries. Find more information at www.eposaudio.com.