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Sound Masking: Covering Noise and Even Reducing It

August 12, 2010 By

We recently interviewed Nick Barber from Sigma Relocation about his experience with sound masking in his call center. His business has benefited from it greatly. He mentioned a positive change  that occurred during the course of the interview that I found interesting because I hadn’t thought about it before. Perhaps you haven’t either.

Nick noticed that his employees were not socializing as much during working hours. Because conversations could not be heard more than 10 to 15 feet away (unlike before, when they could be heard all the way across the 4500 square foot call center), people were not getting into so many conversations, and were consequently experiencing less distraction and able to work more. Nick had several employees tell him they feel they are now more focused and efficient during the work day. “I think we’re covering up the noise that’s there, but I think there’s less noise to begin with because people aren’t talking quite as much.”

So not only does white noise reduce distraction by taking away a lot of the common things that distract people, but it also lowered the overall volume of the call center because people were not talking and interacting as much since they were working. People working more with less distraction? Sounds like sound masking was effective here.

Could you use sound masking in your space to help your employees focus and work better?

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Sound Masking for Call Centers

April 22, 2010 By

Noise Problems for Call Centers

Most businesses thrive on customer satisfaction.  Call centers are no exceptions.  Whether they’re trying to sell a product, answer questions, or solicit donations, call centers still need to provide a professional and personal call experience for their customers.  Unfortunately, call centers suffer from many sound problems that do not allow for successful business practices:

  • Background sound, including other call reps making their calls, can make a customer feel like a number instead of a person.
  • This ambient noise can be distracting for both the customer and the caller.
  • Similarly, this background noise can make a potential customer feel as if his personal information is up for grabs for anyone.

Noise Solutions for Call Centers

As a result, as you plan a call center or seek to resolve the common noise problems therein, here a few things you should consider:

  • Separate your callers if possible so that they are not crammed together as they make calls.
  • Look into partitions or sound-absorbing panels to lessen ambient sound.
  • Some companies offer headsets that help the callers focus on the customers and not the noise around them.
  • Finally, consider sound masking, which aides both the caller and the customer because both can hear the other person and not the craziness in the call center itself.

The goal of a call center is to get current or potential customers or donors to stay on the line, listen attentively, and be heard themselves.  This kind of interaction is only possible if the customer feels like an individual and that their personal and financial information can be given without fear of it being spread beyond the intended hearer.  If you consider these factors as you plan your call center, your chances for success are exponentially higher.

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