EPOS
Top Audio Communication Brand
86% business owners are willing to purchase high-end headsets to enhance the sound quality of remote conference calls, effectively increasing customer trust by 60%
EPOS – Annual Report 2021: Hear every word
Source: Officially provided by EPOS | Compiled by Huahou Marketing Department
Audio technology is the foundation for a new business world where what we say matters.
Life for professional interviewees has changed dramatically over the past 12 months. Hybrid working has become a reality, a way of working that many people have always dreamed of. In theory, this flexible approach gives individuals greater control over their time and money, and the freedom to combine work and life. For businesses, meanwhile, the potential efficiencies of reduced travel and flexible workforces appear attractive.
But in practice, dealing with the technology changes required to optimize hybrid working poses a challenge, and audio technology is a primary concern. The average audio solution end user wastes 31 minutes per week due to poor sound quality on voice calls. This brings huge costs to enterprises. Every miscommunication has significant consequences. Employees at 15% said the company suffered financial losses due to the loss of a critical piece of business due to poor sound quality.
Businesses may feel they have to move quickly to help teams adopt new technologies and enable new hybrid working models. The user base of video conferencing tools such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams has increased significantly. In 2021, there will be 51% and 43% corporate employees using these tools, compared with only 10% and 27% in 2020.
17% people said they felt unprofessional due to poor sound experience
The pain points with video conferencing that were common before the pandemic still exist, and with more employees now working from home, it's safe to say there are more problems than ever. The significant business impact of poor audio continues, so there is an urgent need for businesses to take action as we transition to what we consider a permanent hybrid model.
One thing is clear: it can no longer be business as usual. So while adapting, we should recognize that there is a new and better way.
An approach that benefits both business owners and employees, where what we say can be the difference between success and failure.
Audio technology is at the heart of this revolution. By acknowledging the power of audio, we can ensure full focus on what we say and make it the professional standard we all aspire to.
For new hybrid professionals, every word matters
The potential of virtual meetings is limitless. They bring freedom, connections, and collaboration with teams and clients around the world. However, along with these benefits come possible negative impacts on professional standards.
In a traditional work environment, professionalism is measured by demeanor, choice of meeting location, and effective time management. In a remote working environment, professionalism is less about the appearance of the scene and more about the content of the interaction. This is a positive change because it’s the content that counts, but without the right technology, this change creates risks for the business.
Research from Ipsos and EPOS shows that global end users of 63% often encounter problems due to poor sound quality during business calls. The most common problems include background noise (32%), interference on the line (26%), and asking others to repeat themselves (23%).
The combination of these factors adds up to 31 minutes of extra work per week for the average end user. This is not only a waste of time, but also damages professional standards and corporate image.
Missing out on important information shared by customers or asking them to repeat it in a virtual meeting can harm customer relationships and hinder the acquisition of new business. In the world of hybrid work, poor sound quality is far more damaging to professionalism than scuffed shoes or a weak handshake. The decision-makers at 60% believe that better sound quality will help them retain customers, while the decision-makers at 71% believe it will help prevent missed business opportunities in the future.
At the beginning of the pandemic, audio glitches in meetings were common, and most people were tolerant of them. But as the world transitions to the “new normal,” expectations have changed. People are no longer as tolerant of poor-quality virtual meetings as they were in early 2020, and equipping employees with high-quality audio and video equipment is critical to the smooth running of the business. Businesses that are adopting the right audio technology have a competitive advantage - they can be more efficient, more professional and improve the customer experience.
Employees work confidently and comfortably to achieve their full potential
Many business owners have long recognized the importance of investing in the health and comfort of their employees, but few are prepared for a disruptive situation like COVID-19. Workers around the world are struggling to maintain their mental health, and one demographic survey shows finding a balance between working and living from home is particularly difficult: Generation Z. In July, MetLife's 18th U.S. Employee Benefits Trends Study revealed that Gen Z employees are three times more likely than their older colleagues to seek help for mental health issues such as stress and burnout.
For employees, maintaining internal communications to the same professional standards as before can exacerbate stress and feelings of isolation, while continuing to use tools and technology that carry over from the office to the home doesn’t help. Technology built for the office setting allows employees to expect a quiet office environment, but this does not work well in the hybrid workplace.
Many employees strive to stay efficient and productive while working remotely, leveraging the tools they already have. Due to the emotional impact of poor audio technology, 26% employees will feel frustrated, irritable or angry; 19% employees will feel mental stress. Their jobs are bound to be affected.
26% employees stated that misunderstandings had occurred, 21% employees would miss key information, and 17% employees believed that they appeared unprofessional due to poor sound experience.
Over time, these recurring negative experiences can impact their ability to focus, engage, and contribute positively.
But this lack of connection not only increases the risk of employee burnout, it also poses a substantial threat to innovation. In a traditional workplace, employees share ideas in a natural way. Spontaneous encounters between colleagues lead to the formation of relationships and cross-team collaboration. For many, the scope of day-to-day interactions has been reduced to immediate team members, making it difficult for employees to make useful connections across the company that enable the exchange of ideas and drive innovation.
There are methods that can help employees regain their ability to collaborate and facilitate the generation of ideas. This starts with ensuring everyone’s voice is heard. In other words, equip employees with high-quality audio or video equipment that gives them the confidence to express new ideas in meetings and collaborate with colleagues they rarely interact with in person. We’ve all seen the negative impact a poor sound experience can have on employee stress levels and work quality. The less time and energy they spend solving messaging problems, the more time and energy they can spend building networks and exchanging ideas; great for employee career development and overall enterprise productivity.
Tailor your technique to the call
Our research found that end users are more aware of the benefits of video for virtual meetings than in 2020. Decision makers at 21% say that in addition to saving time and costs compared to face-to-face meetings, video conferencing also helps them feel more connected to their team. 17% people believe that it builds trust in the working relationship.
Decision makers at 31% claimed that technical issues were the main barrier to using video in meetings; decision makers at 21% highlighted problems with the video conferencing application itself; and decision makers at 20% said it was difficult to see detailed information shared on the screen.
Research from Stanford University shows that video calls force people to keep an eye on their colleagues. In such close contact, the brain is conditioned to expect every move; and endless eye contact can make people nervous. This phenomenon, known as "Zoom fatigue," is exacerbated by poor audio.
Decision makers at 20% said they struggled to hear everything in the meeting clearly through their existing audio equipment.
While the right video technology can help overcome many of these challenges, it's also necessary to consider when the time is right for a video call and when audio alone is sufficient or a better option. It’s common for many employers who are physically separated from their teams to try to get a feel for the in-person experience through video conferencing, but too much virtual communication time can be counterproductive.
To unlock the potential of hybrid working, we need technology that enhances the experience and integrates easily into employees’ daily lives, rather than having the opposite effect. It helps to recognize when seeing the other person's face is an advantage (for example, when we want to see the other person's emotions and reactions to our conversation) and when clear and concise audio alone achieves the desired effect. To enhance employee health, comfort and work balance.
The introduction of audio-only meetings allows users to stay seated and change the meeting environment while continuing to focus on work. With the right audio technology in place, background sound in alternative meeting spaces should no longer be an issue.
Employees believe hybrid working is the future
Everyone welcomes the opportunity for hybrid work. End users of the 79% understand the benefits, with the top three reported benefits being time savings, cost savings and the freedom to work from anywhere. However, our research found differences between policymakers and employees’ expectations for how work will be done post-pandemic.
Decision makers at 53% believe that in the coming year, most employees will work more in the workplace, while only employees at 26% feel the same way. Employees at 36% believe they will work from home more than before the pandemic, while only decision-makers at 30% think so. This shows a clear change in employee expectations over the past 12 months. They have proven they can work in a hybrid model during the pandemic and hope to have more flexibility in the long term.
End users of the 79% understand the benefits of advanced audio, with the top three reported benefits being time savings, cost savings and the freedom to work from anywhere.
This is something leaders need to realize. In fact, it provides an important opportunity for the majority of enterprises. Businesses that offer a thoughtful approach to hybrid working will retain and recruit the best talent. To do this, businesses need to consider a range of solutions that address the different needs and concerns of their employees. A successful hybrid working strategy doesn’t mean you work from home “as usual.” Workers in noisy open offices require different types of audio solutions than those working remotely, and of course many workers will work a combination of both.
Businesses that invest in high-quality messaging solutions that are right for their purpose will benefit most from a hybrid work strategy. These investments make it easy for employees to stay connected and collaborate as if they were working side by side. And they avoid the risks many businesses face today, namely customer dissatisfaction and employee fatigue caused by technology issues. By listening to how employees want to work and providing the technology they need to make it a seamless experience, businesses can not only meet their previous standards, but exceed them.
Recognize risks and prepare for opportunities
Poor sound quality is limiting employee potential and detracting from the potential value of hybrid work. Audio quality can determine the success or failure of virtual communications, with far-reaching consequences that can affect the long-term health of an organization.
When audio technology fails, customer relationships suffer, internal productivity suffers, and employees are unable to reach their full potential. The good news is that more than three-quarters of decision makers recognize the solution: high-quality audio solutions. Over the next 12 months, 86%'s decision makers are considering purchasing new audio equipment, providing more 32% employees with headsets or personal omnidirectional microphones than before.
By acting now, decision-makers can address real-time messaging issues in their organizations and mitigate the long-term risks they pose to their businesses and employees. Creating an optimal working environment for all employees, wherever they are, using quality audio equipment will enable everyone to contribute to a new and better way of working.
For more information on the research report:
This study was carried out by IPSOS Denmark on behalf of EPOS. From mid-March to early April 2021, data collection was conducted using online Computer-Assisted Web Interviewing (CAWI).
★The main target sample includes the following respondents:
- From the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore
- Male/Female aged 18-65
- Work for a company with more than 50 employees
- Decision makers and end users of audio solutions
- Work at least 20 hours per week
★Goal definition
Throughout the report, respondents were divided into the following categories:
Call Center Decision Maker (DM)
Decision makers have or share responsibility for purchasing headsets for employees who spend most of their time at their desks answering and/or making calls to customers, suppliers and co-workers.
Decision Maker (DM) Office/Mobile
Decision makers have or share responsibility for purchasing audio solutions where employees do most of their work at their desks, but also have meetings and other activities, or are frequently moved inside or outside the office/workplace.
Call Center End User (EU)
They spend most of their workday answering and/or making calls to customers, vendors, or co-workers. 64% for people who use separately purchased headphones/headphones at work. The person using the 36% uses both the wired headset that comes with the smartphone and a separately purchased headset while working.
End User (EU) Office/Mobile
They do most of their work at a desk, but also have meetings and other activities, or move around frequently inside or outside the office/workplace. The person using the 73% uses a separately purchased headset/headset at work. The 27% person uses both a wired smartphone earphone and a separately purchased earphone while working.
Potential Office/Mobile/Call Center End Users (EU)
100% People don't use separately purchased headphones at work. 11% Man uses the headphones that come with his smartphone at work.
Since call center end-user ratios are very low in all countries, the criteria for company size were relaxed and companies with 10-49 employees were included. There were 63 respondents in the total sample (2.5%).
