Acoustic Intelligence for Smarter Working
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Noise challenges in business are impacting worker productivity as more organisations adopt Smarter Working. This is how you can address these issues.
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Acoustic Intelligence for Smarter Working
- 1. Acoustic Intelligence for Smarter Working Richard Rogers Head of B2B Marketing, Europe & Africa September 2014
- 2. For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved. Smarter Working is on the rise Collaboration Must Be Easy: • New workspaces in and outside the office • Explosion of virtual collaboration tools & technologies to learn • New behaviours to master
- 3. For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved. Acoustic Challenges of Modern Work Often Overlooked
- 4. For internal use only. © Plantronics 2014. All Rights Reserved. Space Telecoms Personal Acoustic Intelligence Framework to Improve your Business Communication
- 5. Spaces
- 6. Workspaces are changing New Style Offices Working from “Elsewhere” Increasing Noise Challenges • Impact of acoustics often overlooked in modern office design • Reduced privacy
- 7. Biggest Complaints of Office Workers: Source: University of California, Berkeley (2007) 1. Noise 2. Lack of Speech Privacy
- 8. 70% of office workers believe they would be more productive in a less noisy environment Source: American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) (1997)
- 9. 81% of Managers are unconcerned about office noise Source: Occupational Health & Safety Magazine (2002) [follow-up ASID Study]
- 10. Acoustic Challenges Inside the “New” Office • Less physical barriers in open plan designs • Lack of sound absorption material used on ceiling, walls & floors • Speech being too intelligible: • Limited private spaces • Workstations design (partitions) • No management of variable noise levels
- 11. Acoustic Shielding to Manage Noise in the office Provide Superb acoustic performance for a optimal working environment based on Acoustics “ABC”: • Absorption • Blocking • Cover
- 12. Address Speech Privacy with Wireless Headsets
- 13. Active noise-canceling technology to help focus better in noisy environments
- 14. Telecoms
- 15. Business communication is evolving rapidly • Explosion of mobile devices • Multiple platforms for telephony • Unified Communications • Increasing network challenges • Diverse set of work locations
- 16. Professional Headsets Enhance Telecommunications Speech Quality Improves a Wideband Communications System Reduces Transmission of Background Noise Enables High Sound Quality & Naturalness Minimises Double Talk Interference Adapted from: Advanced speech quality testing of modern communication equipment: An overview, H.W. Gierlich & F. Kettler (2005) [HEAD Acoustics GMBH]
- 17. A professional headset provides a superior wideband experience to a traditional handset • Headset provides tighter coupling to the ear • This prevents lower frequency sound “leaking” • Headset user enjoys richer, more natural sound Source: H.W. Gierlich, HEAD Acoustics (2005))
- 18. Background Noise Reduction • Background noise impacts speech intelligibility • Technology in a professional headset works to cancel out this noise • Receiver hears more of speaker’s voice in relation to surrounding background noise
- 19. Advanced Noise Cancelling with Voyager Legend 3x Mics cancel out background and wind noise for professional sound, calling from anywhere
- 20. Headset speaker specification & frequency supported are key factors • Reference frequency ranges: • Human ear - 12 Hz to 20 kHz • Narrowband telephony- 300 Hz to 3.4 kHz • Wideband telephony - 150 Hz to 6.8 kHz • Hi-Fi Sound - 20 Hz to 20 kHz
- 21. Plantronics Blackwire Stereo Headsets > Speakers specification 20Hz to 20kHz for more “natural” sound and a richer Hi-Fi multimedia experience > “Dynamic EQ” feature– the speakers adjust frequency response to optimise for telephony or listening to multimedia Blackwire 720 Blackwire 520 Blackwire 320Blackwire 725
- 22. Reducing double-talk (echo) on the call • Professional audio devices include echo cancellation technology • Echo cancellation prevent sound coming through the headset speaker being picked up by the microphone and re-transmitted back to the person talking
- 23. Personal
- 24. Smarter Working requires: Higher levels of virtual collaboration • Voice is a critical component collaboration technology • Different from traditional face-to- face communications 3 critical factors to optimise: 1. Audio Ergonomics 2. Voice Intelligibility 3. Speech Impact
- 25. Virtual interaction is Fundamentally Different Voice Only Face-to-Face Voice Only Body Language 55% Face To Face: Mehrabian, A. (1971). Silent messages. Wadsworth, Belmont, California. Telephone: Mehrabian, Albert & Morton Wiener (1967): Decoding of inconsistent communications. Journal of personality and social psychology 6(1): 109-114. Tone of Voice 38% Message 7% Tone of Voice 87% Message 13%
- 26. Audio Ergonomics – The Right Design Wall of Ears Acoustic Sound Chamber Iconic Designs 50+ years of Excellence in Acoustics, Ergonomics & Design
- 27. Audio Ergonomics – Comfort (Acoustic Protection) > Provide employees protection against uncomfortable loud sounds > Noise At Work Directive (2003/10/EC) specifies limits for long term (daily) noise exposure of employees > Ongoing engagement with various organisation e.g. DECT Forum / TCO / HSE & WW standards
- 28. Plantronics Products for Maximum Acoustic Protection > TCO-Edge certified > N@W compliant > Fast-acting limiter that reduces loud noises > Limits average sound level to 85 dB over an 8-hour CS 510/20 Savi 740 Blackwire 720
- 29. Voice Intelligibility – The Right Technology Mobile Devices Unified Communications Professional Headset Fast Internet Connection Appropriate Workspace
- 30. Speech Impact – The Right Conversation > Beyond voice transmit/receive > Being understood (content) > Engagement and impact (results) > How your voice works > Lungs and cords ... keeping them fit > Power-Pace-Pitch-Pause > Storytelling > Standing up rather than sitting
- 32. The Plantronics Proposition: • International experience with recent office re-designs and Smarter Working to learn from • 50+ years expertise experience in personal device acoustics • Innovative audio devices to help associates manage disruptive sound in the modern workspace
Editor's Notes
- There is little doubt that Smarter Working is gaining traction in the global workplace. According to research published by Frost and Sullivan in January 2014 in Europe 38% of the workforce practices Smarter Working either as a remote or mobile worker with this trend expecting to increase over the coming 3 years. Smarter Working is not just people working outside the office location, it is also about providing innovate workspaces within the office too. To make Smarter Working work, organisations need to make collaboration between their associates easy in the face: Of ever increasing availability and types of collaboration technology increasingly delivered via the cloud and across a plethora of different devices The need to be effective at collaboration both in the face-to-face and virtual setting
- However, despite all this new way of working we are time and time again seeing companies overlook acoustic challenges both in the office and out of the office that ultimately impact their employees performance, and our customer are asking Plantronics to help.
- In order to address these acoustic challenges we are proposing that companies apply what we are calling the “Acoustic Intelligence Framework” in three areas of your business to help improve the working environment and business communication amongst your associates. The three areas are: Space i.e. the place where your associates work Telecoms i.e. the communication systems your associates use Personal i.e. the equipment and training your give your associates to be effective
- Workspaces continue to evolve People are increasingly working from a diverse portfolio of workspaces outside the office. Meanwhile, there is a distinct trend in modern office design towards: More “open plan” Activity based workspaces With this shift to an “open plan” design noise challenges are increasing: Acoustic implications are often overlooked in modern office design Private spaces within these offices are more limited So how bad is the situation……………
- According to a 2007 study by the University California, Berkley the BIGGEST complaints of office workers were: Noise Lack of speech privacy These finding were validated in a subsequent on Workspace Satisfaction Academic Paper written in 2013 with responses from over 40,000 office workers. What’s the impact? Disrupted Concentration Decreased Productivity Increased Stress
- No surprisingly office workers believe that they would be more productive in a less noisy environment.
- However, rather surprisingly managers appear to be unaware of the issue!
- Common sources of Noise Pollution impacting Employee Productivity: Noise infiltrating across a more open office due to less physical barriers Lack of sound absorption materials used in office design on ceilings, floors & walls: Noise leaking from meeting rooms Noise reverberating off the ceilings / glass walls Speech being too intelligible in the office: Office being too quiet Lack of private spaces Workstation design (reduced height of partitions) No management of variable noise levels
- Absorption The use of specialised products to absorb the sound energy that hits them and reduce unwanted reflected sound energy. Blocking The introduction of vertical barriers between the noise source and listener to block the sound from one area to the other. Cover The use of a computer generated random sound that covers or masks unwanted sound.
- In the new office environment a professional wireless headset becomes a critical tool. DECT wireless technology allows you to roam up to 120 metres so you can move to a private space especially if the conversation is confidential that helps to minimise the disruption to your colleagues around you.
- In response to the increasing sound challenges in the modern workspace Plantronics is also developing Active Noise-Cancelling (ANC) technology that helps workers focus better in noisy environments. When ANC is coupled with good passive noise reduction and an additional audio path like music/multimedia/call audio, nearby noise is very effectively canceled for the user. Blackwire 725 is our first UC audio device to feature Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) technology
- New Communication Technology Increasing choice of devices for calls – Smartphones / Deskphones / Softphones on Tablets, PCs or MACs Network (mobile / fixed) issues impacting communication quality Mobility is critical within the office and outside Increasing Noise Challenges Employees are now working in a range of different locations with varying background noise levels Managing sound around employees working anywhere is a key success factor
- In a 2005 paper, a team from the German specialist audio company HEAD Acoustics GMBH identified a number of factors that impact speech quality across a telecoms network. These same gentlemen also are heavily involving in setting global telecommunication technical standards. In this slide I have pulled out 4 x factors where a professional headset can help improve speech quality as part of a telecommunications systems
- Another factor that determines the naturalness and quality of the sound in a wideband telephony system is the headset speaker specification and the frequency range it supports. I have listed here some reference frequency ranges for the human ear / narrowband telephony and Hi-Fi sound.
- There is a significant difference in the way conversations are perceived in a F2F context compared to a voice only situation. Clearly, if you cannot see the other person you miss out on the Body Language cues. In virtual, voice only interactions tone of voice becomes the most important factor in the conversation which elevates the need for crystal-clear audio. **% = perceived importance in a conversation**
- Audio Ergonomics is the first area which companies need to consider. By this we mean equipping employees with the right tools to carry out their work namely a well-designed professional audio device to deliver the most effective virtual collaboration. At Plantronics we are simply committed to developing the highest performing, most comfortable professional headsets through design and technology innovation to keep up with the demands of the modern worker. Over the last 10 years we have seen a significant improvement in our designs and our new products regularly win prestigious external design awards. For example, at the beginning of this year the our Voyager Legend CS & RIG Gaming system products won 2014 iF Design Awards in their respective categories. The iF product design awards have served as an internationally recognized trademark for outstanding design for 60 years. The iF brand is an established symbol of exceptional design achievement across the globe.
- Comfort is not just limited to the physical product design. A professional headset also includes technology to protect employees against uncomfortable sound. For example a number of our products comply with the Noise @ Work directive. Plantronics also engages with various relevant WW standards bodies on an ongoing basis to make sure our products are compliant with the latest industy requirements and remain best-in-class. For example, Plantronics was the first headset vendor to manufacture products that comply to the new, enhanced DECT Security Certification from the DECT Forum. http://www.dect.org/security-certification.aspx
- TCO Edge Certification TCO is an independent certification organisation based in Sweden TCO Edge Certification is the latest, most demanding headset certification: Protects users from sudden loud noises Must identify and rapidly suppress loud sounds The maximum level is 102dBA Enabled by default Increase comfort and reduce user fatigue on calls Prevents health impact
- We believe that the headset is a critical tool for modern work. As we see business transition their communication technology to Unified Communications platforms that enables calls to be made from a multitude of devices including a smartphone, tablet or PC, you need a professional headset to manage these calls and make sure you sound professional working from anywhere.
- As we mentioned earlier, voice only communications is different from when you are face-to-face. Associates need coaching on how to maximise their voice presence to generate maximum impact in their business communication.