Almost All Workers are Distracted by Audio Pain Points, Study Finds

New research from global market research firm IPSOS and audio brand EPOS finds 95% of audio end-users and decision makers experience pain points relating to sound that affect their concentration or efficiency at work.

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 Experiences’ Report, which surveyed 2,500 end-users and decision makers of audio equipment, over 75% of whom work in organizations of over 200 people.

Remote communication encourages flexible working, but also has its downsides: 44% of end users report poor sound quality while making phone calls, and 39% the same with internet calls.

In total, 87% of end-users surveyed have experienced at least one pain point due to poor sound quality on calls, whether in the office or working from home. These include background noise (42%), having to repeat yourself (34%) and asking for information to be repeated (34%).

The survey says audio pain points cause a number of costs for companies that lack access to high-quality audio technology.

More from the report:

The time cost: On average end-users are losing 29 minutes per week due to poor sound 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 three days of lost time per year.
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 (UK) 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 wasted expenditure per year. Extrapolated further, businesses that employee over 100 people risk losing over £30,000 per annum in this way.
The business cost: It’s not just productivity that can suffer due to bad audio quality. According to decision makers, poor audio quality on calls has meant dissatisfied clients (23%), financial loss due to incorrectly undertaking a task (18%), loss of a key piece of work / a deal resulting in financial loss to the company (18%), or even loss of a pitch / tender (19%).

“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.”