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Sound Masking - Improving The Workplace

by Frank Barnett

There is no way to completely avoid the issue of noise at a call center, no matter how the cubicles are arranged or what kind of technology is employed. Office noise will always be present and must be minimized. In addition, personal and sensitive information will be in circulation and must be protected. Background chatter makes people believe that a call center and its clients are not trustworthy. A call center's layout must be based around employee psychology and ergonomic design.

Call Centers that are open to serve customers directly are open to receiving calls about delicate issues. This must be remembered by any office that has a customer service phone line, whether or not it is on the company site. Any office that serves people who must provide their personal information absolutely have to be aware of the risks involved, and this includes government agencies as well as places of business.

Because of the unique properties of sound, it is able to pass through many materials such as parts of a building. If someone is intent on hearing the conversation of somebody else, they would likely be able to do this using machines specifically for this purpose. Also, privacy can only be kept if the most careful measures are taken to do so.

Normal acoustic treatment methods include creating rooms with high sound attenuation. Attentuation involves diminishing the intensity of sound traveling through a medium, and is accomplished through absorption, scattering or spreading the sound. Most organizations do not have the money available for high-class attenuation, so they look to a second alternative -- sound masking.

Sound masking basically fills in the sound spectrum and makes speech less intelligible in given places. Usually confused with noise cancellation, sound masking will not truly change the frequency of a sound wave. It just covers it up. This technique of ensuring acoustic privacy is often the most effective in regard to the return on the investment.

Basically, the benefits for the Call Centers are not just the safety of the conversations but also the lack of equipment intrusion. Sound masking, if installed properly, reduces costs for cubicle walls while also greatly enhancing the overall environment. It also reduces the risks of clients or customers overhearing other customers' private info when call center reps repeat it back to them.

Masking is a technique that can greatly improve your call center. To start with, it will make your employees happier and healthier, by eliminating stressful background noise. Your employees will be able to relax in a workplace that uses masking, and they'll perform better in the absence of extra noise. To benefit your workers and clients, you'll want to consider sound masking.

Call Centers can have a lot of office noise. If people call into a Call Center and sense or notice background noise and chatter they are more apt to regard the Center as a fly-by-night operation and potential fraud risk. If your Call Center deals with any kind of customer service, you will be open to issues of call sensitivity. Sound masking makes it tougher to identify speech by filling in spaces in the sound spectrum, and doesn't change the frequency of sound waves. White noise can enhance the overall environment.

Published March 4th, 2009

Filed in Business


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