• Given the current landscape, working remotely is becoming more prevalent, and an often overlooked factor in its success is sound quality.
• Poor sound quality has the power to derail a meeting, ruin a customer relationship, and promote miscommunication.
• EPOS offers premium audio solutions that seek to eliminate business problems connected to sound quality.

Remote work provides unprecedented flexibility for businesses and nonprofits of all sizes, but this freedom comes with a cost: an increased exposure to poor sound quality and the frustrating experiences that result from it.

Whether workers are straining to hear a phone call over a crowded coffee shop or wasting time asking “What?” at the start of a videoconference from home, bad sound quality steals time that would otherwise be spent getting things done.

In fact, a recent study from the high-end audio brand EPOS found that disruptions caused by bad sound quality cost workers 29 minutes a week — an expense of $725 per employee each year when tied to the average US wage. For large companies, it means millions of dollars in annual productivity losses.

With more people working from home than ever before, businesses simply can’t afford to continue letting their remote employees struggle to hear and be heard. Now is finally the time to demand quality audio.

How poor audio hurts companies and nonprofits

It might seem like a small problem, but the effects of bad audio add up in a big way.

Beyond the time that’s lost while employees go back and forth asking whether they can hear each other, poor audio quality can cause real miscommunications that seriously undermine an organization’s work.

For example, when people mishear important instructions or misunderstand someone’s tone, the result is a bad customer experience that hurts the company’s reputation. According to EPOS, 20% of audio-technology end users say they’ve experienced dissatisfied clients as a result of poor sound quality, with 18% of respondents adding that they’ve missed a key deadline or lost a piece of work.

These losses are compounded by the fact that a bad audio experience is upsetting for everyone involved, causing team members to get distracted and lose focus on their work.

Why your company needs new sound equipment

More often than not, the source of these sound problems lies in outdated audio equipment and an inefficient process for purchasing new tools.

EPOS found that a little more than half of respondents said headsets or headphones could be purchased only by certain teams at their organizations or that these purchases required special authorization.

Previously, these roadblocks had two solutions: either organizations could invest in quality sound equipment, or they could shell out for a huge travel budget to bring their employees, customers, and stakeholders to the same location for an in-person meeting.

But now that travel is temporarily on pause, putting in-person meetings on hold, it has become even more urgent for businesses and nonprofits to deliver the technology tools their employees need to communicate clearly and effectively.

Putting an end to ‘What?’

EPOS’ headsets, headphones, and speakers are a good choice for replacing outdated audio technology. With best-in-class sound quality and a comfortable fit, EPOS’ products are designed to help teams and individuals reach their goals and achieve more. By allowing professionals to hear pauses and tone shifts with perfect clarity, EPOS facilitates effective communication that gives workers the freedom to focus on their work.

Regardless of what happens in the next several months, one thing is clear: The future of work includes more phone calls, more videoconferences, and more opportunities for poor sound quality to disrupt the flow of business.

In this environment, businesses and nonprofits need audio excellence and seamless collaboration more than ever before. There’s never been a better time to take your sound equipment to the next level.

Learn more about EPOS’ high-end headsets, headphones, and speakers.

This post was created by Insider Studios with EPOS.

Follow Business Insider Australia on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.