They say happiness comes from within. A bit corny, but ultimately, true — including within businesses. If your employees are happy, they’ll produce better work, exude more positive energy around both colleagues and customers, and champion your business to others, creating a ripple effect of delight.
This is even more relevant for call centre employees, where advisors speak to customers day in, day out. Distractions like background noise compound with the frustration of customers who, let’s face it, rarely call to talk about positive things. Inevitably, advisor performance suffers, employees consider leaving, and both customers and businesses pay the price.
An (often overlooked) piece of this puzzle is bad audio. Does background noise really have that much of an impact on wellbeing and satisfaction? How can we make sure every interaction with a customer turns from frustrated with a problem to happy with a solution?
Bringing mental health to the foreground
Far from just a side nuisance, background noise is actually a major player in the mental health of employees. Think of all the times you’ve tried to focus only to notice an alarm beeping, construction droning, or fly buzzing. It may be in the background, but it’s certainly taking up a big part of your brain space.
Now put that on a call, all day, everyday.
It’s no surprise more than two thirds (69%) of call centre workers in our survey said that background noise has a negative effect on their mental health and wellbeing. As such, it must be treated as a priority by business leaders.
Acknowledging the impact of noise on productivity and retention
Noise disrupts concentration and focus, which affects productivity and leads to greater stress and frustrated calls. All these contribute, at least in part, to employee churn. If employees are feeling the heat, customers will feel it too and the cycle of dissatisfaction will roll on.
But can you truly get rid of background noise when it varies on every call for every user?
Using artificial intelligence for human wellbeing
Groundbreaking AI-powered background noise cancelling apps like IRIS Clarity (which you can try free for 7 days) have the ability to eradicate niggling background noise of any sort on both sides of the call. Wherever they may be, participants can immediately have quiet, clear, and highly audible calls that allow for smooth communication.
It’s a game changer. By placing an emphasis on heightened and distraction-free audio, call centres and businesses can start reversing some of the knock-on effects of mental fatigue and burnout. Customers can focus on the conversation without having to strain to hear or repeat themselves, making them more likely to hang up satisfied.
All of this — the advisor’s sense of accomplishment, the customer resolving their issues, the fact that it’s all done in the most efficient way possible — contributes to a happier workplace, more enjoyable calls, and more satisfied customers.
It’s all about the conversation
With customers only reaching out by phone when an issue is truly important, the voice remains a premium that cannot be ignored. IRIS Clarity instantly prioritises the voice and the conversation — that human exchange that customers usually need when resorting to calls.
With quality audio in place, your organisation can be happy — and productive — both within and without.