Tired of not being able to hear someone on a call because of the blaring traffic or loud colleagues around them? Frustrated by those time consuming ‘mute, unmute’ scenarios on your online meetings? Well, voice isolation technology is here to save you from these headaches forever. This emerging technology has generally been tied down to a specific platform or device (such as with Apple iPhones on iOS 16.4), limiting access. That is, until now.
With life becoming more and more virtual, we need to make sure we are not hit by the drawbacks that technology can bring, and retain the emotive aspects that make us human. Noise is a key factor in breaking the focus needed when attending meetings. By removing those unwanted distractions - we can put an end to those “can you go on mute” statements and bring clear communications to the forefront.
Enter voice isolation.
So what is voice isolation and how does it work?
Voice isolation technology utilises AI to remove all ambient/background noise by recognising the ‘noise’ in an environment and prioritising the primary voices in a conversation. Voice isolation software can even differentiate between the core person talking and babble in the background. It can also be applied to both real-time (VOIP calls, online meetings) and pre-recorded audio (such as podcasts or webinars), enhancing the quality of any conversation taking place in a noisy environment.
Multi-directional voice isolation software, like IRIS Clarity (which you can try for free for 7 days), will automatically apply the same benefits for all parties in the call.
The main advantages of voice isolation are:
- Improved retention of information for everyone on call/meeting due to being able to clearly hear everything that’s being said.
- Reduced stress from removing frustrating noises from the end of the person you’re talking to, as well as the fact you don’t have to worry about muting noises at your end.
- Higher productivity with less time being wasted by disruptions.
- Increased flexibility for everyone, with there being less concern about choosing times and locations with less background noise for calls.
- Reduced Zoom fatigue by making online calls more like face-to-face conversations.
What is the difference between Voice Isolation and Noise Cancellation?
You might think that you’ve experienced this before with a pair of headphones you’ve used, but noise cancellation and voice isolation are actually different things. Noise Cancellation technology tends to be applied to hardware such as headphones, whereas voice isolation is installed as software. This means with noise cancellation, only the owner of the headphones benefit from reduced background noise, rather than all parties, and only in real-time - compared to voice isolation which can be multi-directional and applied to something recorded.
The benefit of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) headphones is that although you will still hear disruptive noises from the other end of your phone call, you will not hear the noise from your end at all. But by combining ANC headphones with voice isolation software, you can ensure the best experience for a call with all noise removed for everybody. Read more about Active Noise Cancellation and how to get the best audio experience here.
Why Voice Isolation is the next best thing.
Our days are already fast-paced and intense as they are - so why allow for something to add to that? This study found that 15 minutes of a 38 minute virtual call is wasted on getting started or dealing with distractions - and we all know that the disruptions like ‘hey, you’re on mute’ are the most frustrating and time-consuming parts of virtual calls. This also applies both ways - it might be the person you are calling who has a noisy background which is distracting, or it might be you having to worry about keeping yourself muted as much as possible. Both are as stressful as the other.
Voice Isolation has the ability to remove all that, which is why we can see it taking the world by storm. Regular, uncontrollable audio disruptions are a problem we all face - no matter what industry or location you work in - whether it be the roadworks next door to your house, or an increasingly loud open office. And it doesn't just affect our work life, but also our personal ones - with audio distractions increasing stress.
These benefits are even more pronounced in a contact centre context. Call centres can be a VOIPalyptic hellscape at times, with a cacophony of competing callers trying their best to provide an excellent service to your customers. Not only can this background noise further frustrate a customer who has likely already had an issue, but it can actually make it harder to solve their problem with key details being missed. If you’re dealing with people’s money or health - this can be potentially disastrous. And if you add all this together - it’s not surprising that the contact centre industry has a higher staff turnover rate than any other. Again, voice isolation removes these worries - meaning your agents can concentrate on the customer, rather than their mute button.
Voice isolation software can be implemented into any environment and can work for all parties on a call - bringing back the emotive, human qualities in a conversation, allowing for greater connection. By removing distractions, you and your team can have more focused conversations and clearer understanding - meaning less time on virtual calls, and more time for other tasks.
How can you get voice isolation for yourself?
If you’d like to experience voice isolation across all desktop apps and platforms, from Microsoft Teams to Zoom to Google Meets and much more - you can find out more about IRIS Clarity here. IRIS Clarity is trained using over 40,000 different pieces of audio so that it only allows the primary voice in conversation to be heard - allowing you to take control of your online calls. Try it for free for 7 days today!