Calm the Chatter: 3 Benefits of Sound Masking Systems

It’s another day at the office. Clara is talking about her date last night. Dave is lost in a story about his kids’ soccer championship. You can hear Sophie talking on the phone inside of her office. 

Do you ever wish you could tune these voices out? Sound masking lessens the sound of people talking, so you can feel more comfortable speaking freely and be less distracted by the conversations of others. 

WHAT IS SOUND MASKING?

Sound masking systems emit ambient sound from uniform speakers overhead. The sound muffles chatter and lets day-to-day noise fade into the background.

So, is sound masking white noise? Not exactly. Sound masking isn’t white noise or pink noise. White noise sounds like fuzzy AM radio static, but sound masking targets the specific frequencies of human speech. Sound masking is meant to be unnoticeable. It sounds like airflow or a slight hum in the background. 

WHY DO YOU NEED SOUND MASKING?

Many industries can benefit from sound masking in their building because it provides an added layer of voice privacy and comfort. Banks, hospitals, law firms and call centers find installing sound masking machines or systems effective. 

Sound masking has three key advantages.

1. FEWER DISTRACTIONS

When you can understand speech, you are more likely to be distracted by it. Sound masking dampens the conversations in a given space. You may still hear conversations from across the room, but you won’t be able to make them out. If the sounds you hear are unintelligible, they fade into the background. 

You have likely experienced trying to work while several people talk at once if you work in an open office or call center. Office sound masking has been shown to increase minimum productivity by 2-4% because it helps limit these everyday distractions. Fewer distractions mean less frustration, greater productivity and higher job satisfaction.

2. SPEECH PRIVACY 

Sound masking offers employees and clients speech privacy. It allows both to speak more freely as they know they won’t be overheard by everyone in the space. 

Employees know they are safe to speak when discussing confidential information or sharing that story about last weekend’s antics. 

You can install sound masking systems in open offices, reception areas or outside highly-frequented conference rooms. 

To share an example, hospitals may find that sound masking helps protect patient information. Sound masking can be installed in a reception area or waiting room, so patients and guests are less likely to hear exchanges of private information. 

Sound masking within hospital rooms and halls offers doctors and nurses voice privacy as well. It reduces the chance that confidential conversations between staff members or between staff and their patients will be overhead. 

3. A COMFORTABLE WORK ENVIRONMENT 

There’s a fine line between a workplace that’s too noisy and one that’s too quiet. Sometimes dead silence is just as distracting as a loud ruckus. You want a space that makes people feel comfortable as they work independently or in collaboration with others. 

Sound masking systems continually emit ambient noise. They are both noise masking solutions and noisemakers. That means there will always be a low sound in the background. Employees don’t have to worry about breaking the silence or avoiding conversation altogether. 

With a sound masking system, you will reduce noticeable chatter across the room and kill those moments of awkward silence.

Are you ready to improve your acoustics? Looking for better voice privacy?

Contact Techtree Partners today to talk more about sound masking for your office, hospital or workplace.