Hear No Evil, See No Evil

Ok, so in your business, you've now successfully installed a great audio and music system so you can sound as great as you look, huh?  Fantastic. You have taken action regarding the emotional side of your business so your clients can experience the visual and auditory brand that you envisioned as you were putting your life savings into this great venture.  Good move. It's under control...

Some time has passed and your customers, employees, other businesses, and vendors are pressing you on the need to install some sleek flat panel LCD or LED TV's in your business.   You immediately think some financial news or business news wouldn't be a bad idea - everyone else is doing it, right?  Well, right.  We can't resist watching, and if it helps to inform everyone on the lastest world and Wall Street moves, what can go wrong?  You make the investment $$, find someone to mount them, hook up cable or a mini dish (maybe a minor issue with your landlord) and you are now looking at CNBC and CNN in high definition. Wow.

Something changes after a while, doesn't it?  TV's look great, sound is working well, employees and some of my clients are happy, but it's still a bit unsettling, isn't it?  You took 1 big step forward, and 1 big step backward at the same time, and you look funny doing the splits with this move you made.

What happened is that you didn't think about what content is being shown outside of the few minutes of news you were anticipating would elevate the class of your business.  The cable channels need to get good ratings, and your TV channels are showing a LOT of content and commercials that have NOTHING to do with the brand experience you are now sabotaging.  You didn't realize that even CNN would devote a full 30 minutes to the exploits of naughty Hollywood actors.  That full step backwards puts a strain on the brain, doesn't it? 

What do you do now?  You might of spent a cool $10K on these slick screens, didn't you?  Just like your satellite radio you have in your car, you mistakenly equated the 1 hour of cool music would last all day.  You watch an hour or two of TV at night, so the same thought prevailed.   Outside of maybe an hour or two of financial and news updates in the morning or afternoon, should you shut off the TV during the day?  Nice investment.

Welcome to 2011 - start seriously looking at turning your flat screens into the latest marketing enhancement, Digital Signage.   A very smart digital signage consultant used a phase that has stuck with me for the last few months when it comes to wondering if a client should invest in a digital signage media player: "Look, we are ALL just like the little goldfish in the pond - we cannot resist looking at the shiny lures moving past us, so why not make the lure all about you?"  Stately perhaps more clearly (but not as emotionally) if your clients and employees are going to watch your slick screens, SHOW them what is new with your business, show them what makes you worth their attention (and $$$).  Every business owner cringes when they hear the statement "I didn't know you did that!".   Your screens will give you a very effective tool to visually captivate and show them more of your brand.  In motion, in color, and all day, every day.   Your printed materials and website will come to life in full high definition.  People WILL watch and keep watching.  Don't ignore what you already know.   It's a lot less expensive than you think, and if you think it is expensive, try ignorance.  A recent new client shared with me the expenses of printed signage, delivery issues, time sensitivity behind getting the signs installed and removed in the proper time frames.   Your screens can change in minutes in all your locations - all from your laptop wherever you are.  That is true value. 

Eat and Run?

It's a shame that in a lot of situations, we remember and or learn from our not so good experiences, rather from our great experiences.  That actually helps protect us from danger, since we aren't that removed from cavepeople.  Ok, in the modern world, and in trying to make my point, we have all eaten in restaurants where the music was completely wrong, too loud, or non existent. When you read this and then relate it to your own experiences, that bad music in a restaurant made you forget if the food was good, didn't it?  That's probably not what the owner of that fine bistro had in mind! Talk about "eat and run"......

Having sold music services to restaurants, I am always amazed at why some owners don't take that music sound of their brand seriously.  Think about that, if you visit a new restaurant, find the sonic atmosphere is not right, you may leave and never come back for a repeat experience.  Would you tell that owner?  Most likely not.  The owner will never know why some of his new customers don't return.  First impressions are very indelible and nearly unbreakable.  With this knowledge, why do they spend perhaps over $1M for visuals (building, decorations, tables, lighting, etc) but consider the music content replaceable with nearly anything, or worse, their OWN music tastes.  What is a delicacy to you may be poison to others.  Restaurant owners, take note:  please listen to the audio professionals.  They aren't just simply trying to spend your money, they are listening to you and making informed recommendations to help complete your brand by making sure that what is HEARD is as compelling as what is SEEN!  Also, make sure you understand that  if your client base is as varied as your menu, don't try to play DJ.  Stick to what makes you great, your food and great customer service.  Don't scrimp on your music system and music content.  It's YOUR opportunity to make a great lasting impression and do all you can to ensure repeat business!!!
Have a GREAT 2011!

Drive Thru Symptoms, oops, I mean Systems

A few educated ramblings to all you fast food owner operators out there:

No, I don't want a Value Meal. I don't want some new high profit coffee drink, and no, I don't want fries with that.(!)  Thankfully, that last answered question has finally gone away, at least for NOW.

Ok, just what the hell DO I want? Ok, first a little inside the QSR (quick service restaurant) industry news here: 

YOU know that the percentage of revenue coming from your drive thru windows is about 65%, according to national averages as cited from industry publications. That percentage is probably a LOT higher, as you have extended your hours, kept the drive thru open very late beyond the dining area hours. So let's re-calibrate that percentage to about 75%. SOME of you have annual revenues of nearly $2M in your high traffic cities and suburbs. Let's say all of you might average about $1.25M just to be more realistic for more of you. 75% of that $1.25M equates to about $935,500 per year in drive thru revenue per store.  Not bad. You don't have to pay people to clean off tables, bathrooms, or too many people for the registers inside as a result of that drive thru success. Ok, let's put away the stats for now.

So what DO I want?  As an audio-video professional, AND a consumer with kids, I have logged thousands of miles through drive thrus, and I have never understood why the experience at every fast food drive thru location varies greatly, specifically, the quality of sound at that order menu speaker.  I have driven away about 10% of the time due to repeatedly correcting orders, or having to ask the order taker to repeat themselves due to low quality sound. Very frustrating for perhaps a simply order like a medium soft drink.  I want a better experience at the drive thru lane.

This experience is what every retailer fears: the first impression sticks nearly forever.  If a consumer has a bad experience, they may never come back.  The owner may never know what is going on with that first impression unless they happen to spend some time watching and listening to what their hard earned customers are going through.   But guess what?  Most of these bad experiences are due to a neglect of the drive thru equipment, and a failure of the owner to fully appreciate the new technologies being offered for their drive thru lanes.  Remember that 75% of total revenues?  Wouldn't a $8000 investment for an 8 headset wireless system seem pretty cheap insurance to protect that $1,250,000 coming in through those windows each year? 

The new systems bring new levels of technology, such as noise reduction to eliminate the background noise from the vehicles, street noise, and even nearby airports!  Let me see, noise reduction means more accuracy of orders, lines move faster, which means more cars each day.  That means more revenue that will easily pay for the upgrade of that patchwork drive thru system that is limping along.  There is also remote access for the manufacturer to help with servicing, longer lasting batteries that charge quickly, and digital performance for better sound quality.  Some of these systems even let your people answer the phone right from the headset, and not let a phone call interfere with the drive thru flow.

Your employees aren't going to say anything about it's performance, they just want to do a great job for you and not question your equipment quality.  They and YOU, may not know you can do better and create happier employees (less turnover!!) and happier and more loyal drive thru customers.  Train them well, and PLEASE review and invest in that drive thru communication system!!!

The Sounds of Hospitality

Being in the sound system design industry for the past decade and a half, I can get jaded as I walk into an upscale hotel and tune in my senses to what I see and hear.  I've sold upgraded sound systems to hotels for many years, and I still get a kick out of evaluating how hotels use sound for their environment.  It's exciting to experience that first 30 seconds upon walking into the lobby from the street and hear what kind of music they are playing and how it matches up with what my eyes see as I look around.  When the sound of the hotel is in "sync" with the visual display of that lobby, you just know it!  That sound quality should be a direct extension of what brand they're attempting to create. Needs no explanation....

But that sound system in the lobby is only the tip of the iceberg of what you hotel managers need to look at closely.  How do your sound systems create more repeat business?  Read on..........

Hotel occupancy rates are directly affected by a LOT of factors, especially customer experience.  That experience is sprinkled all over your hotel.  But here is just one area of question and comments that will give away where I'm headed here:

Meeting Rooms: Can your guests easily plug in their laptops, press a single touch screen and have their presentations quickly and successfully show on a flat screen or projector without assistance?  Do the lights automatically dim and sound system turn on to broadcast the laptop audio or local microphone?  OR, do you contract with an A/V company to be on call at considerable expense to set up these rooms?  How much does THAT cost you over 5 years? IF your guests can use your meeting room A/V system effortlessly, they will come back.  It's as important as a clean room.  If your guests have exquisite service until they struggle to get the A/V systems working in one of your meeting rooms, it may be a deal breaker for repeat business. It's as much a positive first impression point as nearly anything else in your hotel.  If your valued business guests cannot conduct business in your meeting rooms as well as they can in their own offices, you have some work to do! (i.e: more investments to make that have huge ROI)

We're all consumers: If you have a bad or even a so-so experience in a business, how often do you voice your concerns?  MOST people just move on to the next competitive business, and management never knows what caused the defection. Make it easy for guests to provide inside feedback, or you risk a bad review via social network broadcasts about your hotel!

Walk around your lobby, workout rooms, meeting rooms, pool area, and common areas with fresh ears, and really evaluate your Audio and Video equipment.  Pretend you are a guest, and use the meeting room systems just like your guests do. Get an evaluation or two from some local commercial A/V dealers.  Check out our website for manufacturers. You may not be an expert at A/V, but you can easily find out who does what in the A/V marketplace with some simple online searches!  It may not cost as much as you think to upgrade and create some very satisfied repeat clients!

Bank Branches and Sound!

Banks - a hybrid between a retail store and an office.  They are still popping up like fast food joints on every corner.  They spend big $$$$ to get a local neighborhood presence and your attention. But due to costs, the branches are small and fast-food sized.  So guess what happens to conversations in that small lobby?  We all get to listen in.  Sub-conscious or not, you gotta talk, and we are all going to hear you.  Social Security numbers, someone's social life - the list is endless.  And not private. Cubicles aren't going to do it except make you THINK we can't hear.  Kind of like a toddler who thinks if she or he can't see you, you aren't there.  Ok, let's get serious.

If you manage a bank branch, get out of your corner office and spend some time in the open lobby where the customer and your employees bring in your revenue. Your "insignificant" sound system can not only make you sound as good as your branch looks, that sound, music or white noise can mask those very important conversations you need to make your employees and customers feel comfortable and more private.

A sound system, properly designed and installed, can make your music selection speak volumes about your brand, and help provide speech privacy.  Don't think we aren't li$tening!

Sound Masking unmasked

I've been in the commercial audio system business for a couple of decades.

In my early inexperienced days I remembered that I was on an appointment with a prospective client one Tuesday to tour through a large office area that contained a "sea" of cubicles as far as you could view. This was a call center that housed about 150 people. You'd need a map to find your desk. Looked like a massive condo development where every house was the same color. I was there to visit this office to recommend a ceiling speaker layout for occasional voice paging. I was also going to try and talk them into using it for music as well.

Perhaps they were also trying to cover up that loud air conditioning sound that I was hearing overhead. Why would this Fortune 500 company put up with that whooshing HVAC system that obviously needed servicing?

I asked my contact about installing something to play music through the system I was going to propose, "as it's obvious that you also need to cover up the sound of that AC fan".  He looked at me with a strange stare and told me that sound was an important element of this open cubicle environment here in this division.  This was their sound masking system.  What is a sound masking system?  I had to get back to my office and ask my sound designer. I'm intrigued, and if I'm now in the audio design business, I better find out what's going on here. The sound designer must be holding out on me with this information!

Ok, enough background on my sound masking ignorance.  What I learned after this experience, that you may already have figured out, is that a sound masking system broadcasts white noise through a specially designed speaker system.  This "raises" the ambient noise levels in a working environment to help mask the random distracting noises that would be much more disturbing to the occupants of that office area without it.

I recently read that up to 30% of an employee's productivity is lost due to office distractions: conversations, copier noise, phone ringing, walking on hard surfaces nearby, etc. Seems to me that this is a lost fact of office life.

Who uses (or should use) sound masking?

With the new laws and sensitivity surrounding privacy, employers have two reasons to consider adding sound masking into their workplaces:

1.  Reduce noise distractions.
2.  Increase speech privacy.

Many of you probably use fans (as we do) in our bedrooms to cover up traffic noise, talking, or barking dogs so you can sleep undisturbed. You may not have  realized that you installed a sound masking system in your home to do the same thing businesses are doing.

You won't completely eliminate office noises, but think about this: a dropped stapler or a shoe heel walking on a hard floor nearby are not nearly as JARRING to an employees concentration when sound masking is present, as when that sound happens when the office ambient noise level is near silent.  For you technical freaks, the spike in decibels is much more prominent in the silent office, therefore much more distracting to the captive employee in the cubicle nearby.

Banks have been building branches on nearly every street corner in recent years.  The investment to have a neighborhood presence is valuable to them, but with today's open office environment, speech privacy is almost non-existent.  It's also hard for an employee to conduct phone business with the entire branch listening. Sound masking opportunity here.

The healthcare field also has laws protecting privacy, but few people know that the HIPAA laws also pertain to the spoken word as well.  Cubicles don't assist with speech privacy as much as managers would like. Another sound masking opportunity.

Overall, if I work in an office where I can hear conversations with full intelligibility up to 30 feet away or more, sound masking can cut that in half.  I may be able to hear your voice, but if I cannot understand your conversations because the white noise interferes on purpose, then over time, my brain will begin to tune your conversations out, and I become more productive.  Everybody wins. It's far less expensive than building office walls, and more fun.

What IS this?

We are excited to introduce one the first dedicated online directories created specifically for the Pro Audio industry end users: SoundSensible.blogspot.com!

Similar to a “trade show”, Soundsensible.blogspot.com will create a level playing field where all pro audio manufacturers can be seen by END USER decision makers.   Up until now, there has been no single portal where designers, decision makers, or business owners could access information about professional sound system products for their businesses.  Business owners may know how important sound quality is to their environment, but most likely do not know what products are available and which ones are the right ones at the right prices!

Sound interesting?   Follow us as we will regularly post information to help business owners gain knowledge on sound systems through our directory, and audio manufacturers can become visible to buyers without having to depend on local distributors and sales representatives.