According to new research by market researchers IPSOS and EPOS, 95 percent of audio end-users and decision makers experience problems relating to sound that affect their concentration or efficiency at work. Common complaints include being disturbed by loud colleagues (50 percent), overall noise levels in working environments (48 percent) and interruptions from colleagues (46 percent).

These findings and more are according to the Understanding Sound Experiences Report, which surveyed 2,500 end-users and decision makers of audio equipment, over 75 percent of whom work in organisations of over 200 people.

The report claims that as technology has proliferated and working habits have evolved, the volume of telephone calls, conference calls and teleconferences has increased in turn. Remote communication encourages flexible working, but also has its downsides: 44 percent of end users report poor sound quality while making phone calls, and 39 percent the same with internet calls.

In total, 87 percent of end-users surveyed have experienced at least one pain point due to poor sound quality on calls, whether in the office or working from home. These include background noise (42 percent), having to repeat yourself (34 percent) and asking for information to be repeated (34 percent). These pain points cause a number of costs for companies that lack access to high-quality audio technology.