With the advance of COVID-19, the Singapore government has rapidly put in place measures to minimise social contact.
Work from home and the lack of business travel has forced us to turn to virtual meetings. Therefore, voice and video conferences are now a norm as teams are split into different locations.
As more companies make the shift from physical to online meetings, there is an increasing need for them to understand and explore the use of good communication tools for a better audio experience.
Unfortunately, microphones and speakers on laptops as well as mobile phones no longer cut it as they are better suited to smaller meetings and individual conferencing.
While you can opt for noise-cancelling headphones which offer superb call clarity like the EPOS Adapt 660, the best option is actually to invest in a speakerphone that’s designed solely to make and take calls.
Meet EPOS Expand 80T Speakerphone
Speakerphones definitely make for a worthy investment due to their superior audio abilities.
The EPOS Expand 80T echo-cancelling speakerphone in particular, features six adaptive, beamforming microphones that isolate voices from room reverb and ambient noise. In other words, it can filter out background noises that you might typically expect in an office.
These six microphones also create an audio lens (the beam) which can “zoom” in on the speech in any direction 360 degrees around the unit. This means that the microphone shifts accordingly towards the direction of the dominant speech, optimising speech pick-up.
Additionally, its powerful ultra-low distortion speaker enables superior duplex performance that allows simultaneous speech.
When online meeting attendees talk at the same time, it is dubbed as “double-talk”, which is sometimes referred to as duplex. With EPOS Expand 80T however, it has the ability to allow meeting attendees to interrupt and comment on each other’s statements in a natural manner.
The result is a generally clear audio stream that can be inclusive of everyone present, and a better meeting experience than trying to crowd everyone around a phone or laptop that has a weak microphone.
With this EPOS Voice technology, you can be rest assured that your message will be heard loud and clear.
Well-suited for medium-sized meetings, the EPOS Expand 80T covers up to seven in-room participants, or up to 11 with a microphone extension. With two microphone extensions however, it can cover up to 18 participants.
We’ve personally tested it out during a meeting of seven people and we can attest that the speakerphone does not render a poorer sound quality despite multiple users. In fact, its sound is much fuller and louder as compared to using a phone speaker.
While one might think that using a phone or laptop is more fuss-free, you would be pleased to know that the speakerphone is very easy to set up and use so you can get started on a call in mere seconds.
Moreover, the EPOS Expand 80T offers seamless connectivity. Since it’s lightweight (it weighs only 980g) and portable, it lets users transform their location into a conference room anytime with its Bluetooth connectivity.
Another plus about the Bluetooth connectivity is that it lets you be on call as you move around the space. Hence, if you have to grab something or move to a different location, you can do so with ease on your speakerphone as long as you stay connected.
This actually leads to business agility. Since users are no longer confined to a permanent space and you can bring your work anywhere with a portable conference speakerphone, it allows you to turn any space into a virtual meeting room regardless of your location.
Furthermore, its ability to remove ambient noises means that it does not matter if you are in a quiet room or in an open-spaced office space. The speakerphone works great in environments from both ends of the spectrum, so you can be rest assured that you can perform your call anywhere without any distractions.
One particularly great feature of the EPOS Expand 80T is its one-touch access to your preferred Voice Assistant or Microsoft Teams.
At the top of the speaker lies a dedicated button, and the light on the Teams button will remind you if you are late for a meeting, have a missed voice mail or phone call.
With Teams, users can easily communicate and collaborate with one another, empowering the goal of a truly mobile workforce.
It also helps that the speakerphone looks great, with a sleek and modern design that blends in seamlessly in any meeting room.
Bad Audio Is Bad Business
In a world where time is money, flawless, intuitive communication and effortless collaboration is essential for success.
As expounded by EPOS, bad audio is bad business.
According to its survey results, sound issues adversely affected 95 per cent of today’s workers’ concentration and efficiency at work. Another 69 per cent spend extra time at work due to poor sound quality.
In terms of productivity, office workers lose up to 29 minutes a week due to poor sound quality on voice calls.
Some of the common sound problems include having excessive background noise, having to repeat themselves multiple times, and asking for information to be repeated.
As virtual communication becomes increasingly important for businesses around the world, the quality and reliability of conferencing devices is more essential than ever.
With more than 115 years of experience of working with innovation and sound as part of the Demant Group, EPOS is well-positioned to facilitate the effective communication that gives workers in every industry the freedom to focus on their work.
The Expand 80T has proven to be a true audio tool for collaboration, designed to address the varying needs of professionals working together across workspaces, locations and time zones.
It makes conference calls easy with superb sound quality, simple user interface and easy connectivity options.
Whether you need a central speakerphone for your office boardroom or a portable device for traveling with you on sales pitches, the EPOS Expand 80T is definitely the perfect solution. You can learn more about the product here.
This article is written in collaboration with EPOS.
Featured Image Credit: EPOS