Challenge

Reducing Distractions and Protecting Speech Privacy at a Busy Insurance Agency

The Bender Insurance Solutions is one of the largest independently owned insurance brokerages in the Sacramento, California area, providing a variety of insurance solutions to both commercial and individual clients. They pride themselves on providing excellent customer service, so ensuring their employees can assist customers and concentrate on projects with minimal interruptions is imperative.

Each month, the company holds education and training sessions for their clients as part of their ongoing “Bender U” seminars. These events are typically held in one of the company’s conference rooms. During scheduled breaks, attendees would leave the conference rooms and speak to each other in hallways and corridors. These discussions would sometimes distract employees, resulting in increased noise complaints to management. This was not the only office noise issue Bender Insurance Solutions was experiencing. Private office and conference room walls were thin, resulting in conversational spillover into adjacent offices and the open office area.

VP of Finance Michele Sweet and President Maggie Bender-Johnson began looking for a solution to the problem. Construction options were researched but were cost-prohibitive. Bender Insurance Solutions’ IT firm suggested there might be a technical solution to the problem. They had sound masking from Cambridge Sound Management installed in their office and suggested Sweet and Bender-Johnson visit the office and experience it. Sound masking is the process of adding a low level, unobtrusive background sound to an environment to cover up excess speech noise, making the affected environment more comfortable, private, and free of excess noise distractions. Impressed with the system, they decided to purchase it. Their furniture supplier, United Corporate Furnishings, was also familiar with the technology and connected them with area integrator Precision West Technologies who installed QtPro from Cambridge Sound Management throughout the space.

“Sound masking helps make our office feel more quiet and comfortable. Speech noise from across the office is much less distracting, making it much easier for everyone to concentrate. It’s become an essential part of our office”
– Michele Sweet, VP of Finance, Bender Insurance Solutions

Solution

QtPro® Sound Masking System

Precision West installed small, barely visible Qt® Emitters (loudspeakers) in the drop ceiling throughout the open office, private office, and conference room space. The emitters were connected by cables to a Qt® 300 control module residing in the server room. The system allowed for different masking volume levels across different zones, allowing the Bender Insurance Solutions to address noise distractions more aggressively in the open office areas. Automatic ramping was also programmed into the system, allowing the masking noise to be slightly louder at times when the office is at its busiest.

Result

A More Pleasant Work Environment

When employees returned to the office after the sound masking was installed they were pleasantly surprised to hear the masking noise and a noticeable decrease in distractions. After a few days, the masking sound itself wasn’t noticed by the employees, but the benefits of reduced distractions continued to pay dividends for employee concentration, productivity, and well-being. “Sound masking helps make our office feel more quiet and comfortable,” says Sweet. “Speech noise from across the office is much less distracting, making it much easier for everyone to concentrate. It’s become an essential part of our office.” Bender Insurance Solutions has since added QtPro to two additional office expansions.

About Bender Insurance Solutions

Bender Insurance Solutions was founded 80 years ago with a mission to of providing protection, superior service and education to those who matter most to us: our customers. It’s a compelling commitment that continues to guide us, three generations later, the largest and only employee-owned, family-led commercial insurance brokerage in the Sacramento region.

About Precision West

Precision West is a leading full-service technology company servicing Northern California and Northern Nevada. Founded in 1989, Precision West is proud of its unblemished history in the technology industry. They are locally owned and operated in Loomis, CA and play an active role in the local Chamber of Commerce as well as several other non-profit organizations designed to better the community in which they live and work.

About Biamp
Biamp® is a leading provider of innovative, networked media systems that power the world’s most sophisticated audiovisual installations. The company is recognized worldwide for delivering high-quality products and backing each one with a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Recipient of the Frost & Sullivan 2018 Global Installed Audio Conferencing Enabling Technology Leadership Award, Biamp is dedicated to creating products that drive the evolution of communication through sight and sound. The award-winning Biamp product suite includes: Tesira® media system for digital audio and video networking, Devio® collaboration tool for modern workplaces, Audia® digital audio platform, Nexia® digital signal processors, Vocia® networked public address and voice evacuation system, Cambridge® sound masking solutions, and loudspeakers for installed sound applications from Community Loudspeakers® and Apart Audio®. Each has its own specific feature set that can be customized and integrated in a wide range of applications, including corporate boardrooms, conference centers, huddle rooms, open floor environments, performing arts venues, courtrooms, hospitals, transportation hubs, campuses, retail, hospitality, military and government, and multi-building facilities.

Founded in 1976, Biamp is headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, USA, with additional offices around the globe. For more information on Biamp, please visit www.biamp.com.