Challenge

Making a truly open office space acoustically comfortable and functional

Busy Chicago-area technology integration company Tie National, LLC (TIE) was rapidly outgrowing their old office and needed a new space with room to grow. Their new office promised an open, modern environment that let in plenty of natural light. With fewer walls and partitions, TIE faced more office noise than in their former location. Previously taller cubicles dampened some of the distractions; however, the new location with its expansive open floor plan offered little for sound absorption. Fortunately TIE president Richard Durante, Sr. knew just the solution for dealing with the problem.

TIE partnered with Cambridge Sound Management to install QtPro sound masking at the new facility just as TIE had done for many of their clients over the years that faced similar structural situations. Their new office now benefits from an acoustically comfortable environment and has become a showroom for showcasing QtPro to TIE’s clients and prospects. Cambridge Sound Management is the number one sound masking vendor in the industry. Sound masking is the process of adding a low level, unobtrusive background sound to an environment to reduce the intelligibility of human speech and reduce noise distractions. By making nearby conversations unintelligible, sound masking protects speech privacy and allows individuals to work more productively in a space with fewer noise interruptions.

Solution

TIE installed the QtPro sound masking system in their new office. Small, barely visible emitters (speakers) were installed seamlessly into the office’s drop ceiling. The emitters were connected by cables to an intuitive Qt® 300 control module residing in the computer room. The creation of multiple zones allowed TIE to adjust the sound masking volume to be louder for busier areas of the office and quieter elsewhere.

Result

A Functional Office and Demonstration Space

QtPro enhanced the productivity of TIE’s new office allowing workers to collaborate and assist clients over the telephone without distracting colleagues who need to keep focus on their own individual tasks and projects. As a bonus, TIE’s office is a live demonstration showroom for one of their marquis products, proving to their clients that TIE believes in the products that they sell so much that they use them in their own business. “As a technology integrator, we knew how powerful QtPro could be for protecting speech privacy and reducing noise distractions in open office environments, but until we installed it in our own office we never fully appreciated how much more productive it can make workplaces,” says Durante. “Plus, now we can show our clients first-hand how amazing the system truly is!”

About Tie National, LLC
Since 2003, Tie National, LLC has offered comprehensive, single point-of-contact services to help multi-location businesses grow their technology as painlessly as possible. In the process, they have earned a solid reputation for 24/7 customer support and identifying opportunities to standardize and enhance efficiencies that result in cost savings for their clients. For more information, call (630) 518-9600 or visit TieNational.com.

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.