SENNHEISER ON WORKPLACE AUDIO, METAVERSE AND COLLABORATION

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way we work and look at work and there is no doubt that hybrid is now the new normal. Work, which used to largely relate to a physical space are now things to get done in front of a screen 10 steps from our bedroom. The work today is no longer bound by distance or space.

In a survey conducted by McKinsey1, nine out of ten executives said that they envision a hybrid model moving forward. But despite this, 68% of those surveyed also said that their organizations have no detailed plan communicated or in place to materialize the hybrid workplace. Yet, with the long hours that employees dedicate to connecting virtually on a daily basis, companies now have a huge incentive to create a pleasant virtual work experience. Amongst many others, this involves providing the right technology and tools for smooth collaboration and connection.

SI Asia chats with Petteri Murto, Vice President, Sales, Business Communications, Sennheiser

Electronic Asia Pte Ltd about the company’s vision and strategy in the workplace environment.

What is the role of audio in the new way of working?

“Can you hear me now?” is probably one of the most used phrases in recent times. It is undeniable that COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way schools and organizations operate. In hybrid offices and classroom environment, video conferencing plays a huge role in ensuring that we can still carry out our daily tasks, uninterrupted. While meetings and classes can take place without visuals, it cannot happen without audio, which enables communication and discussion to take place. Clear and high-quality audio transmission allows us to stay connected and collaborate effectively wherever we are in the world. Technical problems such as loss of audio connection and conference calls interruption are common issues and have a huge impact on our productivity.

Sennheiser recently launched a new product – the TeamConnect Intelligence Speaker. Tell us more about it.

Can you tell us more about touchless audio and why it is so important today?

Touchless audio, which is also known as contactless audio and refers to audio technology that can be used to capture audio in spaces without having to pass microphones or any form of physical contact. This smart solution allows us to future proof our meeting spaces as it eliminates cable clutter and the need to physically handle or clean up any electronics and cables, creating a clean, minimalist work environment. Sennheiser delivers touchless audio solution through its Team Connect Ceiling 2 (TCC2), where a patented adaptive beamforming technology and TruVoiceLift functionality enables seamless speech intelligibility in a meeting or conference room, allowing all participants to be heard from every corner of the room. This allows speakers to move freely in a space without having to carry or pass any microphone. Another advantage of touchless audio and our beamforming technology is that it allows flexibility in the configuration of the room and the number of attendees where any adjustments will not impair the audio quality. Over the past two years, touchless audio has become an integral part of any workplace set up as it allows for social distancing between participants and reduce the risk of spreading infection without having to suffer in terms of audibility.

The TeamConnect Intelligent Speaker (TCISP) is Sennheiser’s first 100% UC solution optimized for mid-sized Microsoft Teams rooms for up to 10 people. It features an omnidirectional speaker that covers a 3.5m radius and seven integrated beamforming microphones to achieve excellent speech intelligibility and double-talk performance. The integration of Microsoft Cortana voice intelligence allows users to control the microphone verbally during meetings without having to fumble with equipment. Through the TCISP, Microsoft Teams also provide live transcription in real-time, with the transcription document being available right after the meeting. This provides an inclusive and highly collaborative environment for remote participants and those who are hard to hearing. Given the popularity of Sennheiser’s TeamConnect Ceiling 2 microphone, we are extremely excited to have this new addition to the TeamConnect family that allows us to offer a smart, focused and inclusive solution for different sized meeting room at a very attractive price point.

The Metaverse has become a popular topic today. What is the metaverse and what do you think is audio’s role in it?

Metaverse is really an exciting space where the ways in which we communicate and experience the world will not be bound by our physical space and reality. We are already seeing versions of metaverse in corporate, education and entertainment industry. Regardless of its application, it is clear that audio will continue to play a huge role in bringing to live this mixed reality and immersive experience. As with most virtual platforms, visual is only one component and audio plays an equally important role in drawing participants into this immersive experience. It is worthy to note that besides Facebook which recently announced that it has changed its company name to Meta, Microsoft has also announced its version of AR/VR meetings via its Microsoft Mesh platform where spatial audio will help to create a sense of being in the same physical space in a multiuser scenario. Spatial audio will help create an immersive experience that allow participants to feel a sense of presence and reality in the virtual space. Metaverse is still in its infancy stage but over the next few years, we will definitely see organizations pouring investments into developing technological products and infrastructures to realize this mixed-reality. It is interesting and exciting to see where it will go from here. As one of the world’s leading manufacturer of audio solutions, Sennheiser will keep a close eye on the developments in Metaverse as well as industry trends to stay on the edge of innovation. All I can say is, sit tight and watch this space.

Unlike other brands which own the value chain from end to end, Sennheiser seem to have a different strategy when it comes to working with competing brands in the industry. Tell us more about Sennheiser’s Global Alliance Programme and how it works.

Sennheiser takes a manufacturer-agnostic approach towards growing our partnerships with other brands. Under Sennheiser’s Global Alliance Programme, we work with premium partners like Extron, Barco, Microsoft, Zoom and many others to deliver seamless integration to provide a superior user experience. We believe that our customers should be able to choose the best and most suitable product for their application. For example, we have customers who specifically requested for a QSC-Sennheiser bundle that was Zoom certified. Similarly, QSC had also received similar requests from the market for a Sennheiser bundle. With such demand, we aligned our engineering teams and approached Zoom about certifying a joint solution. This level of cooperation would not have been possible if our partners like QSC viewed Sennheiser as a competitor and vice versa. That is why we stand by our Manufacturer Agnostic approach and will continue to grow our partnerships to bring the best solutions to our customers. 1 McKinsey & Company. (2021). What executives are

saying about the future of hybrid work.

Sennheiser

In mid-2021, Sennheiser announced that it has sold off its consumer business to focus on Professional Audio and Business Communication in the future. Please share the company’s vision for the future.

It has always been Sennheiser’s vision to shape and build the future

of audio by continuously pushing boundaries to create unique sound experience for our customers. On the business communication front, remote work, hybrid environments are concepts that are here to stay. We want to continue to deliver audio solutions that can solve real problems associated with this “new normal” as well as advanced solutions for modern classrooms and workspaces. We want to create products that are easy to set up and use so that people will have more time for collaboration and productivity. Sennheiser will continue to invest into market research and product development to meet the needs of our customers and the changing industry and landscape and to continue to strengthen our capabilities to meet future demands. We want to create products that are easy to set up and use so that people will have more time for collaboration and productivity.