{"id":2819,"date":"2016-07-15T13:04:51","date_gmt":"2016-07-15T20:04:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/?p=2819"},"modified":"2016-07-15T13:04:51","modified_gmt":"2016-07-15T20:04:51","slug":"whos-really-listening-mobile-conference-call-participants-may-not-be-giving-their-undivided-attention","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.poly.com\/whos-really-listening-mobile-conference-call-participants-may-not-be-giving-their-undivided-attention\/","title":{"rendered":"Who\u2019s really listening? Mobile conference call participants may not be giving their undivided attention."},"content":{"rendered":"
Just how engaged are conference call participants, especially over a mobile device. A study <\/a>by West Unified Communications Services a few years ago uncovered what some may have suspected all along \u2013 not everyone is giving their undivided attention to the call. In fact, the study of over 500 full-time employees to find out about their conferencing habits found that 82% of participants work on unrelated items while on a mobile conference call.<\/p>\n The study found that multitasking capabilities afforded by mobility also enable getting up and away from the desk while on a call to eat or make food (55% of participants) and go to the restroom (47%).<\/p>\n While it one thing to multitask on a conference call; it\u2019s another to hang up and move on. But that\u2019s exactly what some survey participants owned up to doing. Among participants, 39% of employees admitted to dropping off a call without announcing it to maintain the appearance of still being on the call. Another 27% admitted to falling asleep and 5% even asked a colleague to sit in for them.<\/p>\n The degree of multitasking that goes on during mobile conference calls begs the question why isn\u2019t everyone paying attention? The answer may be too many meetings. Plantronics recently conducted a global survey<\/a> and found that over 40% of respondents spend between 11 and 30 or more hours a week in meetings. Many of them don\u2019t need to happen either. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that $37 billion is spent on unproductive meetings each year.<\/p>\n Whether it\u2019s for marketing, a discussion of new products and services or how to streamline operations, make sure conference calls are meaningful. Don\u2019t get everyone on a call if an email is sufficient to get input you need. However, if you determine that a conference call is needed, here are tips to make it more effective and efficient:<\/p>\n You have no control over the environment when you are participating in a conference call out of the office \u2013 and possibly even when you are on site especially in open-space office environments. A noise canceling headset can assure you hear everything and that other participants hear you and that you aren\u2019t distracted by noise around you. As an example, the new Voyager 5200 UC headset<\/a> features WindSmart technology an exclusive Plantronics innovation, which ensures extraordinary wind and noise reduction to help combat the noise mobile workers encounter while on the go.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n
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Why the lack of attention?<\/h5>\n
Make conference calls count<\/h5>\n
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Ensure audio clarity on conference calls on the go<\/h5>\n