Citadel Federal Credit Union
Citadel Federal Credit Union is a non-profit banking organization serving thousands of customers in southeast Pennsylvania. Their newly constructed headquarters, located in Exton PA, comprises 84.000 sq. ft spread over three floors and houses over 200 employees. In addition to its information technology, human resources, risks assessment, collections, and marketing departments, the credit union’s call center also operates out of this space.
As Citadel’s customer base grows, the volume of incoming calls has increased dramatically, generating a high level of additional background noise and distractions. The company’s administrative staff, as well as employees working in private offices, expressed concerns about the voice levels coming from the adjacent call center areas. The increased noise led to worker distractions and increased the risk of worker error; the possibility of client personal financial information being overheard was also a concern.
Initially, Citadel facility managers attempted to mitigate the noise concern by moving the call center teams to other areas in the building. Unfortunately, this did not solve the problem. A more permanent solution would be needed.
SOLUTION
The team at Citadel wanted to maintain a collaborative environment and needed a flexible solution to handle the acoustic needs in each area. A QtPro sound masking system from Biamp’s Cambridge line was recommended to decrease the conversational distractions throughout the space, providing a solution that easily integrated within the existing open office area. QtPro’s ability to both offer multiple zones for addressing specific area needs and to easily expand to cover the entire 84,000 sq. ft facility proved hugely beneficial. Each floor of Citadel’s headquarters features one control module and is separated into multiple zones, enabling different sound levels within each.
The system also allows for different sound masking levels, established based on each area’s use and requirements. This includes separate zones for each department’s open office area, call centers, private offices, and conference rooms. Each call center department has their own zone with a higher sound masking level, reducing distractions from employees speaking on the phone. The adjacent departments, with more administrative responsibilities, have a slightly lower sound masking level to protect speech privacy.
Once we installed the Qt system, the results were nothing short of amazing.
MICHELLE KENWORTHY
Real Estate Projects Manager
Citadel Federal Credit Union
Conclusion
The uniform coverage provided by QtPro resulted in a more comfortable work environment overall. With every department located in a separate zone, the manager of each team now sets the decibel level for their specific needs. Additionally, adjustments can be made via the system’s monitoring and control software from any computer or mobile tablet device. Citadel executives have noted that sound from the system is unobtrusive and pleasant, and report that it has effectively increased the speech confidentiality in conference rooms and private offices alike.
“We attempted to address our noise issue by moving distracting departments to more remote areas. After several ineffective moves, we realized it was futile to address our noise challenges in this way,” said Michelle Kenworthy, Real Estate Projects Manager for Citadel. “Once we installed the Qt system, the results were nothing short of amazing.”