It’s easy to overlook meeting audio quality. After all, it’s just one small detail in the long list of technologies that make hybrid work possible. However, research shows that this “minor” factor has a massive, under-recognised impact on productivity, collaboration, and even corporate reputation.
Nine out of 10 organisations that invest in superior audio say it enables meeting equity, improves their image, and boosts decision-making speed, according to the IDC–Shure report titled ‘The Hidden Influencer’.
Picture a global project team meeting where everyone, whether they’re in the room or joining from across the world, can speak without repeating themselves, hear every word clearly, and stay fully in the loop.
Now compare this to the common reality where remote participants get talked over, in-room side conversations drown out key points, and decisions are delayed because someone “didn’t catch that.”
The first scenario drives business forward. The second quietly undermines performance and culture. The research explains exactly why this difference matters and how small audio upgrades can tip the balance.
The correlation between audio quality and business success
Modest investments in better audio deliver measurable improvements in four critical areas - productivity, agility, staff well-being, and retention. Clear, reliable sound enables faster decision-making and smoother collaboration. It reduces frustration, keeps people engaged, and makes employees feel valued and included, whether they’re in the room or joining remotely.
The report indicates that 90 percent of organisations that invest in superior audio say it enables meeting equity, and the same percentage see it as an investment in their future at the company.
The report further outlines that nearly half of organisations report better decision-making, while over 70 percent see improved employee well-being. This clearly shows that great audio doesn’t just make meetings clearer, it makes work smarter.
To add more weight, findings reveal a direct link between audio maturity and business success. Financially thriving organisations are far more likely to already use high-end, standardised audio solutions across their meeting spaces.
This is not just about having better sound, but it’s about creating a consistent, predictable meeting experience across every room and location. Thriving companies commit to hybrid work as a long-term model, and they standardise audio setups to eliminate the frustration of uneven quality from one meeting to the next.
This makes it clear that when audio is consistent, there are fewer technical hiccups, less wasted time, and faster decision-making. But the benefits of good audio are mirrored by the costs when it’s overlooked.
Poor audio slows down decisions, weakens engagement, and gradually chips away at credibility and trust. Over time, this “marginal loss” erodes culture and performance.
Quantifying the ‘soft’ benefits as hard ROI
Employee motivation, well-being, and collaboration quality are dismissed as “soft” factors, but the research makes it clear that they have a direct impact on business performance.
In the IDC-Shure report, a high 94 percent of respondents believe team motivation is higher in face-to-face meetings, but technology that recreates that natural flow in hybrid settings helps close the gap. Better audio also improves the company’s image with both staff and clients.
These “intangibles” translate directly into hard returns. Motivated employees are more productive and less likely to leave, reducing costly turnover. A stronger corporate image improves client confidence and supports growth.
The research shows that poor sound in hybrid meetings undermines decision-making, weakens engagement, and chips away at corporate credibility.
The impact is clear in the data as 47 percent of organisations report productivity loss due to poor audio, and nearly half say it reduces decision-making ability. Moreover, companies acknowledge that it damages their image.
A poor impression in a client meeting can cost future opportunities. Over time, this “marginal loss” becomes a competitive disadvantage, leaving organisations slower, less agile, and disconnected than their peers.
From cost centre to strategic asset
It’s time to move beyond the “good enough” approach to meeting audio. This starts with involving the right people in the decision-making process, not just IT buyers, but the employees and stakeholders who use the technology every day. Their insights into real-world needs and frustrations are critical to getting it right.
Standardisation is another key step. By deploying the same high-quality audio technology across all meeting spaces, organisations can deliver consistent, reliable experiences no matter the room size or location. This consistency eliminates the guesswork and technical hiccups that often derail hybrid meetings. Above all, companies must prioritise audio quality over cost.
While budget pressures are real, treating audio as just another IT expense is short-sighted. Like broadband rollouts in the early 2000s, superior audio is now a foundational investment, one that protects revenue, strengthens culture, and enables a more agile, resilient way of working.
‘Clear sound’ is a strong pillar for hybrid work success
In the age of hybrid work and AI-powered collaboration tools, audio has become the productivity multiplier that allows every other investment to deliver on its promise. Without clear, reliable sound, even the smartest meeting platforms, most advanced AI assistants, and most polished presentations will fall flat.
In the next phase of hybrid work, the winners won’t be defined by the flashiest tools or the biggest budgets. They’ll be the ones whose people can hear and be heard clearly, every time. For those ready to make strategic audio upgrades now, the hidden ROI is within reach, and it’s far greater than most imagine.
Shure enables this shift
Consistent high-quality audio is a strategic foundation for hybrid work, but achieving that consistency across diverse spaces and teams can be complex.
Shure’s IntelliMix Room Kits are designed with that challenge in mind. Built for Microsoft Teams Rooms, they provide a complete, ready-to-deploy package that takes the guesswork out of setup. Each kit integrates enhanced speech clarity through Shure’s IntelliMix Room DSP, the MXA902 all-in-one ceiling array microphone and loudspeaker, AI-powered Huddly cameras, and intuitive touch controls — all supported by streamlined IT management through ShureCloud and the Teams Rooms Pro Management Portal.
The result is not just clear sound, but a consistent experience in every room and for every participant. For IT teams, it means fewer troubleshooting cycles and greater scalability. For employees, it means friction-free meetings where voices are heard and ideas move forward.
