Hearing loop installation is a natural and positive step towards creating a welcoming and inclusive environment, not to mention compliance with the Equality Act 2010.
If you or your business have taken those measures, you’ve taken a massive step towards creating an environment that is accessible for individuals with hearing impairment, but there is still something important to think about.
Audio induction loop maintenance and servicing is so often overlooked for the array of induction loop and speech enhancement systems available today. The best equipment, the perfect set up and the very best, trained staff on hand are all for nothing if there is an issue with your equipment…
Think about all that effort, your company’s pride in creating that inclusive, compliant environment and the time, planning and investment in setting up your induction loop system. It makes sense on every level to have a planned system of maintenance in place, for several reasons…
The first and probably most important reason is to spot potential issues before they happen. If an individual needs to access your induction loop system and it is faulty, right there and then it is already too late. The issue might only be a minor one, easily spotted and rectified during a routine audio induction loop maintenance visit. Imagine your frustration, not to mention that of the user themselves.
Secondly, things change… In business premises, public areas and busy buildings, every day can be different and the needs of a service or space can alter over time. That might mean a new reception area, a room that suddenly becomes much busier or new electronics and building materials. All these things can interfere with and change your induction loop needs. The good news is they are all issues that a specialist maintenance team could pinpoint and address during a simple routine visit.
Many businesses make the mistake of thinking that issues with their hearing loops will be obvious and quickly reported, however that is rarely the case. Remember that such systems are designed to be unobtrusive. A non-hearing impaired person will rarely even notice them, making it likely that systemic faults can (and nearly always do) go unnoticed until the moment they are needed, and as we said earlier; by that point it is already too late.
The solution of course, is regular maintenance. At Clear Audio Systems we recommend an annual specialist loop maintenance check, ensuring your systems are working as intended, whatever changes your buildings or services may have had. Our maintenance includes a full onsite survey and asset management, including location check; from there we provide a simple, no nonsense maintenance list, outlining any important maintenance requirements. All without disruption, at a time that suits your needs.
For more information on Clear Audio systems induction loop maintenance, staff training and installations or upgrades contact us and a member of our team will be in touch in the near future.
