Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be going away.
Background music can help create an atmosphere. In the right circumstances it can make a shop feel welcoming or give a restaurant or bar some character.
But there is a considerable difference between pleasant background music and noise which forces customers to raise their voices simply to hold a conversation.
And music isn't the only culprit.
Hard floors, bare walls, exposed ceilings and large expanses of glass may look fashionable, but they can create highly reverberant spaces where conversations, clattering crockery, coffee machines and other everyday noises combine into an exhausting wall of sound.
As we’ve mentioned in our previous posts about noisy retail premises, shopping centres and eating places, this isn't merely about personal preference.
For people with hearing difficulties, tinnitus, sensory sensitivities or certain disabilities, excessively noisy premises can be particularly difficult. Older customers may also struggle to distinguish conversation from background noise.
On a personal note, I use hearing aids, and I know first-hand that they don't necessarily solve the problem.
In some very noisy environments they can actually make matters worse. Instead of simply making the person I'm talking to easier to hear, they can also pick up and amplify background conversations, music, clattering plates and other surrounding sounds. The result can be a confusing jumble of noise in which following a conversation becomes extremely difficult.
That's worth remembering when businesses assume that customers with hearing loss can simply turn up their hearing aids and carry on as normal. Modern hearing aids can be remarkably sophisticated, but they cannot always compensate for a badly designed or unnecessarily noisy environment.
There is a business issue here, too.
If customers cannot comfortably talk to each other, hear staff or concentrate on what they are buying, how long will they want to remain on the premises?
A restaurant might spend thousands of pounds creating a beautiful interior and developing an excellent menu, only to undermine the experience with excessive noise.
A retailer may carefully train staff to provide good customer service, yet customers can't properly hear what those staff are saying.
And what about employees?
Customers can leave. Staff may have to endure the same noisy environment for an eight-hour shift. Businesses therefore need to think about noise as both a customer-experience and workplace issue.
The good news is that reducing noise doesn't necessarily mean turning somewhere into a library.
Businesses could start by actually measuring sound levels at different times of day rather than relying on impressions. Managers should also experience the premises from a customer's perspective: sit at a table, walk around the shop or try having an ordinary conversation. You could even look at hiring a specialist noise consultation who is a member of the UK Association of Noise Consultants https://www.association-of-noise-consultants.co.uk
Simple changes can help. Turn background music down. Introduce sound-absorbing materials where appropriate. Consider acoustic panels, soft furnishings and better positioning of speakers and noisy equipment. Most importantly, ask customers and staff what they think.
There is nothing wrong with a lively atmosphere.
But when lively becomes uncomfortably loud, businesses risk driving away the very people they are trying to attract.
Perhaps it's time to ask a very simple question:
Are your premises still too loud?
