OT - Strange Hearing Problem...

[punkypossum]

I changed departments in my current job, a contact centre for a housing association. While previously I was dealing with calls from "normal" tenants (on a headset), I have now been put on the "alarms" side of it, where elderly residents pull their cords when they have a problem, carers come through on intercoms to be let in the building, etc.

The speech units are different, but we use the same headsets, but somehow I am really struggling to understand what people are saying. Some are crystal clear, but especially with the ones coming through on the intercoms, I can't understand what they are saying a lot of the time. It's not a volume problem, they are loud enough, but afaic it is really really blurred and almost impossible to make out. This is rather worrying, because if somebody buzzes through with an emergency, I need obviously need to know what they are saying. Nobody else on the section seems to have that problem which is even more worrying...

Don't think there is anything wrong with my hearing as such, like I said, the volume is fine, it just sounds garbled. Also, I can often still hear those high-pitch supermarket beeps for teenagers which I'm not supposed to hear anymore at my age, so I'm definitely not going deaf. Also, there is another lady on the team who DOES have hearing problems, and she appears to cope fine...

Has anybody got any ideas what this could be? I've only been doing it for a week, but if this carries on, then I have a problem!!!

Any suggestions please???

 

[domtyler]

Firstly you need to rule out a problem with your equipment. Does it still happen if you are sitting at a different desk with a totally different headset?

 

[ChrisKH]

PP I have had a hearing deficiency since birth (deaf on the RHS totally) and have found from experience that I have real problems with telephones and intercoms because my hearing depends on me seeing the person and reading their lips. It's a subconscious nurture taught thing really and I don't realise how much I rely on sight to hear (if that makes sense) until I need to use the phone long distance or speak on an intercom or a video conference call where you can see the person but not their lips. My sight compensates for the lack of hearing in normal circumstances. Otherwise I find that I'm hearing people speak (on the phone, intercom, etc.) and I either have terrific difficulty following what they say or it is gobbledygook because my brain doesn't have enough visual supporting data to process it.

You might want to get your hearing checked out as it's not just about range. Not meaning to alarm you, but maybe you rely more heavily on the visual aspect of communication (like me)? Just a thought.

 

[domtyler]

PP I have had a hearing deficiency since birth (deaf on the RHS totally) and have found from experience that I have real problems with telephones and intercoms because my hearing depends on me seeing the person and reading their lips. It's a subconscious nurture taught thing really and I don't realise how much I rely on sight to hear (if that makes sense) until I need to use the phone long distance or speak on an intercom or a video conference call where you can see the person but not their lips. My sight compensates for the lack of hearing in normal circumstances. Otherwise I find that I'm hearing people speak (on the phone, intercom, etc.) and I either have terrific difficulty following what they say or it is gobbledygook because my brain doesn't have enough visual supporting data to process it.

You might want to get your hearing checked out as it's not just about range. Not meaning to alarm you, but maybe you rely more heavily on the visual aspect of communication (like me)? Just a thought.

Pardon?

 

[ChrisKH]

How many people do you think have said that one dom? You and about 65,000others.

It doesn't bother me, but think about how disabling it would be. Put a sponge ear plug in and leave it in all day. There are some plusses; I only have to use one side of an IPOD speaker set............

 

[domtyler]

Yeah I bet it can be annoying to say the least. I would think that your brain would compensate though, do you have better eye sight or anything like that?

 

[ChrisKH]

Yeah I bet it can be annoying to say the least. I would think that your brain would compensate though, do you have better eye sight or anything like that?

No, but your brain compensates in other ways. In meetings I find my brain filling in the gaps of what I can't hear. If that makes sense.

Anyway this is PP's post, there was no intention to hijack so i'll shut up now.

 

[punkypossum]

No, it's definitely not a visual thing, because the work up to now has all been telephone based as well, been working in contact and call centre for years to pay for college...it's never been a problem till last week.

My friends keep having a go at me for hearing things I'm not supposed to hear, I'm always the one to turn the radio down because I find it too loud, I really don't think it's my hearing (and, like I said I hear those stupid beeps)

Have swapped headsets, but it hasn't really improved things, nor has sitting at a different computer...

One of my friends said she used to work with people with speech problems and at first she couldn't understand a word, but then somehow tuned in to the way they talked, so she says it might just be a case of getting used to it...hope she is right!

 

[domtyler]

No, it's definitely not a visual thing, because the work up to now has all been telephone based as well, been working in contact and call centre for years to pay for college...it's never been a problem till last week.

My friends keep having a go at me for hearing things I'm not supposed to hear, I'm always the one to turn the radio down because I find it too loud, I really don't think it's my hearing (and, like I said I hear those stupid beeps)

Have swapped headsets, but it hasn't really improved things, nor has sitting at a different computer...

One of my friends said she used to work with people with speech problems and at first she couldn't understand a word, but then somehow tuned in to the way they talked, so she says it might just be a case of getting used to it...hope she is right!

From what you have said it sounds as if your hearing might be too sensitive and you are actually picking up a lot of background noise and interference that your colleagues aren't. I would say that you need to talk to your manager and ask for an engineer to come and make some adjustments for you.

 

[punkypossum]

Haha!!! That's not going to happen in that place - If it doesn't improve I am pretty sure they'll just demote me back to my old job!

 

[domtyler]

Really? Why would they not want you to be able to hear what the people on the other end are saying? You certainly won't get any help if you don't report the problem and ask for assistance in resolving it.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

You could do them for discriminating against you and your super hearing.

 

[yenrod]

As they are elderly they may not know how to use properly - even thought it seems obvious: it can be a factor with aged people not knowing technology.

 

[Sh4rkyBloke]

The simple answer is to tell old Mrs Stebbings who has fallen in the shower to stop arsing around and crawl out to the hall where the intercom unit is.

I shouldn't laugh... but did. Repeatedly.

Sorry.

 

[punkypossum]

I shouldn't laugh... but did. Repeatedly.

Sorry.

Lol, so did I!

Well, sat with one of the other girls today, unfortunately it was quiet so we didn't get that many calls to compare what we could hear, but she did not seem to pick up much more than me... Talked to someone else who is trained on alarms, but doesn't work on there full time, and she said she hates going on, because she can't hear anything. So that is making me feel slightly better... Will see how it goes...