27 Feb Communication with one million customers at Dublin Zoo

One million visitors pass through the ticket counters of Dublin Zoo in Ireland every year. Dublin Zoo is renowned for its wide variety of animals and rare species, attracting visitors from far and wide.

Visitors have protection from the weather when paying for admittance at the ticket office. But the canopy causes a high fluctuation in noise levels as well as echo reverberation.

This makes it particularly difficult for staff in the ticket office to hear customers clearly. All the tills have sealed safety glass windows for extra protection, which attenuates sound-making conversations.

In search of a solution, the zoo contacted our Irish installation partner, who is experienced in providing speech transfer solutions.

The first step was for them to set up a pilot of the STS-K002L Surface Mounted System at one of the ticket windows. The system features our unique open-duplex amplifier, noise-cancelling staff microphone and an in-built hearing loop for customers with hearing aids.

Rather than use the already installed speaker units on the office side, our installer replaced these with headphones. This reduced the level of ambient noise for staff and made for a more intimate conversation with customers.

The immediate feedback was very positive. Staff were able to hear the customers clearly with very little effort and no missed conversation.

Our installers take the time to make sure each installation meets the needs of that particular customer. For staff at Dublin Zoo, they cleverly added an on/off switch to the power supply. This meant staff could continue to wear their headsets between customers as they could turn off the audio in their ears.

After a successful two-week trial, six units were permanently installed. Another two were then added at the members’ entrance, and when the entrance to the zoo was refurbished two years later, our speech transfer units were again used.

Not only did the systems function well, their stainless-steel finish meant they fitted into the overall design of the counters.

At ticket windows which were subject to less ambient noise, an STS-K003L Flush Mounted System system was installed. This model allows speakers to be flush-mounted into the counter surface, rather than being placed on top of it.

The hearing loop aerial was fitted to the inside of the window facing the customer, using double-sided signage. This ensured better protection for the aerial itself whilst maintaining performance, transmitting the signal through the glass at the optimal height.