Question 1

What are private phone booths?

Accepted Answer

Private phone booths are private workspaces that allow companies to introduce an enclosed soundproofed area in open office environments and crowded floor plans for private phone calls, video conference meetings and focused work sessions. Private phone booths are engineered with varying quality and density of soundproofing materials that work to block office noise and distractions from entering the enclosed space.

ROOM’s private phone booth, the Focus Room, features three walls comprised of layers of soundproofing material, including dense sound-blocking MDF that blocks sound from traveling into and out of the private phone booth, a thick layer of sound-absorbing PET made from recycled plastic bottles which works to absorb internal echoes and enhance speech intelligibility, and 100% natural breathable wool and no-dye-added acoustic felt which provides natural sound insulation. Overall, the ROOM private phone booth has been engineered to reduce office noise by 30 decibels (dB). This means you can still have comfortable levels of good conversations with your colleagues and business partners, without the claustrophobic feeling of being in a sound-deprived chamber.

Private phone booths like that of the Focus Room by ROOM are designed to be used for short amounts of time and allow businesses to free up unnecessary overuse of larger conference rooms, which tend to be used for individual meetings over 40% of the time.

Interested in experiencing a ROOM private phone booth, feel free to book a showroom visit at any one of our showrooms around the world.

Question 2

How much does a private phone booth cost?

Accepted Answer

Private phone booths vary in cost, anywhere from $17,000 to upwards of $40,000 depending on size of the privacy pod and available features. ROOM’s standard Focus Rooms cost is $18,495 before tax, making it one of the most cost-effective options. One of the things to look out for when buying an office privacy pod is what you're paying for. Most players in the market sell exclusively through furniture dealers meaning there is a significant mark up before your new soundproof meeting pod is delivered to your office.

How do you know that you’re paying the right price when buying a soundproof office privacy pod? Look for quality, performance and sustainability. ROOM offers the best value office privacy pod on the market. We keep costs low not by compromising on quality or performance, but by cutting out the middleman and selling direct from factory to your business. We ship our products flat to reduce shipping cost and assemble in less than 3 hours in your office.

Interested in comparing office phone booths on the market — look no further than our own comparison page where you can compare pricing, features and more for some of the top office privacy pod providers.

Question 3

How soundproof is an phone booth?

Accepted Answer

Our soundproof office privacy pod reduces noise from the inside of the unit by 30 decibels on the NIC scale. What does that mean for those of us who aren't acoustical engineers? Simply put, our soundproof phone booths are designed to create an ideal environment for phone and video calls while protecting the privacy of the user. Users inside our soundproof phone booth will hear muffled sounds from the outside. This is because we’ve actually found that ambient noise provides the best experience for the user. But don’t worry, coworkers outside the private phone booth will not be able to hear the conversation taking place inside.

Question 4

Why choose modular rooms over construction?

Accepted Answer

That’s easy — modular rooms are affordable to build, fast to install and easy to change time and time again.

Modular rooms, be it soundproof office phone booths or modular office pods and private phone booths are far more affordable than leveraging traditional construction. In fact, building your own built-in office pod or private office might cost you $40,000 or more. Our modular phone booths have everything you need for a productive team meeting or private work session at a fraction of the cost, starting at just $18,495 for a private phone booth and $19,995 for an office meeting pod, before tax. Plus, modular rooms are up and running in your office in just a few hours so you can get to work right away. ROOM’s suite of modular rooms are even pre-certified so you won’t have to chase after permits, contractors and more, meaning you’re up and running in the workplace the minute your modular room is assembled. And after? Unlike traditional construction that stays with the office if you relocate, modular rooms are flexibly-designed so you can take them with you when you move offices, floors, or even move to an entirely new location.

Another benefit to choosing modular rooms over construction. The benefit to the planet. Office architecture claims a significant portion of the 39 percent of global carbon emissions for which building and construction are responsible. And at the end of the day, more than 75 percent of that construction ends up as waste, with wood, drywall, bricks, and other materials piling into our ever-growing landfills. In fact, every year, 600 million tons of construction debris goes to landfills as a result of the old being replaced with the new. ROOM’s suite of modular phone booths give new life to recycled materials — our soundproofing is engineered from recycled plastic bottles, making it possible to add purpose-built space into an office without the need for demolition or construction. Specifically, ROOM phone booths can save an organization 33% cumulative carbon emissions over 10 years, compared to fixed construction and traditional office design, according to 2021 research done by Columbia University.

Question 5

What are the benefits of a private office?

Accepted Answer

The benefits of a private office in an open workplace are vast. Over the last decade, the average space per employee has dropped by more than 30 percent, to a much-too-snug 100 square feet per person. These close quarters have wreaked havoc on our concentration and resulted in plentiful noise complaints. In fact, a recent survey conducted by Harvard Business Review shared that more than 50 percent of Americans have complained about noise to their bosses. That’s over ½ of all American workers! In that same study, 63 percent of workers said they lacked space for focus work and even more startling, when their companies switched to open offices, face-to-face interactions fell by 70 percent. Plus, employee stress has skyrocketed and productivity has plummeted.

But fear not, modular private offices provide dedicated space for focused work in crowded offices and open floor plans. Purpose-built space for private calls and focused work sessions ensure businesses are providing flexibly-designed space that enables employees to do their best work, without the hassle of traditional construction. Plus, in the age of hybrid where teams may be spread out among offices, remote locations and well, anywhere with WiFi, private offices create personal workspace perfect for video conference calls and meetings. ROOM’s private Focus Room is outfitted with custom-built video conference lights that are designed to create the best possible setting for video conferencing sessions, bridging the gap between in-person and remote employees.

Question 6

What is a Focus Room?

Accepted Answer

A Focus Room is a thoughtfully designed personal office that allows employees dedicated space for focused work sessions, private calls and video conference meetings in open office environments. Over 70% of employees are plagued by noise and distraction in the modern office and office Focus Rooms and private phone booths offer a private soundproof workspace to shield from noise and distraction.

The Focus Room from ROOM is sustainably soundproof, engineered to reduce noise by 30 dB. The Focus Room is also ventilated wholly replenishing air nearly every minute via our proprietary five-fan ventilation system so you’ll always feel cool and comfortable. Plus, our office Focus Room is available in two models — a Standard and a Pro, with the Pro version offering a height-adjustable desk and integrated video conference lighting courtesy of two custom-built LED light strips with remote dimmer to create the optimal shadow-free video conference experience.

Interested in experiencing a ROOM Focus Room? Feel free to book a showroom visit at any one of our showrooms around the world.