Even before the pandemic, our business problem was pretty clear. People had to walk outside in hallways, lunchrooms— anywhere that was quiet enough— to take confidential calls. They were talking numbers or they needed a background that looked and sounded professional. It was tough. You’re talking to someone on Teams/Zoom, and there are people walking behind you or there would be a big birthday celebration right there. I was definitely one of those people experiencing that.

We looked into a construction remodel to add private rooms, but that wasn’t in the budget. So we started looking into modular pods, but then the COVID shutdown came, and the project was put on hold.

Hybrid work demands quiet space 

For a while, we were fully remote, and then slowly began a hybrid schedule. Today, more people are coming into the office not just once or twice a week, but three and four times a week. So the need for meeting spaces grew. Add to that, we converted two of our original meeting areas into offices. 

We budget once a year, and I went to different businesses and asked them what their pain points were, and they said hybrid work meant that more people were doing Teams/Zoom calls. As more people were in the office, we needed private spaces to do calls. We just didn’t have the meeting spaces we needed. 

A construction remodel project was out of the budget, so we returned to the research we started before COVID and began looking for office pods.

Aesthetically pleasing

We looked at a couple different brands, but we immediately gravitated towards ROOM as it had a local showroom in Miami and they were happy to accommodate a drop in. It was important for us to see them in person. Budget-wise, the ROOM pods hit a sweet spot, less expensive than some, but not too inexpensive to raise eyebrows on quality. We liked the look of them when we integrated renders into our workspace. They’ve got a modern look, and the dark color fits perfectly in our office. We also liked, and needed, the soundproofing.  

ROOM gave us exactly what we were looking for. The team was responsive, answering our inquiry right away. We quickly received a proposal and wound up purchasing six pods and two meeting rooms. ROOM partnered with a local installer, and they were great. From the beginning to the end, ROOM was a pleasure to work with.

People love them

We wanted to make sure we had meeting rooms and pods in areas where we had the most staff. So we tried to put them throughout the office to meet as many staff members as possible. Each area has at least 10 to 15 people who can access at least one of the pods or a meeting room. 

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. People love the meeting rooms, and the pods are very popular. Our hybrid team members have told us they are happy we are investing in the office in this dynamic way. If I have had any criticism, it’s that they wish we had more.

Better than construction

I would highly recommend ROOM. It provided what we were looking for: something that’s simple to install and less expensive than if we were to build permanent walls with traditional construction, all of which take time and money. ROOM provided exactly what it promised and we, as well as our teams, are very satisfied with that.