It would be an understatement to say it's been a busy year for Maile Keone. The president and chief executive officer of Listen Technologies has been tirelessly championing innovation in assistive listening, showcasing the company's groundbreaking advancements in Wi-Fi and broadcast-audio technology. This includes the development of a revolutionary Auracast broadcast audio solution, Auri, in collaboration with Ampetronic, setting new standards in the industry.
AV Technology content director, Cindy Davis, recently sat down with Keone, and the two discussed Listen Technologies' exciting new product offerings, the company's roadmap, as well as the infinitely creative ways end users are using assistive listening tech.
Listening To Your Customer
The newly released ListenWIFI audio-over-Wi-Fi solution has proved extremely popular for multi-screen environments such as universities, houses of worship, performing arts venues, and courtrooms. But as they began fulfilling orders, Keone and her team also began to notice an interesting trend: Customers were purchasing multiple types of assistive listening technology at once.
Keone said, "A Broadway-level theater here in Salt Lake City has ListenRF, Hearing Loop, and now, ListenWIFI. You would think that for an assistive listening application, maybe they would choose one. We have a lot of venues using multiple technologies."
With a bit of digging, they discovered why. Keone explained, "We started calling customers and asking, 'Why are you buying this?' There were two main reasons, and the first was customer choice: Do I want to pick up a receiver, or do I want to bring my own device? The second reason was a word that I hadn't used in assistive listening or with any of our technology, and that was redundancy. They said, 'We want a redundant system.'"
[Listen Technologies, Ampetronic Team Up for Auri Preview at InfoComm 2024]
Assistive Listening for All
Twenty years ago, the United Parcel Service (UPS) began using Listen Technologies' portable RF solution to conduct executive tours at their 5-million-square-foot sorting center. "And none of them had hearing loss," Keone said. "About 10 percent of our revenue came from this non-assistive-listening market, but we loved it because it was still a way to help people hear in difficult circumstances, regardless of hearing loss."
The possibilities here are endless, from retail settings to museum exhibits and beyond. Keone said, "We currently have beacons that can automatically connect. Eventually, as you're moving through a space, these beacons will connect to whatever audio you have, and that will be transformational. Just think about the ease of walking into that room."
A positive and unexpected recent development has been the interest in and adoption of Listen Technologies solutions beyond the typical Pro AV market. This has been particularly evident with Auri —an assistive technology Keone described as being "not on the cutting edge, but on the bleeding edge." She continued, "The interesting thing for me has been the people reaching out to us with whom we haven't had partnerships in the past. That's the kind of thing Auracast broadcast audio and our product, Auri, are bringing to the party—this big extension in terms of where we can play."
However, despite its growth in other markets, Keone emphasized that Listen Technologies remains firmly an assistive listening company. "Moving forward, I want people to understand that we love assistive listening, and we still are passionate about helping those with hearing loss; we have simply branched out. Our passion is growing beyond assistive listening." She continued, "We try to provide solutions that better people's lives; that's who we are, intrinsically. And so, for us, the excitement is getting to help even more people."
It's About Teamwork
Regardless of what the future holds for its ever-expanding suite of solutions, the expert team at Listen Technologies remains dedicated to the experience. Keone said, "With ListenTALK, ListenWIFI, and Auri, we're focused on how we can deliver an easy way to connect that allows you to have a much better listening or hearing experience."
Keone is quick to point out that making this objective a reality is only possible through the tireless collaborative efforts of the Listen Technologies team. "Achieving everything we accomplished this year is really hard stuff, and we're making difficult decisions on a daily basis. I feel like we're all rowing in the same direction," she said. "That's the big piece I love about the people I work with. That's what brings the satisfaction, the movement, and the joy into it," Keone concluded.
