Sound pods first, soundproofing when they asked
For a Keller Williams office near LAX, we offered soundproofing early, they said no, and they came back two months later.
Keller Williams wanted an LA office near LAX, about 5,000 square feet and mostly open community space. The dispute was how many closed private offices were needed, since people get loud or need privacy.
We handled privacy with about four freestanding sound pods inside the open area rather than adding walls, and we put soundproofing on the table from the start. Branding is simple with a major brand, because guidelines, phone booths and finishes are set. The true design question was noise against workflow, and they did not want to spend before watching it work.
They turned down the soundproofing, which meant let's wait to spend until we see how this works. Around two months after move-in it was a bit noisy. They called, and we installed it. No issue came up again.
Offer the fix early, accept the no, and make it easy to return. A client who chooses the upgrade after living in the space does not argue about it.
Story details
| Type | Teaching moment |
|---|---|
| Year | 2016 |
| Firm telling | on the Common Ground wiki |