2001 Headset Roundup.

In our rush to keep up with the newest technologies and software in telecommunications, we often overlook a humble but 110 percent necessary item that is vital to the health and wellbeing of the contact center employee: the headset. In a climate of tightening ergonomics regulations aimed to prevent workplace injury, the headset is perhaps the greatest tool to keep contact center workers comfortable and injury-free. (Look back and imagine, just for a moment, the days when a customer service representative had to cradle a phone between the ear and the shoulder for eight hours a day...does your neck hurt yet?)

Today, many companies have not drawn the line at equipping only contact center workers with headsets...many companies now provide headsets to all workers who spend a significant amount of time on the telephone. Individuals such as help desk personnel, MIS workers, administrative staff, salespeople and others are nearly as vulnerable to musculoskeletal injury from improper use of a telephone handset as contact center workers.

Since it began to be widely accepted for use in call centers, the headset itself has come a long way. Today, contact center workers can often choose the headset style he or she prefers...binaural or monaural, a full headset or an over-the-ear model (so as not to mess up carefully crafted hairdos) and headsets in a bright array of colors. High-tech additions such as noise suppression and noise cancellation, not to mention wireless technology, has taken the formerly simple headset to the point where it is so unobtrusive the wearer can virtually no longer feel it.

The companies listed to the right are the primary providers of headsets and headset accessories. Most of these companies are manufacturers, although some are distributors of new and reconditioned headsets. (This information is indicated in the listing.) As you'll see, most of the companies now allow their customers to purchase units directly off their Web sites for added convenience.

We recommend you browse through these companies' Web sites and take a look at the astonishing array of products they have to offer. If you don't currently use a headset, even if you're not a contact center worker, try one. You may never touch a telephone handset again.