Speaking softly in your ear: the annual headset roundup.Headsets, like other considered "trivialities" in the call center and enterprise business, are so very important but so often overlooked in their importance. Sifting through the available options to find the headsets that best fit your company is a difficult but necessary matter. ********** "With significant investments being made to implement VoIP in contact centers, it's vital not to forget about the 'last three feet,'" GN Netcom President and CEO (1) (Chief Executive Officer) The highest individual in command of an organization. Typically the president of the company, the CEO reports to the Chairman of the Board. Hans Henrik Lund Henrik Lund (September 29 1875 - June 6 1948) was a Greenlandic lyricist, painter and priest. He wrote the lyrics for the national anthem of Greenland, Nunarput utoqqarsuanngoravit. Links Photo & information told Customer Interaction Solutions. "Your choice of headset Headphones combined with a microphone. Used in call centers and by people in telephone-intensive jobs, headsets provide the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset with hands-free operation. Many people use headsets at the computer so they can converse and type comfortably. does matter." [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] When it comes to this piece of equipment, though, there are so many options and factors to consider. There are wireless headsets See headset. , corded over-the-head headsets, corded over-the-ear headsets, cordless phone A wireless telephone that transmits to and receives signals from a base station within a range of a few hundred feet. Cordless phones are for local use and cannot travel long distances as can cellphones and satellite phones. See DECT and multihandset cordless. headsets and computer headsets. There are headsets for MP3 players A digital music player that supports the MP3 format, which was the audio format that started a revolution in online music downloads and distribution. All portable music players, the iPod being the most popular, support MP3 along with one or more other audio formats. , cellular phones, PC and video games See video game console. , PDAs, airline pilots, musicians, astronauts and NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. mission-control engineers. For each of these uses, there are both different and similar requirements and preferences. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In the telecommunications domain, however, headsets have specific abilities required across the spectrum of small, large and home offices, and enterprises and call centers of all sizes. No longer foreign attachments or alien appendages, these headsets are required contributors to the quality of the call center and enterprise; they should allow users to communicate with others, and they should do so clearly, distinctly and comfortably. They should offer the best that headset technology provides, and they should be made to last. They should be comfortable, versatile, compatible, cost-effective, reliable and, yes, perhaps even attractive. Above all, they should do exactly what you want for exactly the price you're willing to spend (if not more for that price). "This is a piece of equipment your employee has to wear: it has to be comfortable, have great sound quality to hear and be heard, and in larger offices, be able to reduce conversations that may be occurring elsewhere in the office from being transmitted out to the customer," Bill Whearty, Sennheiser Communications' vice president of telecommunications and vice president of sales, recently noted to Customer Interaction Solutions. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Also consider the following: Poor productivity in the call center or enterprise isn't always a staffing problem or a system problem. The fault can lie in the staff's equipment, and headsets are a significantly contributory con·trib·u·to·ry adj. 1. Of, relating to, or involving contribution. 2. Helping to bring about a result. 3. Subject to an impost or levy. n. pl. piece of equipment, which makes headsets not simply picayune Picayune (pĭkəy  n`), city (1990 pop. 10,633), Pearl River co., S Miss., near the Pearl River and the La. line; inc. 1904. luxuries--rather, they can be genuine cost savers.
"One of the most important aspects of any loudspeaker loudspeaker or speaker, device used to convert electrical energy into sound. It consists essentially of a thin flexible sheet called a diaphragm that is made to vibrate by an electric signal from an amplifier. , earphone See earbuds. or headset is the accurate reproduction of sound, whether it is music or speech," Dr. Mead Killion, president and CEO of Etymotic Research Etymotic Research, Inc. is an Elk Grove Village, Illinois, USA-based research, development and manufacturing company that designs and manufactures in-ear products. It is perhaps best known for being one of the earliest and foremost manufacturers of canalphones for consumer use , Inc., told Customer Interaction Solutions editors. "The telephone bandwidth is so narrow that much of speech is unclear and needs to be repeated, particularly if the person is trying to hear or be heard when there is background noise ... In short, clear communication is paramount for both the talker and the listener." Background noise is a major source of migraines, literally and figuratively fig·u·ra·tive adj. 1. a. Based on or making use of figures of speech; metaphorical: figurative language. b. Containing many figures of speech; ornate. 2. , for those in the contact center. For agents, it's simply more straining to hear precisely and accurately each word the caller is speaking; as well, it's unprofessional for background office noise to be broadcast across the phone lines to callers. And for call center managers, when dealing with large volumes of calls, every fraction of every second is worth revenue. So when the manager's agents are straining and repeating and requesting the caller to repeat, the seconds--and consequently the dollars--add up. "A good noise-canceling microphone reduces the amount of ambient sound being broadcast out of an office or call center," said Whearty, "improving reliability, professionalism and, in some cases, security for the call center." Superior noise-canceling microphones are a critical technology for ensuring quality sound and strict security when used in busy call centers. Reducing ambient noise can, in fact, save millions of dollars a year for a single customer. In short, less repetition equals better communication equals happier customers equals lower costs equals happier business. Also, acoustic shock The term acoustic shock is used to describe the symptoms a person may experience after hearing an unexpected, loud sound via a telephone. The loud sound, called an Acoustic Incident is a growing headset issue worldwide. Caused by a number of factors--fax bursts, loud sounds from the callers, lightning strikes, etc.--acoustic shock is often outside of the call center's control. The problem is made worse if the earphone has a "peaky peaky Adjective [peakier, peakiest] pale and sickly [origin unknown] Adj. 1. peaky - having or as if having especially high-pitched spots; "absence of peaky highs and beefed-up bass" frequency response," noted Killion. "Noise safety regulations are becoming more commonplace, so make sure you choose headsets that guard wearers against sudden loud spikes of noise and have a Sound Pressure Level (SPL (1) (Systems Programming Language) The assembly language for the HP 3000 series. See assembly language for an SPL program example. (2) (Structured Programming Language) See structured programming. 1. ) below 118 dB," offered Lund. Call center operations and businesses today expect consistent and reliable headset performance, which can often be difficult to achieve when headsets go through so much wear and tear under normal daily stress, abuse and punishment. Companies invest in their technologies and equipment with faith that the investment is long term. Headsets should be no exception. A headset should not simply be considered a commodity item once an affordable phone system is in place. "Contact centers and other businesses should look at purchasing headsets from the point of view of total cost of ownership rather than cost of acquisition," Chuck Yort, Plantronics VP of Office and Call Center, told Customer Interaction Solutions. "They need to look at the purchase as an investment, not as a mere afterthought af·ter·thought n. An idea, response, or explanation that occurs to one after an event or decision. afterthought Noun 1. ." Whether it is through a reselling source or a manufacturer, the supplied contact information is intended to assist with the future purchase of headsets in the telecommunications domain. We encourage readers to visit the Web sites of the following companies to learn about the latest and greatest offerings in the contact center headset market. As with any cardinal technology product you plan to buy for your contact center or enterprise, you should be prepared and option-knowledgeable before buying headsets. They should not be afterthoughts. They are not trivialities. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Said Whearty: "Headsets are a technology product, and [their] review and purchase should be undertaken with the same rigor rigor /rig·or/ (rig´er) [L.] chill; rigidity. rigor mor´tis the stiffening of a dead body accompanying depletion of adenosine triphosphate in the muscle fibers. you apply to any technology purchase." The following organizations either manufacture or resell (where indicated) headset products. Please contact these companies' Web sites for more information. Ahern Communications (reseller) www.callcenterheadsets.com 800-451-5067 Big D Communications (reseller) www.bigdcom.com 800-444-5217 CommuniTech (reseller) www.communitech.com 888-795-7222 Danacom USA www.danacomusa.com 877-736-6434 Dowumi Corp. (under the Vonia brand) www.dowumi.com 866-811-7771/Vonia: 630-629-1897 eMicrophones, Inc. (reseller) www.emicrophones.com 914-302-6558 Founder's Telecom (reseller) www.founderstelecom.com 800-333-0020 GBH GBH (in Britain and South Africa) grievous bodily harm Communications (reseller) www.gbh.com 800-222-5424/818-246-9900 GN Netcom (a GN Great Nordic company) www.gnnetcom.com 800-826-4656 Headset Discounters (reseller) www.headsetdiscounters.com 800-440-7639 Headset Innovations (reseller) www.headsetinnovations.com 800-820-1744 Headset Zone (reseller) www.headsetzone.com 800-533-4014 Headsets.com (reseller) www.headsets.com 800-432-3738 Hello Direct (part of the GN Netcom/GN Great Nordic family) www.hellodirect.com 800-435-5634 JABRA Corporation (part of the GN Netcom/GN Great Nordic family) www.jabra.com 630-442-6900 Phonemaster Communications, Inc. www.etelephonesystems.com 800-339-4588 Plantronics www.plantronics.com 800-544-4660/831-426-5858 Pro Tech Communications, Inc. www.protechcommunications.com 772-464-5100 Sencommunications, Inc. (reseller) www.sencomm.com 800-654-2993 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sennheiser Communications www.sennheisercommunications.us 860-434-9190 SpeechControl (reseller) www.speechcontrol.com 914-302-6558 Tape-Tel Electronics (reseller) www.tapetel.com 800-228-1751 VXI (VME EXtensions for Instrumentation) A peripheral bus specialized for data acquisition and real time control systems. Introduced in 1987, VXI uses all Eurocard form factors and adds trigger lines, a local bus and other functions suited for measurement applications. Corporation, Inc. www.vxicorp.com 800-742-8588 Windows to Technology Ltd. (reseller) www.win2tech.com 613-961-1571/800-964-8810 If you are interested in purchasing reprints of this article (in either print or PDF (Portable Document Format) The de facto standard for document publishing from Adobe. On the Web, there are countless brochures, data sheets, white papers and technical manuals in the PDF format. format), please visit Reprint reprint An individually bound copy of an article in a journal or science communication Management Services online at www.reprintbuyer.com or contact a representative via e-mail at reprints@tmcnet.com or by phone at 800-290-5460. For information and subscriptions, visit www.TMCnet.com or call 203-852-6800. By David R. Butcher Assistant Editor, Customer Interaction Solutions |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion