Technology Reseller - v12 2018

technolog y reseller.co.uk HEADSETS 31 Listen up organisations provide headsets as standard kit for employees. It’s only a matter of time before all businesses view a headset as being as important as a phone line or internet connection for effective working and effective communication,” he said. Growing demand Much of the demand for headsets is being driven by changes in how business is conducted, the growth of open plan and the desire to improve customer service. Nigel Dunn, Managing Director of Jabra EMEA North, said: “Instead of routine, transactional calls, employees now have to field increasingly detailed and complex customer enquiries, which puts a premium on call quality. At the same time, businesses are looking to optimise their use of available office space, which results in problems such as high ambient noise levels and density issues, all of which affect call outcomes and customer satisfaction.” Sennheiser’s Steve Bailey also highlights the shift towards open plan as a key driver of headset sales. “Workplaces today are more open and collaborative, so maintaining a calm and Once little more than an afterthought, headsets are now a key feature of the modern office. By supporting changing working practices and overcoming the limitations of open plan offices, they can contribute to a more motivated, productive workforce and happier customers. This, says Steve Bailey, Sennheiser Sales Manager for the UK & Ireland, is why resellers should give headsets the attention they deserve. “Agile working has become the norm and companies are now removing the standard handset from desks and looking to headsets as the main endpoint device to manage business critical conversations,” he said. “There’s a huge total market opportunity for headsets in the UK – it’s a 65 million headset industry.” Paul Dunne, Plantronics regional sales and marketing director for the UK and Ireland, also highlights the opportunity in headsets, pointing out that in many businesses headsets have become an indispensable tool for office-based and mobile workers. “Headsets represent a good sales opportunity for resellers, as many When one hand is required to hold a telephone receiver, productivity is drastically reduced. This is particularly evident when a user has to type at the same time Now is a good time to get into headsets, says Tayla Ansell quiet environment, which is important for productivity, privacy and concentration, has become trickier,” he said. “Audio devices like the Sennheiser MB 660 are designed to remove irrelevant sounds and cancel background noise, enabling users in the workplace to maintain the high level of concentration and the crisp sound quality needed to maximise their performance.” According to Nigel Dunn, clear audio is also beneficial for the customer: “Call quality and effective complaint/enquiry resolution has a tremendous effect on customer satisfaction. Given the ultra- competitive nature of many industries today, this must be a core consideration and one that can bring the most immediate difference to any organisation.” He added: “By giving employees the right tools for the job – including robust, ultra-reliable communications platforms, paired with the latest headset hardware incorporating noise-cancelling technologies – call-centric businesses can provide the optimum call experience and so reduce customer churn.” Another consideration cited by Fabian Bess, Head of Product Management at Snom, is the impact that a more ergonomic way of working has on productivity. “When one hand is required to hold a telephone receiver, productivity is drastically reduced. This is particularly evident when a user has to type at the same time. Often, users try to counteract this by cradling the receiver between the shoulder and ear, which can result in neck pain. A headset is such an easy solution to this problem. With the A170 wireless DECT headset, users Employees left to their own devices Management inaction is forcing employees to find their own answer to the problem of noise in open plan offices, warns Plantronics in a new report. In an international survey of 500 senior executives and non- management employees by Oxford Economics, 75% of employees said they took walks outside the office in order to focus. Nearly one third (32%) wear headphones to concentrate. Only 1% of employees say they can block out distractions and concentrate without taking additional measures. In the same survey three years ago, the figure was 20%, suggesting that the problem of noise in offices is getting worse. This is supported by the fact that while 54% of executives believe employees have the tools to mitigate noise and distractions at work, only 29% of employees agree, down from 41% in 2015. According to Plantronics, companies with revenue growth of above 10% are more likely to address distractions and noisy environments, for example by providing workers with tools to block out noise and quiet space to focus. Yet, almost two thirds (63%) of employees complain that they lack quiet space for focused work, which has a knock-on effect on their productivity, satisfaction and well-being. Just 6% of executives claim to have equipped their offices with noise mitigating features www.plantronics.com Continued... Steve Bailey, Sennheiser Paul Dunne, Plantronics