businessinfomag.uk
magazine
30
Communications
been a shift there. I would say 10 years
ago we sold a mixture of about 20%
executive to 80% simple; we are now
probably about 10% to 90%. Today,
people either plump for all executive
handsets, because that is the nature of
their business, or pretty much all standard
models with a few executives. There is
a polarisation and I think that is down
to features on the handset – video-on-
demand for example.”
LikeWood, Mercer says that even
people who use a mobile as their primary
device like to have the option of a handset.
“A lot of people who are 100%
non-office-based are completely mobile
dependent, but there is a great deal of
twinning that is done, whereby I can have
a deskphone when I am in the office with
a fixed number, but any calls received on
that phone are automatically pushed to
my mobile at the same time, so I have an
option on where I answer the call.”
He added: “Anyone who is engaged
in heavy customer contact finds a
deskphone preferable. Oddly enough,
even a deskphone with a headset is
preferable to a softphone with a headset
in a lot of cases. It’s the fact that you
have quicker and easier access to the
handset itself. The volume button is
immediately in front of you rather than
having to find it on-screen, and you can
dial a bit quicker from a keypad than you
can on-screen.”
Hosted handsets
Mercer points out that demand for
handsets is particularly strong in the
sub-10 extension level among customers
who have transitioned to a hosted or
cloud-based service.
“Those types of customer are used to
having a handset even though they are
using a hosted product. They are used to
having even a simple handset, whereas
PC-based operation is a lot more expected
in larger call centres.”
To meet demand from the carrier
market, Panasonic is launching a new
range of affordable SIP desk phones,
including the new KX-HDV230. This
combines cost-saving features, such as
easy installation, durability and low-cost
maintenance, with advanced features like
Gigabit Ethernet, Power over Ethernet,
24 flexible function keys with self-
labelling, an optional expansion module
that increases the number of flexible
keys to 224, and HD speech quality.
“We’ve launched a new range of
SIP handsets for the carrier market,”
explained Mercer. “We are in the process
of launching the third of those next
month; the fourth – the video model –
will be available in January. The USP we
have is quite straightforward: it is high
definition voice over IP. It gives you true
729 compression on high definition
voice.When you hear true HD voice
across a network you realise just what
can be achieved with speech.”
Fast growing
HD is also a key selling point of
handsets fromYealink, currently
the world’s second largest
manufacturer of SIP handsets.
The Chinese manufacturer
started out making phones
for other companies in
2001, before designing
and making its own
brand devices in 2009.
These benefit from a
combination of low
manufacturing
costs and a
tradition of high
production values
imbued from
its dealings with
Western telecoms companies.
According to SteveWatts, General
Manager of Yealink UK, sales in the UK
are booming. Sales last year increased
60% and in June this year, Yealink had
already surpassed last year’s figures, so
he sees no signs of a transition from
handsets to mobiles or softphones.
“What you will find is that rather
than moving away from deskphones and
using another technology, people will
use multiple solutions. I have my mobile
and when I walk around the office I
receive calls on my mobile, and when
I want to make a call I generally come
into my office, sit down and use my
deskphone,” he said.
He attributes the continuing demand
for deskphones to a number of factors,
from personal choice – “I answer calls
on my mobile, but when I am sitting
at my desk I generally always use my
deskphone to make a call, even if I have
to look up the number on my mobile”;
to financial considerations – “If you
think about certain organisations like
universities that might have a couple of
thousand users; they can’t force them to
use their own mobiles, and to provide a
couple of thousand mobiles for their staff
who might just be occasional users might
make it cost-prohibitive”; to changes in
technology – “We are seeing volumes
increase as people change technology
from analogue and digital phones to IP
phones, which is where we are.”
Watts concedes that there is a
threat from soft clients, but says that
deskphones are still more reliable.
“People who are pretty desk-bound
like call centre agents would perhaps
not use a deskphone but use a PC. The
...continued
People are
used to
touchscreens
on their
mobiles, so
why not have
them on their
deskphones
too
Made for video
calling: the
Yealink T49
problem with that is that PCs are not
overly reliable, while a deskphone is
pretty much 5 9s reliable. If there is a
blip on your data network and all of the
calls drop, the whole of your business
could be offline for an hour or so.With
a deskphone you’ve always got 5 9s
reliability,” he said.
Video calling
One of the most exciting developments
for Yealink are phones with large colour
screens. These include the T48 and the
soon to be launched T49, which has been
designed for video calling and comes
with an 8-inch screen.
“Screens are the new thing,”
explainedWatts. “One of our phones
– the T48 – has a 7.5in touchscreen. It
still has a keypad but you can pretty
much manage the whole phone from the
touchscreen. You would think it would be
an executive phone, the sort you would
give your MD or FD while everyone
else has a lower spec model, but we are
selling a lot of phones like this. People
like the technology; they are so used
to touchscreens on their mobile that
they think why not have one on their
deskphone.”
As new models from Samsung,
Yealink and Panasonic show, deskphones
have been pretty adept at evolving to
accommodate changes in technology,
from analogue to IP networks, from
voice to video and from fixed to mobile
communications. The one constant has
been people’s preference for a handset or
speakerphone when making lengthy calls.
