Technology rules the roost, no matter what business you belong to. The smart use of technology can see businesses climb up the ladder in no time at all. There is technology all around in any given business scenario. Technology helps save time and effort. It can make hours of work into a minutes’ work. That is the power of technology, and according to a popular saying time is money. 
So, if you want to earn money and create a distinctive advantage for your company then choosing the right technology is more important than ever. In a call center scenario, the choice of technology should be given a deeper thought, as the technology will be used to service the customers of your clients. Taking care of customers on behalf of someone else is a huge responsibility and all the call centers have in meeting this goal is technology and skills of agents. Choice of call center technology is all the difference between a satisfied and ready to do business again customer or an angry and irritated customer who will never return back. One of the basic parts of call center technology is the headsets that are used by the agents.
There will be many who would blow away the topic as very simple. That is just a notion. In reality, choosing the right headsets for your employees is not as simple as you can think. Before making a final choice there are many things that should be considered. Some of the factors include:
- Durability
- Performance
- Comfort Factor
- Style Factor
- Compliance with the Health and Safety Regulations
- Connectivity
- Quality of Sound
It should also be taken into consideration that a typical call center employee will spend about eight hours on the phone and that means they will be wearing the headsets for that entire duration. So, the headset should make life easier for the employee and not become uncomfortable or problematic. As there are many varieties of headsets available in the market, so there is every chance that you might be left spoilt for choices. Some of the key facets to consider before choosing the headsets are mentioned below:
- Monaural or Binaural: It is a personal choice for the employees. There are some employees who like to hear with one earpiece and keep the other ear open. For employees it means they are less cut off from the surroundings. When an employee wants a single earpiece to do the entire job, monaural headsets are perfect. Binaural headsets on the other hand help the employee get more concentration when taking the call. Such headsets are proven to lower the ambient noise and help the agents offer better services.
- Corded or Cordless: Corded headsets are the favorite choices for contact centers. The agents today have to access the computer for customer information side by side answering the customer problems. In such a situation the positioning of the cord is very important for the convenience. There should be a quick disconnect in the headsets that would ensure the health and hygiene of employees. The cordless headsets are also gaining in popularity in various areas of call centers. The cordless headsets are used by supervisors who have to walk around and still take the calls. The wireless models should have features such as easy answer calls, mute buttons and volume control.
- Voice Tube (VT) or Noise Cancelling (NC) Microphones: Most of the call centers are satisfied with the performance of VT and they have causes too. The VT microphones are lighter, allow stable fit and can be positioned ideally. VT is proven to offer better health and hygiene. NC on the other hand decreases the background noise commendably.
- Compliance with Noise at Work: As per a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) research report published in UK more than 21% of call centers go higher than the new lower noise action limit mentioned (of 80dB) and more than 43% of call centers services are close to exceeding the limit. Though there is much legislation made with the goal of protecting the employees, yet the companies keep ignoring the noise compliance needs and risk the health of employees. There are technologies which can help reduce noise such as adapters with headsets. Such headsets reduce the health risks by limiting the maximum volume.
Checklist for Call Center Headsets
- It should be reliable, durable and of course cost effective.
- It should offer good audibility, sound quality and amplify sound (when needed) with the use of volume control.
- It needs to be lightweight and hygienic with removable ear pads and voice tubes for replacement or cleaning.
- The replacement parts of headsets should be easily available in the market.
- It should have a noise reduction facility which helps call centers meet the Noise at Work and other Noise Directives.
Just like choosing and implementing the IVR hosting services, choice of headsets is also an important decision and it should be given its due share of consideration.