If you’ve ever worked at a call centre, you understand the importance of clear and concise communication with customers on the other end. Because your goal is to provide service in the form of selling a product or some sort of troubleshooting - it is a best practice to ensure you have prime hardware.
To top things off, there can be anywhere from a few, to several hundreds of representatives working under the same roof. In 2019, this presents far less of a challenge than it once did, as business headsets are more advanced.
Headset vendors such as Plantronics, Jabra and JPL have all been at the forefront of innovation in the headset industry. Their goal - to change the way customers and representatives interact over the phone. We reached out to these three UC headset suppliers to get their take on the evolving headset market and the changes they anticipate in the future.
Customer trends that shaped the UC industry in 2018
As the demand for flexible work continues, businesses are focused on how to empower their staff to work effectively from a variety of locations. Mobile solutions such as headsets are essential for those who want to get things done ‘on-the-go’ and seamlessly transition between different workspaces, from working in a coffee shop, hopping on the train, to working at home.
Paul Clark, VP & EMEA Managing Director at Plantronics
"Virtual collaboration is rising and it is now common for people to join a meeting on their way to work, most likely with their mobile phone, paired with a quality headset
Clark continues.
They will not want their meeting to be disrupted just because they have arrived at their workplace. Best-in-class headsets make it possible for any worker to walk into their workspace and easily continue their meeting or call from any device, without disruption."
Clark says this newfound freedom has presented its own set of challenges, which is where solutions such as noise-cancelling headphones and softphones come into the picture.
Nigel Dunn, Managing Director, Jabra EMEA North
Today's workforce is moving away from fixed-locations to home and other non-office settings. Dunn says this requires more acute remote management, along with fast and accurate adoption of audio devices for remote collaboration.
Jabra recently released a sleek, wireless headset for businesses - making it the world’s first wireless earbuds for business.
"As a vendor, we have started to see more organisations rolling out Enterprise Voice on top of their IM/presence UC licenses. Therefore, audio devices are becoming a vital tool that needs to be considered early in UC deployments to ensure users have the right device for their business needs," Dunn said.
Morgan de Ruiter, Director of Business Development, JPL
"Adoption of AI trough Alexa, Google, SIRI and first business applications integration as it will set an expectation of usability. First expected integrations will be on enhancing online meetings, mail handling, and office applications."
It seems now, that more companies will attempt to revolutionise the UC industry with their headsets to keep up with growing demands of in-office and remote workers.
Technologies creating the biggest opportunities
Paul Clark, VP & EMEA Managing Director at Plantronics
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Paul Clark[/caption]
Using advanced active noise cancelling technology, Plantronics created its latest headsets. The headset blocks out ambient office noise - eliminating any distractions that may arise.
"Voice commands and personal voice-based assistants have created new advance headset capabilities. For example, with Plantronics headsets, users can interact with Siri, Google Now, or Cortana just by pressing the call button. The headsets also announce who’s calling and wait for the user to say 'Answer' or 'Ignore' – no need to press a button to answer or reject a call. Using voice command, users can also check battery level, connection status, and more."
Clark believes the growing adoption of UC software and applications is creating plenty of opportunities for partners to increase revenue. The way he puts it "whether a customer uses a physical desk phone, a laptop softphone or even a smartphone the headset is the single personal device that connects to them all."
Morgan de Ruiter[/caption]
Nigel Dunn[/caption]
