Headsets Buying Guide

If you are operating a business with a busy customer service department, or even if you are a self-employed person who has to spend a considerable amount of time on the phone, the humble headset will be an essential tool to make the experience as comfortable as possible.

There are many different brands – Plantronics, GN Jabra, Sennheiser, AddCom – and product types competing for your custom in the headset market and because a headset will typically be used almost continually throughout the working day, finding the right balance between value and quality is important.

Headsets are designed to alleviate the typical problems that can occur from extended use of telephone handsets. Using a handset will usually result in strains, neck pains and uncomfortable seated positions, all of which can make work more arduous for the user and can result in permanent damage. With a headset, your body can be positioned in any way that is most relaxing and your hands are left free to perform any number of tasks, including data entry. This is why headsets are primarily used by call centre workers on a daily basis. However, headsets might also be suitable for sporadic use, as they are great for extended calls whatever your job description.

When you purchase headsets with the intention of installing them as part of an existing phone system, you will find that most manufacturers deliberately make their products widely compatible. Since most telecommunications products use standardised connections, this means that you should have an unrestricted choice of headsets.

Types of Headsets

Headsets can be separated into two groups: corded and cordless. Corded headsets will be attached by a wire to a telephone base unit and will offer relatively decent freedom of movement depending on the length of the cord itself. If the user is going to be seated at a desk all day and has no real cause to move away during a call, then a corded headset will represent the best value for money.

Cordless, or wireless, headsets have greater freedom than their corded counterparts. The user can gesticulate as wildly as they like without getting tangled in wires and they should even be able to move around a room or an entire office. Cordless headsets do have extra considerations to take on board and range is of course one of them. They will also require a base station, which is usually supplied with the headset and attaches to most desktop telephones.

With portability, wireless headsets require batteries in order to operate for extended periods. Depending on the amount of use they will receive daily, you will need to modify your choice of cordless headset appropriately. Many come with charging docks, but this too requires additional thought to go into installation and setup of the cordless headset system.

Monaural and Binaural Headsets

Once you have made the decision over corded or cordless, you will need to look at the style and design of the headset in question. Basic headsets will typically feature a single earphone with a microphone mounted on a stalk protruding towards the user’s mouth. A metal or plastic band will hold the headset in place. This setup is called monaural in the business and with one ear free to listen to the surrounding environment, the user will be able to respond to the caller as well as other requirements that might crop-up mid-call in their vicinity. It also means that when a call is not in progress, the user will not have to remove the headset to talk to colleagues.

Sometimes a monaural headset will not be suitable, especially in a noisy workplace where many other employees may be holding conversations with customers at the same time. In this instance, it is best to opt for a binaural headset, which will offer two earphones to block out ambient noise and focus the user on the inbound calls that they are required to deal with.

When choosing a headset, whether monaural or binaural, the earphone type will need to come under scrutiny. Many basic headsets offer external earphones which cover the user’s whole ear, as you would expect to find in a broadcasting environment. However, you can pick up headsets that feature in-ear alternatives, which can offer superior audio quality and improved user comfort. On the other hand, in-ear headsets may not be suitable for every employee, as ear sizes differ and discomfort could become an issue.

At this point you might also want to consider the adjustability of the headset’s supporting band itself. Some will offer minute customisation for heads of all shapes and sizes, whilst cheaper items may have fixed or limited movement. Many headset users will find it useful to be able to adjust the volume of their headset and if you are going to be using the headset remotely, with no access to a main base station or telephone, then this becomes even more important. In most cases you will find most cordless headphones offer the user the ability to alter volume for inbound calls. This means that you will be able to increase or decrease the audio levels being outputted by the headset. It is more difficult to find headphones that allow the user to turn up their own microphone, improving the calling quality at the inbound caller’s end. This may be something that is important for someone looking to operate an active call centre with clients making calls on less capable technology.

Noise cancellation is another important capability of headsets and one that varies depending on the product that you choose. There is bound to be a certain amount of unavoidable background noise in any office and if the headset is unable to distinguish between the voice of its user and the sounds emitted from other sources, the inbound caller could have a hard time hearing what is being said. Noise cancelling is not always available and headsets that offer the more impressive examples of the technology will often be more expensive than less capable items. If it is something that will benefit your business on a continual basis, then it may be a worthwhile investment to make. There are many other sub-sections of the headset market filled with additional technology and enhanced functions, but to delve any further would eat into your schedule.

Several firms manufacture headsets and so with the competition pushing prices down you should be able to get a good deal, particularly if you shop around once you have a particular headset in mind. However, do not be seduced by price alone. As with many telecommunications products, you get what you pay for and as such, investing a little more money in a higher quality headset may be worthwhile in the long run, especially if the audio quality is better and the wearability is superior.

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