Hearing The Customers

The images and reality of customers using corded or bulky cordless phones and contact center staff responding on heavy wired headsets, tethered to cubicles are changing.

Today’s customers are on the move. Callers are using cellphones and multimedia smart phones even in their homes, and if they are on residential landlines chances are increasing that those calls are being routed over the Internet.

At the same time more contact center staff are going places, literally. Supervisors and team members are increasingly away from their desks, discussing matters with agents and colleagues face-to-face, participating in meetings and in training sessions, while staying in touch. No more ‘off hooks’ i.e. taking off the headsets. Those ‘centers’ are also increasingly in agents’ and supervisors’ homes.

As well contact center staff want, and need, headsets that provide greater comfort and less strain. Happier agents and supervisors are healthier, more productive, better able to deliver super customer-retaining service, and are more likely to stay.

These new realities pose challenges, however, when buying and using headsets. It is no longer ‘one size fits all’ i.e. the long-familiar over-the-head unit and wires. Contact centers now need to look at models that have superior audio quality, flexibility, and wearer usability to adapt to and respond effectively to these new and changing environments.

That means must be an even more careful analysis when deciding the cost/benefits of corded versus cordless and which features of either types to select and from which manufacturer in the purchasing decisions. Given that headsets connect agents to the customers, the choice can make a difference in customer interactions, and ultimately relationships.

Mobile/IP communications…and audio quality

Mobile and landline IP telephony, which are key parts of unified communications (UC), provide increased functionality, convenience, and cost savings. The tradeoff is too often poorer sound quality and sometimes loss of signal. There are also background noise from mobile users, like traffic, loud conversations, and sudden sounds like a truck hitting the brakes that come through with the talkers.

Contact centers should, when installing systems to enable unified communications, buy high quality headsets systems to match, and compensate for deficiencies. The investment in new headsets is comparatively minimal—they usually cost no more than $250 each--against the sums poured into new contact handling technology.

Headset manufacturers are responding to the UC environments. Plantronics (News - Alert)’ VistaPlus AP15 digital signal processor- based audio processor improves incoming call quality by using firmware developed originally for hearing aids to improve audio quality. The audio processor also features AudioIQ, a proprietary sound enhancement utilizing digital algorithms to provide unprecedented clarity compared to legacy analog amplifiers and direct connect.

The Jabra headset line, made by GN Netcom (News - Alert), is equipped with GN Netcom’s PeakStop(tm) technology that protects users from harmful sound spikes and other loud noises. “A quality headset is key to a successful unified communications solution,” explains Matthew Baker, vice president, marketing, GN Netcom North America. “This component enables users to maximize their technology investment by allowing all products to work together to deliver the best voice quality.”

Cordless challenges

Cordless headsets are slowly taking the place of corded sets in contact centers and for good reason. They allow staff to become more mobile, in the office, offsite, and at home workplaces while enabling them to stay in touch. Cordless units are also less hassle to use compared with corded models because the wires often get in the way of body movements. GN Netcom reports that some customers have their agents stand when making outbound calls because they found the practice increases productivity by making the staff more alert. That technique requires cordless sets.

The chief downside of cordless seats is higher costs: they are about 25-30 percent more expensive than corded models. Another potential issue is interference with other devices, like WiFi (News - Alert) networks and some Bluetooth units. Cordless models have varying ranges and there are limits to talk time from the batteries. The challenge is finding the right models that have the desired quality in often noisy environments, needed range, battery life, minimal interference, and superb wearability.

GN Netcom says that cordless units that have automatic radio power management provide less overheard and greater efficiencies resulting in longer battery talk time. To keep the headsets live contact centers can purchase a separate charging unit and second headset for 24/7 support. Most contact centers, it says, are not demanding that a single headset can provide talk time greater than 12 hours.

Jabra (News - Alert)’s GN9120 DUO offers up to 300 feet in range and up to eight hours of talk time. The new and complementary Jabra GN9125 operates on the digital enhanced cordless telephones or DECT (News - Alert) 6.0 3G standard that is low-interference and high quality. It supports up to 12 hours of talk time and has an electronic hook switch for integrated remote answer and calling. DECT 6.0 operates on the 1.9GHz frequency spectrum compared with 2.4GHz spectrum on standard cordless sets such as the GN9120.

Sennheiser Communications (News - Alert)’ new VMX Office system enables users to make and take calls in their offices, on the road, and/or in their homes with great range and quality, plus wearer comfort. The VMX Office is comprised of a Bluetooth-enabled headset and a base station for use with a desktop phone console or connection to a PC soundcard. It has 30 feet range with Bluetooth and up to 100 feet with the base station. The headset powers up automatically when opened, and switches off when closed, eliminating worries about standby time.

VMX Office also features VoiceMax, which dampens intrusive background noise and enhances the human voice. It has in addition ActiveGard, which automatically reduces volume surges in milliseconds to protect the wearers’ hearing.

“We are seeing more use of wireless headsets as the technology, as demonstrated in the VMX Office, has improved,” reports Eric Palonen, Sennheiser USA’s Product Manager. “The improved digital signal processing has cut down noise from both background and from cell and IP calls and has made these headsets more affordable. The design has made the sets comparable, from quality and wearer comfort perspectives, if not better than similar corded units.”

Wearer Comfort

Increased agent comfort as well as improved productivity is now part of today’s headsets. Happier agents are more productive and tend to stayy longer, decreasing turnover.

Plantronics’ new EncorePro wideband headset combines lightweight comfort with a sleek design normally associated with consumer headsets. EncorePro also features a noisecancelling microphone and unique sliding boom for precise microphone positioning. This feature improves intelligibility for clear conversations and minimal misunderstanding between agents and customers.

Jabra’s new GN2124 headset has a neckband option that improves comfort and wearability. Many people don’t like the having their hair or scalp squeezed by headbands, or have their ears pulled by over-the-lobe earhook pieces. Neckbands provide a great choice to those users that want greater comfort and flexibility, which is key when agents are wearing headsets for most of the entire time they are connected to callers.

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