In the Unified Comunications’s world headsets are becoming as essential for the office worker as their laptop or smart phone, but how do you go about choosing which headset to purchase? A quick glance across all the headsets available and you might think they are pretty much the same – slight differences in design, price but all have an earpiece and a microphone, right? Sorry- #headsetpurchasefail!!
So, what makes a truly enterprise-grade headset? It is important to understand that people want a device that allows them to communicate intuitively, a headset that looks good, sounds good, fits well and does not break easily. Enterprise headsets should be built for durability. For example, at Plantronics each enterprise headset undergoes rigorous testing designed to simulate headset usage over four years and is benchmarked against comparable headsets from other manufacturers. These tests include:
Physical
a. Drop tests
b. Vibration tests
c. Operating – Thermal shock, humidity/temperature cycling
d. Storage – Thermal shock, humidity/temperature cycling
Mechanical Strength
a. Boom rotation test
b. Boom stop strength test
c. Cable/plastic junction pull tests
Reliability
a. Quick Disconnect (QD) cycling
b. Headset/handset switch cycling test
c. Volume control cycling test
d. Cable flex/bend/twist tests
e. Headband extension/retraction
Electrical Environment
a. Electrostatic discharge test
b. Electromagnetic compatibility
If your headset works and continues to work, then the total cost of ownership is lower and of course this makes a significant saving to the bottom line of running an office whatever the size.
For a full set of features to consider to ensure a successful deployment of headsets for UC in your organization head over to the UC Toolkit (using the link below) and download the checklist from the “Trial” section.