NEOnet
Special Project Coordinator
Business
Technology in the North
Phone calls
are essential for communicating with suppliers, customers, and business
partners, but they can also interrupt the daily workflow and overall
productivity of your business if not handled efficiently.
To overcome
this problem, many businesses are using wireless telephone headsets. Employees
can then send and receive phone calls from anywhere in the store, keeping their
hands free and ultimately improving business productivity.
Is it
really worth the switch? According
to a recent study by Plantronics in the UK, your business can increase call
response time by up to 72% and cut call placement time by up to 44%. In
addition, office employee productivity and typing speeds increase by up to 43%
with headsets. In fact, the resulting productivity gain indicates that a
headset can pay for itself in two and a half months!
Headsets
can also help your employees serve customers better. As a businessperson, you know that quality customer service
is essential for staying in business.
Customers donÕt like to be put on hold; they want prompt, friendly
service. Retailers who use headsets in their stores may reach their customer
service goals a little more easily. Suppose youÕre serving a customer and
(right on cue it seems) the phone rings.
Your only employee is in the back doing some inventory work and is
therefore unable to hear the phone ringing. As a result, you must interrupt your conversation with the
customer and put the ringing phone on hold.
If your
employee was equipped with a headset, this problem could have been
avoided. He or she could have
taken the call while continuing the inventory work. If your staff is equipped with wireless headsets, you
wouldnÕt be interrupted when making a sale, your in-store customer would get
the proper attention, your phone customer wouldnÕt have to wait on hold, and
your employee would remain productive.
Headsets make for healthier employees too. Balancing a handset between the neck and shoulder while multitasking can cause an aching neck and sore shoulder muscles. An estimated 2.5 million workdays are lost every year in the UK due to neck and upper limb work-related health problems.
You may have noticed that many local businesses in the area are already enjoying the benefits of this simple yet useful technology. You can see headsets in various retail, call centre, reception, and office settings around town.
If you think headsets might be a useful technology for your business, you can find them at lots of area stores. Prices range from $20-$500 depending on the model and features you need. Features to consider include volume control, on/off button for the ringer, wireless dialing, transfer ability, and compatibility with your existing telephone system.
Improving technology adoption in your business doesnÕt have to be expensive or complicated; there are dozens of ways you can cut costs, increase productivity, and streamline your business with user-friendly technologies. Wireless headsets can be an inexpensive means of improving your business with an excellent payback and great results.