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© Etcom Postural Ergonomics Ltd

Telephone headsets

We delve into the jargon of telephone headsets - read before you buy! Here is a quick gallop over some hints on selecting telephone headsets and the terminology of them.

We are often asked about telephone headsets. In principle these are an excellent thing to have, to prevent you holding the handset between your ear and your shoulder – often a contributory factor to pain.

However, buying the right thing is not simple. So, first, some hints about what to think of when buying headsets, then a short digest of the terminology.

Selection criteria

The three main factors are the user, the use to which they put the headset and the kind of phone you already have. A thorough understanding of these three will help you choose the right solution.

Telephone type: we put this first, because compatibility is a bit of jungle, and unless you are about to change your phone system, the type and manufacturer may dictate the choice of solutions available. A vendor should be able to tell you quickly what range will suit your purposes when you tell them the make and model of phone. (At the end of the article are some names).

The user: analyse as carefully as you can what the operator wants. Apart from the hands-free benefit, remember that people are very different. Some hear better with the left than the right or vice versa, some will not mind a head band whilst others will dislike them intensely. Ease of unplugging or moving about may need balancing with comfort or audibility.

How they will use a headset: if the user is continuously on the phone the equipment needed is likely to be different from that used by a person whose job requires them to get up and move about frequently. The former can have a more complex but possibly more comfortable fitting system as well as rely on cables, whilst the latter will not want to have to unplug lots of cables or take off a headset just to get up to get a file.

Binaural/monaural

Two ear pieces or just one. The latter may have a headband, or the earpiece may simply hang on the ear. The monoaural earpieces are variously described as ‘stylish’, ‘ergonomic’ or ‘sculpted’ (the latter never to your ear, always somebody else's...)

Cordless/corded

Corded means there is a cable between the headset and the telephone. Cordless means having a small radio between the phone and your head. If you don’t mind the possibility of frying your brains the advantage is that you can walk round the room whilst talking.

Noise cancelling

Technology that cuts out the background noise, so that only the speech of the person using the headphone is heard by the person at the other end.

Bottom cord

Another name for the lead that connects the headphones to the telephone.

Boom

The thing that sticks out with the microphone at the end. Ideally flexible for quick adjustment.

Quick disconnect

Important if you are getting up a lot and don’t want to drag your telephone round the room after you.

Amplifiers

Technology to increase the signal between the microphone and the telephone. Necessary when the telephone itself does not have an amplifier, and tends to be the gizmo that makes headsets work with telephones that do not have special provision for headsets.

Training cables

A cable that allows a trainer as well as the operator to listen to the incoming call.

Headset port

A hole in the telephone into which the cable from the headset fits. Not all phones have these, and they are not all the same, so it is important to be sure that the headphone you are buying will work with your telephone.

Ear cushions

Pads round the earpieces for comfort. Wearing headsets for long periods of time can become painful.

Wind screens

Padding to stop the sound of wind, so presumably only really useful outside.

Voice tube

Like a boom, but is a tube along which the sound travels to a microphone, rather than having the microphone sitting at the end of the boom. Lighter than a boom + microphone.

Manufacturers include:

• Plantronics
• Agent
• BT – their makes fit BT phones.
• GN Netcom
• Voice Active

Where to buy:

Any good telephone system supplier will know what is on offer and will probably have their favourites. However, keep in mind the selection criteria and do not be pressured into buying something just because it’s the one most easily available.

Some web sources we have found but not tried:

Best4systems.co.uk

Pmctelecom.co.uk

Any comments on all this, or additions to the terminology, would be very welcome!

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