Last week I was putting together a design for a 120 user phone system, with a requirement for 35 call center agents, when I came across a different requirement I had not seen before: The customer only wanted phones that could use wireless headset adapters that did not use handset lifters. Having been in the VoIP phone business for 10 years, I was feeling distinctly old school at that point. I though all wireless headsets required physical handset lifters. It turns out I was wrong and behind the times. There are a bunch of new features that make the new generation of wireless headsets much more useful than the previous generation.

The most important feature is the use of the DECT wireless frequency standard for communication from the headset to the base unit. DECT is sometimes called DECT 6 to emphasize that it works better than units that use 900 Mhz, 2.4GHz, or 5.8GHz frequency bands. DECT actually uses the 1.9 GHz band in the United States, and has multiple channels that the units use within the band. This is important because DECT wireless have a clear signal that has very little interference with any other devices in a building, and can have longer battery life as well since they can use less transmit power.

With more and better applications on the PC and Mac available to either control the deskphone or act as a standalone softphone, the headset adapters can now interface to the PC also, using a DECT compatible USB key. The device drivers for the headset work with the PC based telephone application for seamless control.

Since many people use Bluetooth mobile phones, there are also wireless headsets which use Bluetooth to connect to both a PC and to a mobile phone. These dual-purpose headsets are of excellent quality and allow for the mobile worker to use the device of his choosing for a phone call.

Another great advancement is the development of electronic hookswitch adapters. Previously, for a person to be able to answer the phone while away from their desk, a physical lifter would have to be attached to the phone that would actually lift the handset off the hookswitch to start the call, and lower the handset to hang up. There are new model phones that can work with new model wireless headsets that can do everything electronically. The trick is to figure out which combinations work. Just like regular headsets need different adapter cords to work with different phones, so do the wireless versions.

It is definitely worth the time to do the research and come up with a phone, headset, and adapter cord combination that can work, because it is possible to be much more productive when able to move around, look up files, and work with two hands while on the phone. Unfortunately, it is sometimes difficult to work through all the documentation on a vendor’s website to figure out which combinations work. Just as with other selection processes, the customer I was working with figured that if he was going to spend a bunch of money on a new phone system, then the vendors should do the work of coming up with a system that works.

For people that have fully made the switch and use their PC as their primary source of making and receiving phone calls, there are USB based speakerphone devices that are extremely useful for conference calls as well.

Finally, it is worthwhile noting that almost all new VoIP phones support wideband audio, making it much easier to listen to and understand the caller. Right now this only works for phone calls that are on the same phone system. Outside calls are still at the regular bandwidth and audio quality. It is definitely worthwhile to have a headset that has the same wideband audio capabilities.

Improved communication is one of the best ways to have better customer service and to work better with other people in the organization. Having a comfortable and useful telephone headset, especially with all the new features available, can go a long way toward improving productivity.

For a more complete compatibility list for Cisco phone headsets Cisco phone headsets look at this Plantronics Cisco headset matrix.