Latin America. Today's knowledge workers have seemingly endless options when it comes to communications. They have Skype conferences on their PCs, online meetings on their cell phones and make calls from their Bluetooth headphones. So what do companies today offer their employees instead of a desk phone?
Basically, companies need to look at so-called "Use Cases" – how do different employees communicate and what tools do they need? If your company is in the middle of a new business strategy and requires the purchase of new headphones or simply because the time has come, you must first define these use cases and plan accordingly. To help with this, let's look at what the different types of knowledge workers are.
A simple and effective way to address this is to divide knowledge workers into three broad categories: office workers, road warriors, and corridor warriors.
Office Workers
Let's start with the most intuitive group: office workers. They mostly work from their desks, make a bunch of calls, and don't tend to move around much. They will most likely still use desk phones, but they also make calls via Skype and other programs on their computers.
This group will generally require some hands-free headphones, either wired or wireless. No one likes having to hold a phone horn between their ear and shoulder while trying to write at the same time. Headphones solve this problem.
Office workers will be happy with headphones that can connect to both computers and desk phones, making it easier to interact. They'll also be able to get the most out of noise-canceling headphones that allow them to avoid office distractions and be able to focus on their work.
Road Warriors
It sounds like something out of a Mad Max movie, but the term "road warriors" refers to employees who spend more than half of their time away from the office (or their office is at home). The rest of his time is literally spent in a car on the road, with a client or from a hotel.
Road warriors tend to use a lot of different tools to keep in touch. They make calls from their smartphones, computers or tablets, but they still own a desk phone waiting for them in their offices. So they may end up needing headphones and a speaker. The first ones for when they move in the car; and the portable speaker for conferences alone or together with your colleagues.
Ideally the wireless headset that works with your Smartphone, can also be connected to your computer or desk phone. This will allow them to easily switch between conversations without having to change the headset itself.
Warriors of the Hall
Another war term, Sun Tzu would have been proud, the Hall Warriors are based in the office, but they tend to move around it. Like managers who may have to move from one meeting to another while staying connected.
The warriors in the hallway will probably want a wireless headset. Ideally, this headset will connect to all your devices – smartphones, desk phones and your computer – so you can easily transfer roaming calls between your devices around the office.
Descriptions of knowledge workers are not always accurate, however, by looking at the broad needs of their employees, companies can make more informed decisions about the headphones and speakers that are required.
Text written by Betzabeth Romero, Country Manager for Jabra Mexico.
