Telephone Headsets

Telephone Headsets

By Anne Ahira

Generally a headset is defined as being a headphone that has been combined with a microphone.

Thus it is providing the equivalent functionality of a telephone handset that has been equipped with hands-free operation.

Such telephone headsets are used by those in telephone-intensive jobs, such as those working in call centers and such.

For instance if you purchase something over the phone to someone who is entering your order on their computer, you can be reasonably sure that that person is wearing a headset. Typically such headsets have one speaker as a telephone does, but other types have speakers for both of the workers ears.

Because most people who work off the phone and type into their computers for lengthy amounts of time, such headsets are particularly designed for comfort so that the all-day use is not as painful as the original telephone headsets were.

Those were heavy and tremendously bulky affairs that gave the majority of wearers an intense headache in the matter of less than an hour. Sound did not come clearly through the miniaturized speaker either, so often the operator had to press the earpiece against their ear with their free hand, thus most operators used their right hand for making connections, and their left hand for pressing the earpiece speaker closer.

The bane of these older telephone headsets was also the exceedingly annoying tether that kept one positively rooted to their desk the telephone cord! Not only was it annoying, but also if you reached for anything you took the chance of disconnecting your party.

Even a dog is no longer chained that closely to his doghouse any more, thus designing for the comfort of the user is now of infinite importance. And of course, the answer to the ultimate comfort of the user is cordless telephone headsets that allow the user to keep on top of their necessary daily activities yet still allowing for the ultimate in flexibility.

Today, even mobile telephone headsets have the most up-to-date sound-enhancing technology; so pressing the earpiece closer has finally been rendered obsolete. As mentioned the incredible weight of the first headsets meant that the set had to be the equivalent of a Torquemada head-vise in order to keep it on one’s head, but today we even have headsets that are worn gently over the ear featuring a soft ear-hook.

In the past telephone headsets had an incredibly weighty poor uni-directional microphone that was attached to the headset, which also dragged down headsets. At present, the modern headsets have tiny wire-like Omni-directional microphones that are practically weightless.

The ergonomics of telephone headsets were pushed into common usage by a number of factors, not the least of which was that so many office employees suffered with Telephone Neck Syndrome (TNS) which was of course due to having to constantly squeeze the telephone handset between their shoulder and neck during conversations.

Here's Telephone Headsets Selections:

Plantronics S12 Corded Telephone Headset System...	Customer Review: We've been using these Plantronics headsets for many years. The sound quality is very good and the ease of installation is excellent.... Read More	(129)
Panasonic KX-TCA60 Hands-Free Headset with Comfort...	Customer Review: Purchased this with the KX-TG6545B phone-system. Works great. Everyone is surprised at the clarity when I ask them for feedback. Make sure your phone system has a head-set jack before you purchase this item. You won't be disappointed.... Read More	$14.95 (641)
Plantronics M214C Headset with Adjustable Volume...	Customer Review: I was very pleased with the quality of the unit, considering the low price. It is comfortable and delivers very good sound quality from both the speaker and microphone. the only negatives are the volume control seems to not have great range and the c... Read More	(112)
Plantronics TELEPHONE HEADSET SYSTEM ( S11 )...	Customer Review: It's very comfortable to wear. The sound quality is good on my end. I'm not sure about the caller's quality. Would purchase other Plantronics items.... Read More	(37)
Headset Headphones for Cisco Ip Telephone 7931 794...	Customer Review: We recently converted our office to Cisco 7942 phones. I bought one of these and liked it so much, I have ordered another 6 for the rest of my group. As others have said, it is amazing how inexpensive it is, compared to other headsets for Cisco pho... Read More	(12)