Flexible working has now become a reality and has brought with it increased recognition that individuals have both specific requirements and preferences for the equipment they use. A lot depends on job function, but workplace personas are becoming of greater performance in determining what technology to provide users. For instance, those that are on calls or in virtual meeting for much of the day may prefer lightweight devices or headsets that prioritise comfort over portability. Conversely, those that work from home might prioritise noise-cancellation or style.
“As we start to come out of lockdowns the focus for us is premiumisation,” explains Judith Hogan, the EMEA Director for Headsets Sales at Poly.
“After the global proof of concept of flexible working that we’ve seen in the last year, people now have preferences and those that never used a headset before now know what they want. This familiarity means the pitfalls have been exposed alongside the benefits and people want devices that are comfortable, are going to last and are fit for their purpose”
As back-to-work picks up the pace some organisations are taking the opportunity to allow more flexibility in terms of where people work and there is a willingness to invest in equipment to enable this. “A lot of organisations recognise that savings can be made in real estate and there is a willingness to invest in the tools people need to work flexibly,” adds Hogan. “Features such as wireless connectivity enabled by Bluetooth along with noise-cancelling and acoustic fence functions associated with more premium products are now being made available to different workplace personalities.”
Hogan illustrates the diversity of headsets available by highlighting Poly’s Voyager products which utilise Bluetooth and are designed to accommodate different wearing styles, offering comfort plus a stylish appearance. She emphasises that different jobs demand different functionality. “Our Savi DECT series recently added the 7300 range which offers a higher level of encryption for legal and finance industry deployments and also offers longer talk time and better range,” she explains. “It’s important that the equipment is there to enable people to live the dream of flexible working.”
Pandemic impacts traditional working personas
The different working personalities need is not a new area for the company, but the pandemic has inevitably impacted traditional personas. “We’ve been very focused on understanding different personas because we’ve identified that the more organisations invest in the right tools to help people do their jobs, the more adoption for devices such as UC softphones they achieve,” Hogan points out. “Now, adoption has been forced so employers are receiving more complaints about equipment such as headsets and, if they expect people to spend eight hours a day in front of a PC in a home office, they need to provide them with headsets that maximise comfort. Similarly, if they want people to move between remote and office-based working, they need to provide headsets that can easily be transported between the two and that provide a blend of functions to enable optimised experiences in each location.”
Hogan adds that one of the sectors most heavily impacted by the pandemic is the contact centre market:
“They’ve had to move to the cloud and more than 50% of companies are looking at hybrid working. Some have said they’re not going back to the traditional model,”
“That dramatically changes the profile of the call centre agent and their workplace. They now need noise-cancellation and good comfort and shared headsets are a thing of the past for obvious reasons. Other sectors will be similarly transformed, and our work is to understand all the different personas and needs means the Poly headset portfolio is perfectly positioned to meet peoples’ needs, whatever their persona.”
