Wireless headsets have a lot going for them – they offer agents greater mobility, there is lesser cable clutter, and the risk of damage due to cable tug is lower. However, wireless contact centre headsets are also more expensive than their wired counterparts and not all battery lives stand up to long hours of use.
If you consider agent preferences, studies indicate that they probably want wireless headsets as part of the next equipment overhaul. A consumer survey found that 59% of users are still stuck on wired headphones, but a whopping 78.5% want their next purchase to be a wireless variant. But does this mean that you should go the extra mile and invest in wireless headsets for your contact centre, prioritising emerging agent demands over cost efficiency?
Here are four questions to help you decide.
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Does the agent have a supervisory, SME-related or collaborative role?
Contact centre supervisors, subject matter experts, and agents in collaborative roles have to move around a contact centre floor, talking to their colleagues as they interact with different customers. For these agent segments, wireless headsets are a business essential. Even if an agent does collaborative work for 30% of their productivity hours, it is a good idea to invest in wireless to prevent inconvenience or duplicated expenses.
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Is the agent working from home?
WFH agents can gain more from mobility, as they can walk around their home while attending the calls without disturbing their colleagues. In fact, the ability to stretch one’s legs and gain from a quick change of scenery (say from the study to the terrace) significantly improves the agent experience. If you are operating a small, specialised WFH agent team, consider providing wireless headsets.
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Does the agent have to listen in on calls?
Sophisticated wireless headsets can support connectivity with multiple workstations at once, allowing an agent to switch between devices and listen in on conversations. For a team lead overseeing 5-10 agents, the ability to simultaneously connect with multiple devices can make a major difference to productivity. It is best to equip team leads with wireless headsets so that they do not have to constantly manually shift between workstations.
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Are you operating multiple large shifts?
Wireless headsets, by definition, are mobile. So, there is always a risk that an agent might walk out of the building with their headsets still on. For flagship expensive wireless devices, even the occasional instance of theft can disturb your productivity and impact a mid-sized business’ bottom line. If you are operating multiple large shifts where it is difficult to monitor agent movements, wired headsets might be the way to go.
At the end of the day, wired headsets continue to be a contact centre staple as they are:
- More power-efficient – no charging needed
- More durable at a lower cost component
- Better in terms of sound quality, unless you splurge on a high-end wireless headset
Therefore, unless your agents fulfil criteria 1,2, or 3, it is best to stay with wired and set aside a dedicated wireless headset budget for special use cases.
