Anyone who’s worked from home understands the many challenges associated with this.
- Unexpected interruptions
- Distracting noises from the kids, dogs, neighbors, landscapers etc. - Doorbell rings from Doordash, UPS, FedEx, Amazon and other delivery companies
- The never ending temptations to do non-work related things instead of your job
These are just a few of the many things that can stand in the way of you being at your best while camped in your home fortress working to pull off a highly productive day at home.
The marketplace is chalked full of products and services geared towards helping you navigate the challenges of working from home. Along those same lines, this blog will attempt to point out the reasons why you should consider getting a wired headset if you’re working from home.
Reason #1- New found freedom
If you’re not using a wired headset, you’re probably using a traditional telephone with a handset.. The problem with this is when you go to use the phone and the computer at the same time.
How do you use the computer keyboard when you need to hold the phone handset? What most people do is cradle the phone on their shoulder which frees up their hands to use the computer keyboard.
Though this does work, it’s problematic and bad for your health and well being. More on that later on.
It’s indisputable to say that having both hands free and available to use your keyboard is better than holding the phone handset or cradling it on your shoulder.
A wired headset will free your hands, and to a degree, free your inner spirit as well. A wired headset is available in single ear or double ear versions, comfortable and convenient.
Here’s a good quality headset that comes with a long, 3-year warranty that’s very popular, the Discover D712U. This model comes in single and double ear variants as well as connectivity to a computer. The same headset comes in a version that connects to a desk phone.
Reason #2- Knock out unwanted background noise
When you use a desk phone, the handset doesn’t have any noise reducing technology. Therefore, what you hear in your work environment is the same thing your customers hear.
If you want to help tame that background distraction, get a wired headset. These products typically come standard with a noise cancelling microphone. The noise cancelling microphone helps to filter out that unwanted noise and keeps your conversations clear and distraction free.
If you’re like most people, you want your phone calls to be loud and clear. A wired headset is far superior to a phone handset because it’s engineered to tackle noise where the handset isn’t.
Reason #3- Professional sound
To be a professional, you need to sound like a professional. The microphones on wired headsets not only have a noise cancelling feature, but the microphone is designed to pick up sound in the near ground and not so much of your background.
It’s directional, and geared towards picking up your voice volume and they do a great job of this. The result is you get better overall sound quality, and your calls are higher quality which reflects favorably back to you.
I feel safe in saying that we’ve all been on a phone call where you hear so much distracting noise in the background. If you’re nodding your head right about now, that means you’ve been there.
The party you were talking to at that time was either using a phone handset or they were using a headset without noise cancellation. A call of this type is a perfect example of how you don’t want to sound.
Invest in a wired headset that has a noise cancelling microphone and you won’t have to apologize to your customers for how you’re sounding on that important business call.
Reason #4- Comfort
We all like comfort. Whether you’re parked on a comfy sofa, sitting in a comfortable car, slipping on that comfortable pair of shoes, we all like the feeling of comfort.
Believe it or not, having a comfortable headset ranks right up there. Why you ask? Because a headset is something that’s personal and worn for long periods of time. With that in mind, comfort in a wired headset becomes important.
When you compare the comfort of using a wired headset against using a telephone handset, the wired headset will come out on top consistently.
When you spend the major portion of your waking hours working at a desk, and on the phone, the matter of comfort is seen as a high priority item.
Who wants to press a handset against their head for hours on end? Who wants their ear screaming in pain at the end of the day?
The short answer is nobody. A wired headset eliminates the need to hold a receiver for hours each day and helps to relax the pressure otherwise being applied to your ear. When the end of the day comes, a wired headset will leave you feeling less fatigued and in many cases, in a better mood.
Reason #5- Better productivity
Improves your productivity. We all want to be productive when working, and having the right tools available to help us maximize our effectiveness is a plus.
A wired headset fits into the category of a productivity tool. The productivity benefits become evident when you compare a wired headset to using a typical desk phone with a handset.
Truthfully, there is no comparison here. The wired headset will outshine the handset in virtually every case where they’d be compared.
A telephone handset is inefficient. You’re required to hold it in one hand which leaves you with only one hand to do other things like writing, typing or any other task needing to be done. Telephone handsets limit your options and restricts freedom of movement.
A wired headset, on the other hand, offers you more. More freedom to work more naturally because you have both hands available.
This point alone causes the productivity needle to move heavily in the favor of wired headset use. H.B. Maynard & company conducted a study that compared the productivity of those using a telephone handset compared to those in the same study who used a wired headset. As you might
predict, the wired headset users outperformed the others consistently and by a wide margin.
If being more productive while at work is important to you, you owe it to yourself to look into a wired headset. You’ll move more freely and your work efficiency will rise too.
Reason #6- Health and safety
It’s a well documented fact that cradling a phone on your shoulder can lead to unwanted physical ailments. Among them include:
- Neck issues
- Shoulder pain
- Back pain
- Pinched nerves
- Numbness in the hand, arm and shoulder
- irritability
These are bad, right? But, did you know that the simple act of cradling a phone handset on your shoulder can lead to a stroke? You heard this right, a stroke! Have a look at this article that helps sound the alarm on this shocking discovery.
Simply stated, cradling a phone on your shoulder is bad for you and just shouldn’t be done. You’ll pay the physical price for it eventually, and the complications that can arise may lead to worker absences and even worker compensation claims.
Here’s a chart that illustrates the benefits a wired headset has over a telephone handset.
The problem is easy to solve. Get a wired headset, a Plantronics wired headset or whatever brand, but get one. You’ll have better posture, you’ll avoid developing unwanted physical ailments, you’ll sound more professional to your business clients, and you’ll experience greater comfort and increased work productivity.