More companies are identifying additional benefits of using the full functionality of unified communications. While innovators and early adopters of the technology saw presence and instant messaging (IM) as the key tools, more recently, companies are seeing the advantages of a full-scale UC rollout with voice and video conferencing.
Endpoint devices then become of utmost importance, as a bad audio experience can limit company-wide acceptance of new ways of working. What we have seen in the past 12 months is organisations trialling endpoint devices during the project's pilot stage, providing a review opportunity for removing desktop phones from employees' workstations. With a vast product range at various price points, user profiling is key. The IT and telecoms teams can map the specific working style to a specified device, says Duncan Barnes, Territory Manager, Africa, Plantronics.
Experience has shown providing an employee with the best device for their role and usage requirements ensures technology acceptance and use.
Similar working styles are present in most organisations:
1) Office or home-bound worker
a. Works from home office and in office
b. In the office typically three days a week or less
c. 27% of employees
2) Mobile professional
a. Works on the go or from a hot-desk in the office
b. In the office typically one day a week or less
c. 17% of employees
3) Flexible worker
a. Works from a hot-desk
b. In the office typically three days a week or less
c. Growing in size
At Plantronics, we work with our partners to offer a device profiling exercise. We are able to help the organisation understand what its various working styles are, and which devices, based on budget, should be selected.
Plantronics' UC portfolio consists of:
1) Voyager Legend UC - Allows for connectivity to mobile phone, tablet and soft client
2) Blackwire - Corded over-the-head headset with inline call control. The 700 Series allows for mobile connectivity
3) Calisto - Speaker devices and USB handheld phone with dial pad and CLI
4) SAVI - DECT Wireless range of products offering the lightest headset and roaming of up to 150m
Whether you are investigating or planning to deploy UC and need support in selecting the right device for the working style, feel free to contact us for assistance in our User Profiling service.
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