Don't Live With a Pain In the Neck--Use a Headset for More
Productivity!
From "sick-building" disease, moldy woodwork, toxic carpet,
contaminated water, and carpal tunnel syndrome, the modern
office is glutted with potential health problems. Even something
as harmless as the phone can cause chronic pain if you spend
hours with the handset jambed between your ear and shoulder. The
simple solution--a headset.
Do you leave work everyday with a pain in the neck? The simple
answer might be a headset. In this era of multi-tasking, wedging
your phone between your ear and shoulder while you type, search
for a document, or even eat, can be literally--a pain in the
neck. A relatively simple device, a headset does away for the
need to have any part of your body support the bulky, clumsy
telephone receiver, thus sparing you from a stiff neck, sore
muscles and a headache. With the wide array of headset options
available, selecting the appropriate one can be very confusing.
A headset consists of an earpiece, a microphone, and a cord that
plugs into an accompanying amplifier, which is plugged into the
phone. While most people may believe that headsets are all the
same, that statement is far from correct. As computer hardware
evolves, everything connected to it evolves as well; headsets
are no exception. With the creation of smaller, more powerful
and faster chips, headsets are now being made much smaller,
lighter in weight, more affordable, have a much larger range,
and offer much improved clarity.
Telephone headsets come in both corded and cordless models and
will increase your productivity since you can use both hands to
do other work, like shuffling through your files or using the
copier machine, while you are talking on the phone. The cordless
models even allow freedom to work up to 1,000 feet from the
amplifier, but they are more costly and weigh a bit more.
The key variables you should consider when buying a headset are:
Application--how are you going to use it? Distance--how much
range and clarity will be required? Price--how much do you want
to spend? Features--what special features (like a mute button or
a quick-disconnect feature) do you want and need?
Perhaps the most important criteria in selecting a specific
headset is comfort. Most headsets are designed to be worn over
the head like a headband and typically cover one ear. If having
the "perfect" hair day is critical to you, perhaps you should
choose an earpiece that fits in your ear directly or is worn
over your ear like eyeglasses. To ensure the right fit, you
should actually test it out in real-world conditions. You should
be comfortable with the fit and the weight of the headset, or
the device will simply gather dust on your bookshelf.
Other decisions include: the option of one or two earpieces,
noise filters, quick-disconnect cables, mute buttons, talk time,
battery life and certainly--price. An inexpensive model can be
purchased for $30, while more durable and dependable models will
be worth the $100-$300 you will spend for them. Special tip--if
$300 is too pricey, try a used headset. Refurbished models can
be a good buy and you can often find them for half the price a
new model.
As with any purchase, do your research before you buy. By
comparison shopping, whether it be catalogs, online or at
reputable vendors, you will gain information about what is out
there and the various prices available. Headsets do save you
time and neck cramps, while increasing your productivity,
whether you are at home or in the office.