How do you choose the right headsets for your organization? Part II

Series by Danny Hayasaka

7/13/18

In Part I of this series I listed reasons why Plantronics, Jabra and Sennheiser are currently the leaders in the headset space.

Now I want to focus on choosing the right partner/vendor/reseller. Every headset brand/model is available via the interwebz. If you are looking for one or two headsets and don’t value service or support, take a chance online.

If you value your role and want to do what’s best for your company keep reading.

Most enterprise customers have complex voice, video and collaboration landscapes along with budgets and deadlines. They can’t take a chance and certainly can’t make decisions willy-nilly.

You’ll want to choose a vendor who offers a true partnership. They value your role and will help guide you through the myriad of options so you select the right compatible devices, stay within budget and meet deadlines.

It’s important you start your search by looking for “Authorized” Partners. In the early days, pretty much anyone could be an “Authorized Partner/Reseller”. The internet especially helped give rise to literally thousands of headset vendors. Some “authorized” however many not.

These days the headset manufacturers are becoming more discriminating of “who” is representing, promoting, offering and supporting their brand.

Beyond being able to sell a certain volume, headset manufacturers are now requiring partners to complete various certifications for UC, Contact Center, SMB, SaaS, etc. and a list of other pre-requisites and requirements to ensure their partners are committed to providing end-user customers with the best possible overall solution and experience.

Each manufacturer provides a list of “Authorized” partners on their websites to help end-users validate status of vendors and/or certifications they poses.

https://www.plantronics.com/us/en/where-to-buy

https://www.jabra.com/where-to-buy/partner-locator

https://en-us.sennheiser.com/telecommunication-sales-partners-where-to-buy

Depending on partner, some have direct relationships with headset manufacturer field sales teams, inside sales teams, tech support teams and even leadership teams. This is extremely important especially for larger organizations and enterprises. Having that added layer of service and support can be very helpful.

Since I’m writing this blog I’ll go ahead and plug Call One, Inc.

First, Call One, Inc. has been in the headset industry for over 30 years and we believe in the fundamental principle that people do business with people. Our passion is helping people do their business better.

In 1987 Call One, Inc. started selling four brands: Plantronics, GN Netcom, Unex and ACS. Our portfolio has expanded to include hundreds of best in class brands for the business communications and collaboration space, however our main area of expertise is headsets. Call One, Inc. is authorized for all the major brands: Plantronics, Jabra and Sennheiser. We are also partnered with and can provide headsets from: Logitech, Cisco, Microsoft, ClearOne, Addasound, JPL, and more. Our Sales and Customer Service Teams are required to complete individual certifications and recertify as needed. Call One, Inc. Sales Reps typically have two to five different headset models at their desks at any given time as they test multiple models. I personally do my best to test every new model that is introduced by the leading headset manufacturers plus post videos to our CallOneInc YouTube Channel

I approach each new headset (product) in the same manner:

• What is it?
• What does it do?
• Most Importantly: Why should anyone give a shit?
  • How does this benefit customers?
  • What known or unknown problems does it solve?
  • What gaps does this bridge?
  • Are there current, less expensive options that can do the same thing?

I have the fortune of traveling to see first-hand how the products are being used. I’ve been to small one-man offices, boiler rooms, dispatch centers, contact centers with five to thousands of agents, cubicle jungles, open office spaces, training rooms, private offices and everything in between.

I’ve asked end-users questions about their daily activities, how they use headsets today and what they would like to see. Typically customers don’t know what they don’t know. Often times there are headset solutions that exist today that would make their lives easier.

The challenge is, they’re unaware. Some customers continue ordering what they’ve been ordering until they can’t. Why? Most customers don’t have time nor resources to research every single brand and model of headset that is available. Many don’t even know where to start. It can be overwhelming.

This is why it’s important to choose an authorized partner/vendor/reseller that is a subject matter expert in this space. If they are Authorized Partners for all major brands like Call One, Inc., that’s a strong benefit for you. This typically allows them to offer unbiased recommendations. They can help customers save time and money by narrowing down the options or guiding them to the right solution.

Plus most authorized partners are aware of special incentives, promos and programs that can be extremely beneficial to customers.

Now you know the top headset manufacturers and the importance of going with an authorized partner. We can now get to why I’m writing this series to begin with, choosing the right headset for your organization. Part III coming soon…