Once viewed as a luxury item, telephone headsets have become a necessity for any office that uses the telephone extensively. Using headsets will increase efficiency, decrease neck/back pain, reduce fatigue and enable you to work in comfort for the duration of your call.
Most headsets plug into an amplifier that will connect to your telephone. Amplifiers generally come with a mute switch, speaker and microphone volume controls, compatibility settings for your phone, and will give you the highest quality headset audio. Some models will also have noise-canceling or Voice-Tube technology.
Some headsets also come with a second battery that is always charging in case the first battery alerts you it’s time to change, enabling you to swap batteries in seconds without interrupting your call. This is especially useful if you work in a noisy environment where the sound quality of your voice may vary.
Holding a telephone handset receiver to your ear all day can create muscle tension in your neck, shoulders, and upper back which over time could lead to minor injuries such as cramps. Using headsets will allow your hands to remain free so you can type, use the mouse and write reports reducing your hand/arm/neck stress while working. Many headsets will allow you to walk around your office and even wander into a showroom while on the phone to describe stock to customers (I often do this). Some headsets will need an accessory called a handset lifter or EHS cable to work with older phones that don’t have a headset port.