WHAT COMPANIES COULD DO IN TOUGH TIMES
Given the realities of slowing economic times, companies are looking inward to find answers to how to reduce costs.
Let us focus on the Customer Development/Service Department area.
One alternative is to cut staff.
If the financial economic initiatives taken by central governments are enough to bottom the cycle, that means a rehiring program would be necessary, sometime in the future, to re-establish the previous levels of business activity.
What if productivity with the existing staff could be improved with a modest investment and a shockingly short pay back period?
Wireless phone headsets, in a commissioned study by Plantronics, the major phone headset manufacturer, researcher H B Maynard Co. concluded the advantages derived from adding Plantronics hands free headsets to conventional office telephones, substantially improved productivity, and call volume while reducing employee downtime and physically related discomfort from extended time on the phone.
Some 2000 phone transactions were observed in a time/motion study etc. , etc. .
The bottom line?
Productivity increased some 43%.
The most popular wireless headset system is the Plantronics CS 55. The wireless feature was not necessarily the main distinguishing feature in the study, as Planrtonics do offer and did utilize some of their extensive number of corded phone headsets, they offer.
The technological and practical advantages of the wireless system, notwithstanding the higher initial cost still means, even with only a 25% productivity improvement, it would result in a pay back within months , if not weeks.
When the economy turns around is conjecture. The resolve to turn it around remains firm.
Customer Service Departments are more valuable than ever.
Why not make them more efficient.
Tags: plantronics headset, plantronics headsets, wireless headsets