Call Centre Headsets

A call centre headset is worn for a full shift, every shift, so small differences in weight, fit and microphone quality add up over a day. Check these points before choosing a model for your team.

Look at the headset's weight first. A lighter headset puts less pressure on the head and ears over eight hours. The headband should adjust easily and have padding where it rests on the head. Ear cushions come in foam and leatherette. Foam is lighter and cooler to wear. Leatherette blocks more of the room and is easier to wipe clean. Some models take either type, so agents can choose.

Agents sit close together, so the microphone has to keep neighbouring conversations off the call. Headset microphones come in three grades: none, passive and active. A passive noise cancelling microphone uses shielding to block low-frequency background noise, breathing and plosive sounds. An active microphone listens to the background noise and removes it with software. For a busy contact centre floor, choose Active. A boom microphone sits closer to the mouth than an earbud or in-line microphone, so it picks up the agent's voice more clearly. See our noise cancelling headsets for the full range.

Agents can be exposed to sudden loud sounds on a call, such as a fax tone or a dropped handset, and to raised volume over a long shift. Business headsets from Jabra, Poly and EPOS have acoustic shock protection, which cuts sudden spikes in volume, and many also limit the average sound level across the day. Each manufacturer names this differently, for example Jabra PeakStop, Poly SoundGuard and EPOS ActiveGard. These features help employers meet the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, which set daily exposure action values of 80 and 85 dB(A).

Ear cushions and voice tubes wear out and collect dirt long before the headset itself does. Choose a model with replaceable cushions and, where it uses one, a replaceable voice tube, and keep spares in stock. Personal headsets are the most hygienic option. Where headsets are shared across shifts, give each agent their own cushions. Spares for most models are in headset spares.

The correct connection depends on how your contact centre takes calls. Agents on desk phones need a corded headset with the matching bottom cord. Agents on softphones or cloud contact centre platforms need USB. Supervisors who move around the floor need wireless.

Corded QD headsets are the traditional contact centre choice. The Quick Disconnect plug sits partway down the lead, so an agent can unclip and step away from the desk without ending the call, then clip back in. The lower part of the lead, the bottom cord, connects to the phone. Change the bottom cord and the same headset works with a different desk phone or a PC. Jabra, Poly and EPOS each use their own QD plug, so the bottom cord must match the headset brand as well as the phone. Find the right cord in headset bottom cords, or browse corded telephone headsets for headsets that suit landline and desk phones.

Most cloud contact centre platforms run on a PC, through a browser or an installed softphone. USB headsets plug straight in and work as standard USB audio devices, with no drivers needed for basic calling. Whether the answer, end and mute buttons control calls depends on the headset and the software.

USB headsets come in two versions. MS versions are certified for Microsoft Teams and have a Teams button. UC versions are set up for other platforms such as Zoom, Webex and Avaya. Both work as standard USB audio, so choose the version that matches the software your agents use most. Some USB headsets use a QD lead with a USB bottom cord, so the same headset can also move to a desk phone. See USB headsets.

DECT wireless headsets suit supervisors, team leaders and floor walkers, who need to move around while staying on a call. DECT uses its own frequency band, separate from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and has a longer indoor range than Bluetooth. On a busy floor, the limit is how many DECT headsets can work in one area at once. Each manufacturer states a user density figure, so check it against the number of wireless users you plan before you buy. [CHECK per model] Many DECT bases connect to both a desk phone and a PC, so a supervisor can take calls from either on one headset. See wireless headsets.

Most contact centre agents use a duo (binaural) headset. Covering both ears blocks the noise of the floor, so agents hear callers clearly without turning the volume up. A mono (monaural) headset suits agents who also deal with people in the room, such as help desk staff, team leaders and agents who serve walk-in customers. Some contact centres give mono headsets to supervisors and duo headsets to everyone else.

Listening in on live calls is a common way to train new agents. A headset splitter or training cable connects two headsets to one phone or PC, so a trainer and a trainee can join the same call. Depending on the cable, the second headset can be set to speak or to listen only. The Project Telecom Headset Training & Supervising Bundle has the parts for this in one order.

To answer desk phone calls from a wireless headset away from the desk, add an EHS cable or handset lifter for the phone model. Older desk phones without a headset port need a telephone amplifier between the phone and the headset.

Standardising on one or two models makes it simpler to train agents, stock spares and replace headsets when they fail. Keep a stock of ear cushions and bottom cords, so a worn part never takes an agent off the phones. Refurbished headsets cost less and suit contact centres equipping large teams or holding spare headsets; use the Goods Condition filter to find them. For volume pricing, quotes and account management, see Business Customers or call 0161 737 9898.