Efficency and Comfort

Headsets are recommended by the American Physical Therapy Association because headsets can help reduce neck and shoulder strain (which are associated with headaches, and even improper cervical alignment) which result from cradling a phone on your shoulder.

Headsets allow for more natural movement of the head and arms and eliminate the discomfort caused by cradling a phone. And headsets make it much easier to write/type and talk at the same time -- two activities that are typical of nearly every job we can think of.

Commercial Quality Headsets

These are the models most commonly used by call centers, phone company operators, and those people who spend the majority of their work day on the telephone. Commercial models consist of a base amplifier unit which interfaces with the telephone and a cord that connects to a variety of headset tops (chosen based on one's personal preference).

Plantronics M12 commercial base unit

Commercial headsets are universal and fit 95% of the single- and multi-line phones on the market, including system phones for the ATT Merlin, Partner, and Definity as well as the system phones of every major manufacturer. Although commercial headset models aren't inexpensive, the investment in one's health, comfort, and productivity are priceless.

Plantronics most popular models include the monaural (meaning one-ear) supra, mirage, tristar, and encore as well as binaural (meaning both-ears) versions of the supra and encore.

Home Office and less frequent use

Less expensive than their commercial counterparts above, these home and small-office models offer many of the same efficency and comfort advantages as commercial units, but at a much lower price. They are less durable (although, if treated well, should give good service) and have few or no replaceable parts. But, they provide good sound quality and are a great introductory point for trying the benefits of a headset.

Plantronics T20 2-line self-contained headset/phone

Going Cordless with your headset

Imagine the experience of not only being handsfree, but cordless as well! There are both home-office and professional versions of cordles headsets which can be purchased in a variety of configurations, depending on personal preference and the particular application.

Cordless headsets consist of two parts: first, like their commercial counterparts, they use a base unit. There are two types of base: one type is designed to connect to an existing phone; this allows you to "go cordless" with any single- or multi-line phone. /

Plantronics CA10 cordless base unit for connection to existing phones

The other type of cordless base models are used standalone and are intended for small-office single-line use.

Plantronics CT10 cordless base unit with included headset

The other part of a cordless headset is the top: the CA10 base shown above comes with a 2.5mm headset jack and a "quick-disconnect" adaptor cable. This allows it to be used with any Plantronics H-series commercial top or with any M-series top.

Note: Another way to go cordless is to use a cordless or cellular telephone that has a built in headset jack.