Beta Customers Experience Improved Agent Productivity and Job Satisfaction
Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today continued its 40-year history of
developing breakthrough products for the contact center with the new
VistaPlus™ AP15 digital audio processor and EncorePro™ wideband headset
both designed to improve productivity while increasing customer
satisfaction and agent retention.
“Plantronics understands the influence contact center agents have on the
customer experience,” said Nick Eisner, director of Contact Center
Product Management at Plantronics. “Intelligibility is critical for both
customer satisfaction and agent productivity. VistaPlus AP15 and
EncorePro improve audio signals to provide clear and accurate
conversations, reducing the potential for data entry errors and
improving first-call resolution metrics.”
Digital Audio Processors: Superior Call Quality
The Plantronics® VistaPlus AP15 features AudioIQ® technology, a set of
digital signal processing algorithms designed to increase
intelligibility so callers say things once and once only. In addition,
Audio IQ:
• improves poor or degraded audio quality on calls from sources such as
mobile and cordless phones,
• helps eliminate echo and filter out background noise,
• automatically adjusts the volume to the user’s preferred level,
• and helps to protect agents from sudden loud noises like fax tones.
“Productivity and intelligibility are even more important for contact
center management as self-service technology such as interactive voice
response (IVR) becomes more common,” said Drew Kraus, Research Vice
President at Gartner. “Calls that do go through to agents in these
environments will likely require a higher level of service. Agent
clarity, productivity and retention become increasingly critical for a
contact center’s performance in this setting.”
Initial tests conducted at a contact center for a financial services
firm indicated agents were able to reduce the duration of customer
calls, allowing them to serve more customers. After a four week trial,
the firm reported a 2% increase in the number of calls handled using
VistaPlus AP15 audio processors. Feedback from agents who trialed
VistaPlus was also encouraging; agents noted improvements in hearing
customers more clearly and in the convenience of AudioIQ’s automatic
volume adjustment.
Agent Retention: Improve Productivity and Job Satisfaction
The new Plantronics EncorePro headset provides high-quality voice
transmission with its unique, extendable noise-canceling microphone.
Precise microphone positioning is crucial to ensure clear outgoing sound
quality, so customers hear every word the first time. When used
together, EncorePro and VistaPlus AP15 increase intelligibility for both
sides of the conversation. Increased clarity can reduce errors and the
need to repeat information which improves the experience for both the
agent and the customer. Agents who struggle to hear customers and have
to repeat things frequently may end up more “drained” toward the end of
the day.
Comfort is also an important factor in productivity and retaining
quality employees. The EncorePro headset is built with premium,
lightweight nylon composite and plush leatherette ear pads which spread
over the ears to reduce wearing fatigue. A recent informal Plantronics
survey of agents who trialed the EncorePro headset revealed that 60%
thought the fit and comfort was improved, 65% felt the transmit sound
was better and more than 70% believed the EncorePro is more stylish than
their existing headsets.
Pricing and Availability
The Plantronics VistaPlus AP15 is now available for a MSRP of $150. The
Plantronics EncorePro corded wideband headset is now available in both
monaural and binaural versions for MSRP of $137 and $160 respectively.
Both products can be purchased via Plantronics authorized resellers.
© 2008 Plantronics Inc. Altec Lansing, Clarity, Plantronics, Sound
Innovation, Volume Logic, AudioIQ, EncorePro and VistaPlus are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. All other
trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
