Contact Center Headset Design Emphasizes Form and Function
Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today announced that the Plantronics
EncorePro™ headset won the prestigious international Forum (iF) product
design award 2009.
iF jury members judged nearly 3,000 products from more than 1,000
contestants in 39 different countries to select the winners for 2009.
Products were evaluated based on criteria including innovativeness,
functionality, design quality, material, ergonomics and environmental
compatibility. Plantronics Industrial Design developed EncorePro, a
corded headset for contact center professionals, and also designed the
Plantronics Discovery® 640 Bluetooth® headset that won an iF Design
Award in 2006.
“Recognition of the EncorePro for an iF Design Award confirms the
importance of designing both consumer and enterprise products with the
user in mind,” said Darrin Caddes, vice president of Corporate Design at
Plantronics. “I applaud the EncorePro design team, lead by Soohyun Ham,
for truly understanding how contact center professionals use our
products. They were able to design a headset that harmoniously combines
superior audio performance with great comfort and style.”
Bringing Style to the Contact Center
The Plantronics EncorePro, announced in October 2008, incorporates form
and function, resulting in a lightweight headset that is beautiful and
practical. An 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.
The headset is built with premium nylon composite and incorporates
finishes and accents that are purely aesthetic, which is not typical for
contact center products. The leatherette cushion and metal accent of the
earpiece are reminiscent of a high fidelity speaker and connote the
headset’s sound quality. The shape and metal accents on the unique
swiveling extendable microphone are designed to make the microphone look
like a smaller version of a traditional broadcast microphone. A satin
finish and metal accents are used throughout to incorporate the
designers’ vision of a high-end European design.
About the iF Design Awards
Since the introduction of the iF product design award in 1953, iF design
awards have developed into prestigious trademarks for outstanding
achievements in the field of design. Enterprises and design studios use
the award to make their customers and additional target groups aware of
the potentially decisive difference in product and service quality
expressed by this distinction.
Altec Lansing, Clarity, EncorePro, Plantronics, and Sound Innovation are
trademarks or registered trademarks of Plantronics, Inc. The Bluetooth
word mark is owned by the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks
by Plantronics, Inc. is under license. All other trademarks are the
property of the respective owners.
