DW Office from Sennheiser
With ActiveGard – Acoustic Shock Prevention Built In!
It is common practice in contact centres to wear a headset continuously for many hours at a time while answering a large number of calls from different sources. In order to benefit from the many advantages of a headset and having both hands free while working, the headset is worn by means of a headband, an ear clip or otherwise.
When a normal handset of a telephone is held to the ear and a sudden loud noise occurs, a natural reflex will enable the user to move the handset instantly away from the ear and avoid a full exposure to the sound.
For a contact centre agent wearing a headset it is impossible to remove the headset fast enough to avoid the impact of an unexpected intense sound, referred to as acoustic shock. If the agent furthermore has increased the incoming volume because of the often noisy surroundings in a contact centre the danger is obviously even higher.
What is ‘acoustic shock’?
‘Acoustic shocks’ are freak sound bursts on telephone headsets, which can leave call handlers in severe pain. They can be deliberate or accidental. The likely causes of freak sound bursts on headsets include:
- Electronic sounds from fax machines
- Random electronic impulses
- Customers tapping into a handset
- Malicious acts, eg customers blowing a whistle down the phone
How serious is the problem?
Sudden unexpected noise levels in telephone systems are a growing cause for concern in the contact centre industry world-wide and are today regarded as a highly serious occupational hazard for contact centre agents.
Acoustic shock can leave you with long-term hearing damage, including finding it difficult to tolerate certain types and levels of sound. A BT employee won £90,000 in compensation after suffering acoustic shock at a BT telephone exchange. He was supported by his union, the CWU. He now suffers from tinnitus.
Rest assured, you are always 100% protected from acoustic shock and sudden surges in volume with Sennheiser’s ActiveGard™ so you can talk in comfort as long as you like. And advanced microphone technology means you’ll never have to shout to be heard, even in a busy call center – something your colleagues and customers will be glad to hear.
For more information on acoustic shock please see the health and safety website.
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