I guess the key word is “Unified.” (UC) brings together various ways to talk and listen to one another. It takes your phone and your computer (two different ways of communication) introduces them to each other and gets them to work together (sort of like a marriage counselor). And to make your experience truly rewarding, you’ll need a headset. That’s where Plantronics comes into the picture. Be they corded or wireless headsets, at home or in the office, Plantronics has just the right model to bring communication together.

Take, for instance, the new Savi WO100 from Plantronics, their new wireless multi-function headset. With the included cables you can connect the Savi WO100 to both devices and, with the touch of a button, seamlessly travel between your phone and computer. You can make traditional calls, computer calls using Skype*, conference the two together, do dictation using Dragon* naturally speaking, stream music from your Virgin online radio station, etc., etc., etc. Well, you get the picture. And Savi is just one of a complete line of Plantronics wireless and corded headsets designed especially for Unified Communications. And Headsets Direct is the place for fast, friendly and courteous service. Give one of our knowledgeable sales personnel a call and find out what’s new from Plantronics in Unified Communications.

*Headsets Direct does not endorse any particular brand over another. These are used as examples only.

Savi is the name of one of the latest headset achievements from Plantronics, makers of quality communication headsets since 1962.  No, they weren’t there when Columbus discovered America, but they were there when Ned Armstrong uttered those somewhat-famous words: one small step on man, one giant step for corporate America (Ned was a stock broker on Wall Street in 2008).  By the way, they were with the other Armstrong on the moon too.

The Plantronics Savi includes, but is not limited to, the WO100, WO200, WG100B, WG200B, etc.  Today we’re going to focus on the WO200, one of the Savi models designed to be used with your phone AND computer.  Yes, unified communication has come of age with these beauties from Plantronics.  Check out our Blog to learn all about unified communication.  The Savi WO200 is their over-the-ear model designed for today’s professional, whether it’s the 20 floor high rise or your residential home office.

So what’s so special about the new Plantronics Savi that should make me spend that kind of money if I want to go wireless?  Well, three words: STYLING, VERSATILITY and PRODUCTIVITY.  Okay, so styling is subjective, but the sleek WO200 base has a small “footprint” on your desk so you can’t blame your clutter on this baby, and the equally sleek headpiece is designed for all day wear.  Versatility?  The Plantronics Savi was created with this word in mind.  It has a 350’ range, it has all the pieces you need to connect to your phone AND your computer (pc or laptop) so now you have different ways to communicate and, if you need to conference in a co-worker, you can pair up to FOUR headsets to the same base.  This brings us to our third point: productivity.  When you have the freedom to pull a file or find someone to ask a question while staying connected to your customer, when you don’t have wires to get in the way while you’re hands are free to take orders or write down important information, when a key client needs an answer now and you can seamlessly conference in others to close the deal, now that’s productivity!

You get all this and the Headsets Direct 60 day customer satisfaction guarantee. You can’t lose with this winning combination. 

Answer:  Here are the features.  You’re looking at the amplifier in front of you.  The single RJ9 jack in front of the amplifier (marked with a headset symbol) should have the coiled “quick disconnect” cord plugged into it. The other end is where you connect the headset.

On top, to the left, you have a wheel with numbers to control the volume of what you hear through the speakers of your headset (it has a symbol of a speaker below it).  Next to the volume wheel you have the button that turns on your headset (it has a symbol of a headset below it).  The window in the button will show green (red on some older models) when “on” and black when “off.”  Then you have the mute button next to that one, marked by luscious lips with a line across or a microphone with a line across. It too will show green (or red) when “on” and black when “off.”

Looking at the back of the Plantronics headset amplifier you have three jacks.  The first one (round with a power symbol) is for an ac adapter, if you’re using one with your amplifier.  The next one is an RJ9 jack marked with a handset symbol.  It’s where you connect your…handset…once you’ve connected your amplifier to your phone, which brings us to the next RJ9 jack with the telephone symbol.  There is a short cord with loops (that looks like a pigtail) that goes from this jack to your telephone handset jack.

Still looking at the Plantronics headset amplifier, on the left hand side there is a “U” shaped door.  That’s where you put the batteries in, if you’re using batteries.  Remember that the top battery has the positive end facing out and the bottom battery has the negative end facing out.  If you look inside the chamber, you can see printed on the circuit board how they’re supposed to go in, as a reminder.  Next to the battery compartment, there is a thin door (some have bumps and others have ridges).  When you remove the door, you will find a scale with numbers 1-6 and a round blue and white dial with minus and plus signs.  The scale is used to configure the amplifier to the phone.  It comes preset to 5 since most phones use that setting.  If you do not get a good dial tone, you may need to try one of the other settings.  On some phones that work on setting #1 you may need to remove the batteries since they work without them. The blue and white dial controls the volume of your microphone or voice tube (- less volume, + more volume).

Solution: This is a problem that customers have had with their Plantronics CS55 wireless headsets and other similar CS wireless models (e.g. CS70N, CS351N) and a simple fix is to make sure the compatibility dial, located to the left of the base, is properly set.  The indicator, set at 3 o’clock, normally points to #1 (that covers 90% of phones) on that dial but you may need to use one of the other 3 settings for optimum clarity.  It should never be set between numbers.  The right compatibility setting is crucial to the proper operation of your Plantronics CS55 wireless headset.  On occasion you or someone else in your office may bump the unit and not realize the the dial has been slightly turned.

Answer: Well, aside from all the reports on the safety and ergonomic benefits of headsets, (click here for ergo benefits), they really do help you conduct your business in a more efficient manner.

Here are some of the businesses that buy our headsets:

Doctors, lawyers and accountants, oh my!  Auto parts stores, mechanics, bikers, hang gliders, L.A. commuters and even that granny from Pasadena.  Museums, manufacturing plants, distribution warehouses, Texas ranchers who need to stay connected on their thousand-acre spreads, Starbucks® coffee drinkers, massage parlors, the I.R.S. and every branch of government…and yes, even that backbone of American enterprise, the one-to-five-person small business operation.

And don’t forget…you can count it as a business expense.

WindSmart provides wind-noise reduction technology for optimal sound clarity. It’s highly recommended for calls made outside (or in moving vehicles with open windows).

A: With the CS55/HL10 combination you will be connecting the wireless headset base to the phone where the handset is connected.  Think of it as a wireless extension of your handset. By reconnecting your handset to the front of your wireless headset base you now have a choice between headset and handset.

This will work with either a digital phone, like Cisco or Nortel, or an analog phone, like Avaya Partner or what you would have at home. Remember, if you are using this at home, your phone cannot have remote cordless units or any features on the handset.

HW251N-USB (discontinued) - The same as the one below but not MOC certified – QD and hardwired versions.

HW251N/DA (digital audio) M (microsoft) – Single ear with QD feature - MOC certified, has the firmware to default to MOC plug & play and compatible with their hookswitch capability.
HW261N/DA M – Same as above but two ear model.

HW111N USB M – The less expensive version of the ones above – Single ear, no QD – MOC certified
HW121N USB M – Same, dual ear

Plantronics  said the headsets above that are MOC certified loose their hookswitch capabilities on non-MOC software. The reverse is true for applications such as the DA45/H251N. With the persono suite and regular softphone software the hookswitch feature is supported but that is lost on MOC applications.

DA261N and DA261N USB – “D” signifies that these are true stereo headsets. The USB model does not support hookswitch.