Have Neck/Back Pain or Headaches After Work? Headset Benefits VALIDATED!

Are you a headset user?  SHOULD you be a headset user?  If you are having neck, back, hip, leg pain or frequent headaches, it might not be "just stress", it could be your telephone use!  In my many, many years of retail and office telephone use I have discovered one thing... headsets really DO work.  I spent lots of years (and lots of money) at my chiropractor getting adjustments when my neck or back would go out.  Then I started noticing a pattern, my neck would always go out in the same spot, and it was usually after a high-volume phone week.  I had never been a headset fan in the past, but decided to give it a try to see if it made any difference.  To my amazement, the change was all but immediate!  I started out with a simple wired headset with a Quick Disconnect so it was easy to detach and go if I needed to leave my desk and graduated to a wireless headset within a year for total freedom.  I cannot say enough about how not only this increased my productivity, but also improved my health.  No more missed days because I couldn't move my head or walk, no more smashing headaches at the end of every day, and all because of this simple little earpiece. 

And now Plantronics commissioned H.B. Maynard & Company to do a random study on the benefits of headset use in the workplace, and the results mimic my own personal experience.  Some excerpts of the study:
Results from a commissioned study conducted at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, CA, provide, for the first time, strong evidence that office workers can reduce neck, shoulder and upper back muscle tension as much as 41% by using headsets.
In the course of the three-month study, 62 people (33 women and 29 men), ranging from 20 to 63 years old, were involved in tests that evaluated the various levels of muscle tension resulting when office workers engage in other tasks while using the telephone.
Neck and upper back muscle tension is one of the most common ailments of office workers today. This new evidence now confirms Plantronics Headsets as a cost-effective, preventative solution for office workers.
The H.B. Maynard & Company study, also commissioned by Plantronics, first confirmed that headsets improve workplace efficiency and productivity as much as 43%. These new study results, combined with the results from the Maynard study, prove without a doubt, the benefits of headsets in today's demanding work environment. Employers and employees alike will benefit from using headsets, from lower medical costs to happier, more productive workers.

To read the entire study from Plantronics, click HERE to go to the PDF.  For more information on headsets for your system, contact Key Communications, or see the different models available at www.key-comm.com.  Get your headset today and save your health!

Did You Know....

You can have a 7 YEAR PARTS WARRANTY on all new Panasonic telephone system purchases?  Talk about a worry-free system!  It's true, any new Panasonic equipment purchases have the option of adding an additional 6 years to the standard 1 year factory warranty for a full 7 years of coverage.  For around $10 per phone, $63 for a telephone system control unit, and $42 for a voice mail control unit, you get 7 years of no-worry system.  That's less than $1.50 a year for phones, $9 a year for telephone system, and $6 a year for voice mail (*expansion and feature cards and other equipment are additional), at that price how can you NOT afford to add the extended warranty?  Contact Key Communications today to get more information!

Actor Rob Lowe Chooses Panasonic Business Telephone System

Rob Lowe, the celebrated actor who was nominated for an Emmy Award for his portrayal of Sam Seaborn on the hit television series The West Wing, recently outfitted his estate in California with a Panasonic business phone system, including more than 30 sophisticated desk phones and several DECT cordless phones. Mr. Lowe and his family chose Panasonic for their new home because they wanted a way to easily communicate from room to room within the house as well as on the surrounding grounds, which includes a pool area.

With the same type of research and preparation that he brings to his acting, Rob Lowe and his wife concluded that a complete Panasonic phone system was the best fit for their home and lifestyle. “We’ve had really good luck with Panasonic in the past, and we know the company has incredible systems for business and home,” Mr.Lowe said, noting that ease-of-use, mobility and the means to “have as many extensions as you need” were key factors in his decision to go with Panasonic.

“The system and the phones are really easy to use and set up,” Mr.Lowe said. “There was no learning curve or heavy training involved to get started. The system is reliable and we’ve had no down time—you just pick up the phone and you’re good to go!”

“Panasonic’s phones also go well with our décor, and for mobility we’re using the new DECT 6.0 cordless handsets, which give us the freedom to go from room to room, even out onto the grounds,” Mr. Lowe continued. “We don’t have to worry about dropped calls, and the sound and range are pretty incredible. The phones are also extremely secure.”

Rob Lowe, who rose to fame in the 1980s after appearing in such iconic movies as The Outsiders and St. Elmo’s Fire, supports a number of causes, including Best Buddies, a non-profit organization dedicated to establishing a global volunteer movement that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendships, integrated employment and leadership development for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and the Dream Foundation, the first national wish granting organization for adults suffering life-threatening illness.

“As a market leader, Panasonic is committed to delivering innovative features and superior performance, qualities that led to Rob Lowe’s decision to choose our products for his home,” said Bill Taylor, President of Panasonic System Networks Company of America. “Mr. Lowe is also quite concerned about environmental issues and Panasonic is serious about its commitment to environmental responsibility, another issue that was appealing to him. Our new DECT line uses 100% recycled packaging materials, and our new models are Energy Star® compliant, which means they use about 1/3 less energy than non-qualified models.”