In the past two years, Plug and Play endpoints have been exponentially growing in popularity. The main reason is obvious: remote working has become the new norm, and the use of USB-based endpoints has been increasing accordingly. This increase, in turn, has been creating new challenges for both individual employees and IT departments; and sticking to P’n’P products is the perfect way of handling them.
As a successful endpoint manufacturer, JPL Telecom has been very much focused on their P’n’P headsets, webcams and conference room solutions for quite some time now. JPL refers to this product category as ‘Software Last’ – as no software download is required to be able to use them (however, they can be upgraded remotely if required).
JPL’s decision to focus more on P’n’P products started when they noticed a drastic increase in sales of their BL-053 headset cable right after the pandemic hit.
“This caught us by surprise, since we thought people liked having the call accept and reject button on the inline cord of their headsets; and the BL-053 doesn’t have it,” shares Jonathan Nuttall, UK Sales Manager at JPL Telecom.
“However, it turned out that most people were using the mouse to answer and end calls, so they weren’t too worried about having a Teams or Zoom certified product.”
JPL have actually conducted an online survey on social media, asking the masses whether they preferred accepting and ending calls using the mouse or the inline cord buttons. The answer was unequivocal: “Over 80% of people said they preferred the mouse,” Nuttall shares.
After all this buildup over Plug and Play headsets: what are some key benefits?
Secure, Hassle-Free, and Cost-Effective
“Most of our competitors have suites that users need to download onto their computers in order for the headsets to work,” Nuttall notes.
“Now, we definitely offer headset cables containing the call accept/reject function for those who want full control from the inline cord. After all, JPL is ‘Software Last,’ not ‘Software never’,” he jokes.
“But we’re seeing that most organizations nowadays are going for Plug and Play for a number of reasons.”
One key reason is security.
“Organizations are interested in keeping employees from downloading malware and avoiding data breaches, and GDPR is obviously a very big deal,” Nuttall explains.
“Companies don’t want their employees having to search for updates or needing to download anything to get the kit working. With Plug and Play headsets, you can rest assured that both your employees and your organization are protected.”
Another key benefit of Plug and Play, or Software Last, is assisting IT departments in facing a relatively new challenge: having to remotely troubleshoot and resolve issues for home workers. Now, while P’n’P products cannot eliminate this challenge altogether, they can definitely help avoid basic issues from employees who are unable to get their equipment to work.
“The bigger companies are the ones with the biggest problem, in that respect, since their IT departments are swamped with bitty inquiries by remote workers, ” Nuttall explains.
“Precious time is being wasted unnecessarily on things like simple headset installations. Software Last headsets’ take care of that problem so that IT can go back to focusing on more severe issues.”
Finally, Plug and Play is simply more cost-effective.
“Other than wasting time for IT departments, frequent equipment installation issues also mean downtime for the employee, which translates to loss of money for the company. And if the organization happens to be outsourcing IT services, this can get pretty expensive, too”
JPL’s price points make things even more cost-effective for their customers.
“Our Software Last headsets offer all the value that the big brands provide, with the addition of fair pricing,” Nuttall says.
“Our biggest customer is a huge call centre provider, and they’ve recently ordered 120,000 pieces from us. This kind of company would never compromise on low quality solutions,” he explains.
“So, we go toe to toe quite well with the bigger brands in terms of quality; but there is a cost benefit, and obviously with the Plug and Play, a massive cost saving, too.”
from UC Today https://ift.tt/3AB4zaO
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