Mobile Phones, Headsets, etc.

[the46]

So I have a client that is requesting the following capabilities:

1. The want the capabitlity to answer phone calls via a headset.
2. The want the capability of putting a call on hold via a headset.
3. The want the capabitlity of using intercom via headset to let someone else know that a call is on hold on a curtain extention.
4. Also, when they get a call in, they want the functionality of the headset telling them who is calling (basically voice caller id). This way they can ignore the call or pick it up, etc.

The client is a large car shop. Basically, they have multiple employees that are around the workshop doing this to cars. The reason they want headsets is, if they are working on a car they can easily pick up the phone instead of running to an actual phone and picking it up.

Basically, they want to have everything mobile. So they can easily transfer, answer, put calls on hold, etc. Are there any sip devices and or bluetooth devices out there that anyone has used to do such things?

I saw one of the Jabra bluetooth devices has voice recognition, has anyone used this before to connect to a PC and using a the 3cx softphone? Does it work really well?

Let me know if anyone has a solution for this.

Thanks.
Ravi

 

[paul.hadley]

I am sorry I can't give you any specific advice as to how you might achieve these aims but I do have previous experience of giving technicians in a workshop phones.

Initially we used Pap2 ATA's connected to standard cordless phones (BT Diverse) with headsets.

The first problem we encountered was the headset soon got disposed of, wearing it all day soon proved a pain on the ear.

They seemed happy enough to carry the phones all day with straps to keep them on their belts, however the scrap rate on the phones was phenomenal, smashed, dropped, crushed, lost ?? etc.

We found a cheap source of second user phones on ebay, but had we been forced to buy new it would have killed us. The two points I would consider is the practicality of using it all day, and the cost of the actual hand and head sets. £100.00 per employee sounds fine on a one off basis, but if replacements are constantly needed then costs soon gets out of hand.

Having spent 20 years working with vehicle technicians I can tell you that their capacity to destroy equipment is beyond belief.

 

[the46]

They currently have cordless phones that they put on their belt. The problem here is, when they are working on the cars, they sometimes get scratches on the cars, scratches inside the car, the phone gets in the way when they have to do curtain tasks.

Hence was asking if it was possible doing something like a small keybad approach, and having a headset. Not sure if there are devices like that out there that work with sip phones.

 

[paul.hadley]

What about using a smart phone with 3CX Phone installed on it working through wifi. You can get silicon covers for most of the popular ones (Iphone etc) that would protect the phone and the cars.

They might also offer the opportunity to have additional features, email, access to technical information etc.

And used on a PAYG contract they could also be used as mobile phones without any monthly costs. If you set up forwarding rules in 3CX this would allow them to take calls off site, on road tests and breakdowns etc.