Video Plantronics Helps Make Remote Workers' Lives Easier (Video) 233
Video no longer available.
If you're working at home or from a coffee shop or, really, anyplace outside your company's offices, they need to hear you when you talk, and you need to hear them. The same goes for dealing with clients via VOIP or video, the two communications techologies that seem to be driving POTS into obsolescence faster than we thought possible just a few years ago. In this video, Plantronics PR person Karen Auby -- who works remotely most of the time herself -- explains how Plantronics products help make work easier in a world of "unified communications."
So... they believe in collaborative work? (Score:5, Informative)
Ok, I work from home and thought, "Hey, this might have information that will help me be more effective at working remotely." Instead, it was almost 4 minutes of a woman telling us how much time her company thinks about remote collaboration, unified communication and how important it is being able to speak with each other. Oh, and their product might have something to do with voice quality.
If you're going to give us an ad like this, at least let it be something useful. Give us technical details and provide information about how the product or service works. Instead, I just lost 4 minutes of my life that I'll never get back.
Can't believe it, ads posted as stories? (Score:2, Informative)
I never would have thought that slashdot would sink to this. Geez, disappointing. If you keep this up, sayonara. No wonder taco boogied.
Plantronics? (Score:5, Informative)
I can't say I've ever had an enjoyable conference with their gear. I remember some epic fails.
Google and others have better FREE alternatives. Use them!
Transcript (Score:3, Informative)
Title: Plantronics Helps Make Remote Workers' Lives Easier
Description: Better sound = better communications
[00:00] <TITLE>
"Plantronics is Working to Help Collaboration with Far-Flung Workers, Suppliers, and Clients" appears along with the SlashdotTV logo bar reading "Chris Yeich, Geeknet" over a view of Chris sitting in front of a a white (p)leather surface.
[00:03] Chris>
With today's increasingly distributed workforce where a worker can work from an office, from home, on the road and even at a coffee shop, collaboration is the name of the game.
For IT decision makers it means that they've gotta find new ways to use new technology to help facilitate that collaboration.
Unified communications is one way to get there.
I had the chance recently to speak with Plantronics about collaboration and unified communications, and here's what they had to say.
[00:30] <TITLE>
The SlashdotTV logo bar with "Karen Auby, Senior Manager, Public Relations, Plantronics" fades in and out of view.
[00:30] Karen>
Plantronics has really been focused on understanding how businesses are working today, because the idea of going to a place to work and clocking in at 9 and leaving at 5 - it's sort of an outdated method.
Now, people are working wherever they are, whenever they can, and just really producing results that are meaningful for a company.
So I can understand it's a big challenge for IT to be able to keep everyone connected as they become more distributed.
Plantronics has really been looking at how to help our own employees collaborate, because we have people who work in Europe.. we are a global company, we have offices in Asia, and in Europe.. and keeping them all connected is extremely important for product development, for marketing, for business development, for finance - regardless of the area within the organization, collaboration is really important, and it's something that Plantronics is very, very focused on.
[01:25] Chris>
So when it comes to unified communications you [...] bunch of different types of technologies.
Where do you see some of the biggest hurdles for IT managers in being able to effectively implement a broad-based unified communication strategy?
What is some of the stumbling blocks that you see based on your experience working with IT orgs?
[01:44] Karen>
Well, to be honest, I think a lot of it is end user adoption and getting end users excited and interested and feeling like IT isn't pushing down another thing they need to learn, but actually understand - as an end user - understanding "Hey, this is actually gonna make my job easier - this is gonna make life better for me, and less frustrating."
So I think the importance of simplicity and training and ease of use really can't be overstated.
If you want unified communications or any collaboration tools to really affect ROI, affect the bottom line, affect innovation within a company.
[02:20] Chris>
One last question for you:
So Plantronics - a lot of focus on audio quality.
Tell me a little about how that component, that specific component of audio, fits into the overarching - again, the umbrella theme of - unified communications, knowing that we've got tools like Skype chat, instant messaging.
Where does audio fit in?
[02:39] Karen>
There's so much emotion that comes out in voice that you don't get in text.
There's a difference between "Hey, great job" and "Hey! Great job!", and so we really believe in the power of voice.
So you can get business done so much quicker sometimes just by picking up the phone, rather than back-and-forth e-mails.
I, personally, think that - and Plantronics definitely, the company, we believe that - voice is a natural way to communicate and that you see tools that embrace voice as the easiest, most synchronous, communication method is really one-on-one voice calls, and/or conference calls as well.
As f
But, is there a science thing? (Score:4, Informative)
I mean, I get the slashvertisment, but.. most of the time, there's at least something newish. Plantronics sells flimsy microphones in even flimsier plastic packaging at outrageous prices that may or may not connect to the audio jack on your device-that-has-a-standard-audio-jack.
If they don't at least have some kind of wonder gadget that revolutionizes the headset industry in some not necessarily meaningful, but at least interesting way, I fail to see the point of their presence on slashdot.
What's next? A zinc bolt manufacturer advertising their not particularly unique or inventive bog standard zinc bolts, without ever actually using the word "bolt" or mentioning or displaying an any of their actual products?
Also, I had to watch an ad before watching the ad.
Re:Bloody really?!?! Another one? (Score:4, Informative)
Have you checked the "Disable Advertisement" box yet? (Have you even gotten one yet?)
Had one for as long as I can remember. It doesn't block "stories" as they aren't "Advertisements". Thus, entirely useless in this case.
Re:Sad (Score:5, Informative)
So, never, ever buy a Plantronics product. Check.
I've had Plantronics on my "Do Not Buy" list for many a year now. I used to have SEVERAL of their headsets back when I was into LAN parties and online gaming. Every single one of them broke after only a couple months of normal use. The inline volume control would go out, the microphone would stop working, or one audio channel would give out. One set even had the earpiece completely fall off! Once I disassembled one of the broken units and discovered how cheap and thin the wires were, my decision to never give them anymore money was solidified.
Went and bought a set of MDR-V600 studio monitors back when Sony didn't equate with evil. That was probably about 9 years ago and they've held up through everything I've thrown at them and sound great (if a bit bassy at times, but that's what EQ is for). Would I buy from Sony now? Not a chance.
Stop the tripe (Score:5, Informative)
If you are looking for a way to make long time, loyal, readers revolt, then you have found it.
Re:Robin 'Roblimo' Miller (Score:4, Informative)
I have asked the people who run Slashdot these days to handle videos differently, and I am refusing to have my name anywhere near the more blatantly promotional ones.
From above:
"Posted by Roblimo on 07:26 PM April 4th, 2012 "