With the influx of call centers re-shoring in the United States, it should come as no surprise that companies both big and small are looking for the best technology for their operators. Among the firms working on the latest and greatest technology is Avaya (News - Alert). This particular firm has been working on developing wearable hardware and software that is specifically geared toward use in a call center environment. While most of the devices are relatively new, Avaya has taken the next step and is moving the gadgets from the lab into user trials.
Avaya is hardly alone when it comes to attempting to take advantage of new demand in the call center market for wearable devices. Plantronics (News - Alert) is looking to release its new Encore Pro on the first of October and the new device is said to be bringing a host of new and interesting upgrades. The technology that could do the most good for the call center world is the expected launch of a headset that could alert a call center manager that one of their reps is experiencing stress in a call. This alert would then give the manager the option of providing backup.
"Call centers are pretty slow to adopt new technology," Christopher Thompson, vice president of Enterprise Product Marketing at Plantronics recently told the website CITEWorld. "So I would first expect wearables to show up on the edges of the formal call center, such as help desks over the next two years. I would say it will be closer to five years before we see a large-scale deployment of wearables as part of the infrastructure in the formal call center."
Eventually Thompson believes wristbands will be the tech most call centers adopt quite frequently. The wrist bands would be easier for call center managers to wear, allowing them to vibrate and alert to the need for help over headbands. Whatever form the technology takes, it appears most people inside the industry believe wearable technology is going to be rather large in a few short years.
Edited by Rory J. Thompson