Investing in your home business equipment: Tips from our agents
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Liveops agents recommend their favorite headsets
One of the most critical pieces of home office equipment that a work from home customer service or sales agent will purchase is their phone and headset. I asked Liveops agents to recommend their favorite options.
What agents consider before they purchase this home office equipment:
- Price. You get what you pay for. Look for refurbished options to save money.
- What’s included. Some headsets come with a dialpad, while others will need to be plugged into a dialpad or corded phone.
- Mute button. This is handy if you need to cough or sneeze and don’t want the caller to hear.
- Noise cancellation. If your workspace is guaranteed to be quiet, you probably don’t need to spend the extra money, but it can be a lifesaver if you have kids, dogs, or a busy neighborhood.
Testing work from home equipment: the skinny from real agents
Here are some options customer service agents recommended in different price ranges:
AGPtek – $25.99
Pros: inexpensive, generally functional, comes in fun colors
Cons: some agents say the headset is uncomfortable or that theirs broke after a few uses
Smith Corona PD100 (headset only) – $49.95
Pros: high-quality, noise-canceling, has stood the test of time for many agents
Cons: a bit pricey, and you’ll have to purchase a separate dialpad or corded phone
Plantronics S12 (headset only) – $69.99
Pros: high-quality, great volume adjustments, noise-canceling
Cons: expensive, takes up a bit of desk space
No matter which one you pick, it’s an investment in your business, so be sure to save the receipt for your taxes. Also, test it in action to ensure that whatever you buy is a good fit and feels right even after a long day (or night) on calls.
Many thanks to Liveops agents Amanda, Lori, Tara, Kathleen, Heather, and Lynn for contributing their ideas to this post!
The Liveops Nation community of agents offers great support and encouragement as you build your independent business, answering questions like this one posed in our community forum. Find out how to become a Liveops agent today.
