Telephones, cellphones and most of your consumer electronic devices are inherently designed to assist the user with communication. Yes, the daily fight with your inbox can sometimes feel like a Mount Everest expedition. Then add in sms’s from friends and family and it feels like one never ending line of communication, which is not a bad thing.
I have started using Skype more and more with friends overseas, as it is more convenient than a long distance phone call. You can ensure that the other person is available to take your “important” call and not playing phone tag continuously which makes one frustrated and unproductive. The most important fact that people are not aware of is that if you have added the friend to your list of friends the calls are for free. The only cost is that you need to have a high speed Internet connection.
It took me 2 phone calls to realise that I need a proper headset. There is nothing more frustrating than having to consistently change your sound settings on your notebook / desktop PC. The things I look for in a headset are the following:
- Comfort – The Headset should sit comfortably over your ears and be easily adjustable.
- Sound quality – This factor is not negotiable. The headset has to provide good quality sound. If noise cancelling is possible, consider it a bonus.
- Recognised by the various service providers – If the headset is compatible with Skype, MSN Messenger, Google Talk it would make the initial setup very easy.
There are multiple manufacturers that make high quality headsets in my opinion: Plantronics, Snom, Yealink, Polycom and Logitech. The choice boils down to your budget and your needs. So consider getting yourself a decent VoIP headset and make your communication easy.