t to consid- PABX and ACD system designers have always taken care to ac- erable crosstalk problems. count for the needs of the headset user. Now more and more key Headset approval process 58/13 system and telephone instrument designers are also starting to 58.16 Headset design criteria recognise those needs particularly in view of the increasing telemar- keting activities in the UK. First and foremost it must be comfortable. If it is required to be worn In the US, every telephone instrument and system normally has a for long periods, then weight is vital too. There are few headsets facility to operate with a headset. And since the UK tends to follow which can be tolerated continuously over an eight hour day. So it is closely trend in the USA, we can expect that this will happen here. essential to know the shift period that the user will work. With screen based work booming, telephone system designers must Its design must be attractive to the user. ensure that all new equipment, including 2-wire sets, have a headset Does the user have to move around the telephone point in doing port as defined in BS 6301. the job? If so, a quick-release connector is essential: it also reduces To facilitate optional handset/headset working a switch arrange- wear and tear on the terminal plug. ment can be incorporated simply into many systems. The Dana- Monaural receivers work well when the user needs to listen in two switch provided by GN Netcom for this purpose features in many places at once, e.g. a front desk receptionist/telephonist. Binaural key systems currently on the market. receivers help shut out background noise. There is also general feeling among leading headset designers that Is there a need for split listening? e.g. radio in one ear, telephone if OEMs worked with them at an early stage in the design of in the other, with the ability to switch the microphone from one to equipment, and there are headset companies perfectly willing and the other. able to do this, then users would benefit considerably from in- Boom-mount