Advertisment

"BPO driving the headset market"

author-image
CIOL Bureau
Updated On
New Update

BANGALORE: India is a growing market for Plantronics, Inc., the leading designer, and manufacturer of lightweight BV, a subsidiary of Plantronics, Inc, is on the expansion mode now. The Indian subsidiary is all set to focus on new partnerships with distributors, OEMs, System Integrators and has identified three segments — contact center, enterprise and retail — as the potential markets for the organization. The $417 million Plantronics sees a great opportunity in India as it is driving ITES-BPO sector globally. Bobby Joseph, Country Manager, India & South Asia, Plantronics BV, shares the company's plans in an interview.

Advertisment

What has been Plantronics' market experience in India?



Though, Plantronics has been in the Indian market for 15 years, Plantronics BV was set up in August 2002. We were present in India through our distribution partners. In India, the headset market is at different levels of maturity. The Indian BPO industry has been the growth driver for headsets so far. Today, emerging trends in the enterprise space, employee productivity and cost cuts present enormous opportunities for Plantronics.

How do you see the business opportunities for Plantronics?



Plantronics is currently the only manufacturer of headsets for each user segment — contact centre, enterprise, mobile and computer. We are very well placed to address the growing need for headsets in India. We are witnessing considerable increase in the use of headsets with the enterprise segment. Issues such as employee productivity, health hazards like MSD (Musculo-Skeletal Disorder), Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI), etc., are effectively addressed through the use of headsets, which are the primary drivers for the growth in the demand for headsets in this segment.

Within the retail segment (computer and mobile) too, we are witnessing rapidly increasing demand and awareness for the benefits of headsets. India is also making its mark as a gaming market and due to this, the use of headsets within this category is also increasing.

Advertisment

Plantronics' vision is to provide 'heasdets for everyone'.Plantronics focuses on the Indian market and has undertaken several initiatives to educate users in call centers, enterprises and end-consumers on the health and productivity benefits of our headsets.

What are the key growth drivers in India for Plantronics?



Within the enterprise segment, several things are driving the adoption of headsets in India. These include: overall enterprise productivity, health hazards due to increasing noise levels and cost implications.

What are your concerns and priorities today?



Plantronics focuses on providing the best products to its customers. Along with our focus on the contact center segment, the enterprise segment is a huge priority for Plantronics. We have undertaken several initiatives to educate end users as well as our channel partners about the merits of using headsets and talking about some of the most pertinent issues faced by corporates today — employee productivity, noise levels in open offices and employee health hazards. India is a price conscious market and the need is to help users see value in headsets and this has been our endevour during our interactions with them.

What are your future plans?



On the channel front, we currently have three distributors in India. Over the next year, we plan to grow our channel and have adopted a three-pronged strategy to expand our partnerships with distributors to expand Plantronics' reach and enter into OEM relationships and also into SI partnerships. In the near future, we will also see device convergence, with a single headset serving as the default headset whether someone is using a PC, a mobile phone or the landline. Technology development is also taking place in the areas of noise canceling, sound quality and reliability.

tech-news