Dmitry Arkhipov, Director of Business Development at JPL Telecom in Russia and the CIS: “We see a growth point in the Russian market”

In early 2021, JPL Telecom, a manufacturer of B2B headsets and webcams, began selling its equipment in Russia. Dmitry Arkhipov, Director of Business Development at JPL Telecom in Russia and the CIS, tells ICT-Online.ru about the advantages of JPL devices, the company’s partner network, and the prospects for promotion in the Russian market.

– Dmitry, please tell us about the history of JPL Telecom, the company’s achievements in the foreign market, and the reasons that prompted the opening of sales in Russia.

– JPL Telecom is a global innovator in the design and manufacture of professional wired and wireless headsets for contact centers, office and telecommuting. The company was founded in 2004 in the UK. Working with global developers of communications technology and platforms, we develop some of the best communications devices in the industry: headsets and webcams. Our task is to constantly improve the choice of customers, offering new opportunities for business growth to partners and high quality products at optimal prices for end users.

It so happened that the equipment that we produce has become one of the main working tools for voice and video communications both in the office and on the road and at home. The events of recent years have made significant adjustments to the organization of the workspace. Remote or hybrid work format is a new reality. Therefore, the niche of devices for organizing high-quality voice communication is more relevant than ever. We have made great strides in the UK and made the decision a few years ago to develop international sales. Russia and the CIS countries are promising markets for JPL Telecom: we see growth points here, and the conditions of the pandemic predetermined the reactive start of these sales.

– What is the main portfolio of the company, how does it develop it?

– JPL Telecom manufactures communication devices: headsets for contact centers, office and telecommuting. Also in 2020, we launched the production of webcams. We constantly strive to make the communication process as convenient and simple as possible. We have a large number of devices in our portfolio that require minimal settings to work. These Plug and Play solutions allow you to connect them to computers and softphones instantly – no additional software is required. Such a proposal helps reduce costs for the company, both in terms of employee engagement and in terms of security. Employees do not need to install any software that, in the event of a ransomware attack, could become malicious.

Modularity is an area that we also pay special attention to. We have modular headsets. In the process of use, this allows, for example, to replace only the headband with one or two speakers, and leave the microphone, the most expensive part of the audio device. This functionality allows you to significantly save your budget.

The increased durability and lightness of JPL Telecom headsets and accessories ensure long-term comfort. Patented technologies make it easy to change your wearing style with one or two speakers. With the Quick Disconnect system, it is possible to disconnect the headsets without losing the call. And the noise-canceling microphones that all headsets are equipped with provide a high level of speech quality free of extraneous sounds.

– In addition to the obvious trend for remote and hybrid communications, what trends in the field of workplace equipment do you see today? How does this affect the market for office headsets and webcams, on your product portfolio?

– Some time ago, we observed that, in the bulk, people were striving to achieve global goals: we wanted to work more and earn more. But, most likely, the pandemic here, too, “worked” on the perception of life and the reassessment of priorities. People began to think more about work-life balance, they realized that work is not everything, there are also other areas of life. The desire for freedom, the ability to not depend on the workplace – that’s what we want. This trend is having an impact on our business as well. After all, we create devices that just help to find this freedom.

Having a laptop, smartphone, headset and webcam, you can work completely from anywhere in the world, in a relaxed mode to solve business problems. But at the same time, voice and video communication play an important role. Correspondence by e-mail and in instant messengers is, of course, an integral part of corporate communication, but by voice and with the help of video, we can solve many issues more efficiently and faster.

The pursuit of minimalism and environmental friendliness or sustainability also has an impact on the communication device market. Users are increasingly thinking about the environment, trying not to “plant” a large fleet of devices. Therefore, for example, the ability to change the look of a device from mono to stereo or use one headset both for communication and for listening to music can reduce the number of gadgets used.

– To what extent is the segment of teleworkers and freelancers (and their employers) ready to use relatively expensive office models, and not the usual user devices? Is there a growth point for you in this segment?

“Prosumers are increasingly influencing employers. Remote workers and freelancers are aware that gadgets affect their productivity, work results. A high-quality headset is the ability to communicate without external noise, which means the ability to create the right image when communicating, for example, with clients. This is a healthy back, and in the case of wireless devices, it is also the ability to move around during long corporate sessions.

Remote users continually share their opinions on which devices are best for them. Their demands have become heightened, conventional headphones with a microphone no longer meet their needs. Only a professional noise canceling headset with a high quality microphone can provide the required ergonomics, sound quality and reliability.

The devices should be equipped with active noise cancellation, a technology that allows you to cut out external noise. Not everyone has the opportunity to organize a separate workplace, and, for example, children or a partner working at the next table can interfere with work conversations. It is also important to understand that a conversation broadcast through the speakers of a computer or laptop, as a rule, ceases to be confidential, and this can lead to corporate data leakage.

Our new product, the Commander USB headset, costs, for example, about 4,200 rubles. It is expensive? In my opinion, no. At the same time, it has all of the above characteristics, and will become an excellent “workhorse” for remote employees.

– What characteristics of JPL Telecom products and the advantages of the service, in your opinion, distinguish the company in the market? Considering that, for example, other manufacturers also have noise reduction.

– Earlier this year, my colleagues at JPL Telecom had a project related to equipping employees of a remote contact center with webcams. Do you know why the customer chose our devices? The main reason is the lack of software. He did not need to involve system administrators in order for them to set up equipment for each employee. And there are, by the way, several thousand of them. The introduction of the cameras was very fast and hassle-free. Our devices connect instantly, do not require the installation of special programs.

Another important feature of JPL Telecom headsets, which I have already mentioned, is modularity. This functionality allows you to reduce the cost of ownership.

We strive to make our service the best on the market. One of our proposals is the provision of equipment for free testing: so that the user himself can evaluate the sound quality, understand whether the solution is right for him. The testing period is from two to four weeks, if necessary, we can increase this period.

Professional headsets come with an extended three-year warranty, which is, on average, more than the market. All of our headsets also come with storage cases. We have two types of cases: a hard one with a zipper and a special storage case that does not allow dust and ultraviolet rays to pass through, which helps to protect your personal work tool from negative factors. Also included is a hook for storing the headset in the workplace, making the workplace more ergonomic and minimizing the risk of damage to the headset.

– Please tell us about your affiliate network.

– Considering that JPL Telecom solutions are mainly intended for the B2B segment, we carry out sales development through our second-tier partners: that is, this is a classic two-stage sales model. In Russia we have a distributor who cooperates with a partner network, companies that work with end corporate users.

We also have global technology partners. In cooperation with, for example, Cisco and Avaya, we share our solutions, headsets and video cameras. JPL Telecom equipment is compatible with the leading technologies of Cisco and Avaya, Zoom, Microsoft, respectively, any user can use their voice and video transmissions in the Unified Communications environment. And at the local level in Russia and the CIS countries, we also interact with companies-developers of Russian communication systems/environments.

– What are JPL Telecom’s development plans?

– Among our main tasks for the near future is closer integration with the partner network, the development of our partners and the popularization of our devices. JPL Telecom has no problems with components, we promptly deliver any items. At the same time, we have the ability to customize headsets or cameras. We can and want to hear from our customers and customers in order to make our products even better. We strive to work so that our customers get maximum pleasure from cooperation with our company, we strive to exclude routine things in the communication process that can take a lot of time.

Read the full article here: ICT-Online