IBM Business Partner OpenLogix Relies on Sennheiser Telephony Headsets for Seamless Webinars

OLD LYME, Conn. - Aug. 5, 2013 - PRLog -- Old Lyme, CT – OpenLogix is a Wixom-MI-based IBM Premiere Business Partner focused on delivering IT architecture software and services to businesses around the world. Several months ago, the company's marketing team launched an innovative webinar entitled "Worklight Wednesdays" wherein the company would provide an hour of live, interactive training to a host of customers and business prospects. When OpenLogix realized their presentation headsets didn't meet the quality and reliability standards that were required, they switched to Sennheiser.

Worklight Wednesdays serves not only as an opportunity for OpenLogix to connect with customers and new prospects each week, it is an important training forum that helps the company broadcast its deep consulting knowledge across many technical areas, while serving as an important tool for lead generation. Companies participating in Worklight Wednesdays range from SMBs to large enterprises.

"Very often, we use Worklight Wednesdays to educate customers or prospects on a new product or service," explains Krista Valentine, sales, OpenLogix. "For example, if a new mobile platform is being launched, there may be many people who do not understand its capabilities — this can present a great opportunity for us to engage them in a long-term business relationship."  

To help facilitate their webinars, OpenLogix purchased a headset from a well-known major telco brand, which consequently led to the unfortunate experience of participants complaining about the audio quality, and very often dropping off the webinars altogether. "We used a competitor's headset for our first couple of webinars and audio experience for participants was very tinny and crackly," says Harry Ho, webinar presenter at OpenLogix. "It really disrupted the overall experience for everyone on the call and was very distracting." The company also gathered feedback from participants via interactive surveys, which were equally disheartening. "The feedback said that the audio quality was poor, or that the overall volume was too low — this was counterproductive to the overall effort we were making."

"It was really embarrassing on our end, and the audio was painful with the other brand," Valentine continues. "I was constantly having to tell the presenter that it sounded horrible, and there was nothing we could do about it. Something had to change very quickly."

Quality Telephony from Sennheiser:

While attending a trade conference in Orlando, FL, Harry met with Bill Rice, national sales manager, strategic alliances, Sennheiser. "We talked to Bill about the sound quality issues we were having, and he recommended we try one of their DECT wireless headsets and talked about the many features including its ultra-noise cancelling microphone, which completely blocks out exterraneous noise," Ho recalls. "I then researched Sennheiser when I got home, and it just seemed like quality runs through everything the company offers."

Soon a new DW Office headset arrived at OpenLogix's offices in Michigan, and the team wasted no time in setting it up and testing it. "When I opened up the box, other people came into my office and were kind of amazed by it," says Ho. "We loved the charging station, and the fact that it could seamlessly switch from USB to phone." Ho proceeded to walk around to test the clarity and the range. "We did four or five different tests, and the quality was incredible," he reports.

Following a trial run-through in the office, the Sennheiser headset had its debut on a live webinar. "There were absolutely no intelligibility issues, and it went very smooth," says Valentine. Perhaps the ultimate accolade came when one of IBMs channel reps — who is often on hand to offer support and guidance to OpenLogix' staff — gave her own feedback on the webinar: "She gives us honest feedback on our performance, and she said that the sound quality was so much better," Valentine comments.  

Audio Quality: Moving From Zero to Hero:

The OpenLogix presentation team feels that by switching to Sennheiser, they are not only increasing webinar attendees but are also increasing their own brand recognition within the technology services arena. "If we had continued with the earlier headset we were using, we probably would not have been able to gain more and more attendees," Valentine observes. "Now, we have not only gained more attendees on our webinars, but also lots of new clients, new contacts and new leads."

For OpenLogix, investing in a Sennheiser DECT headset was a sensible long-term decision, and one that has helped the company gain notice from customers and prospects, as well as their key partner, IBM. "IBM has really taken notice of us as a solid partner, and what we are communicating on these webinars is very important to their overall push in mobility," states Valentine.

Overall, Sennheiser has helped make Worklight Wednesdays a memorable and resounding success: "We want to 'wow' the people who attend our webinars, and the audio experience is an integral part of their overall impression. They are taking a significant portion out of their day to attend, and if the experience is anything less than great, it really diminishes the possibility of our engaging with them again," concludes Ho.

To learn more about Sennheiser's new SD Series DECT wireless headsets, please visit: http://en-us.sennheiser.com/sd-office.


About Sennheiser:

Sennheiser is a world-leading manufacturer of microphones, headphones and wireless transmission systems. Established in 1945 in Wedemark, Germany, Sennheiser is now a global brand represented in 60 countries around the world with U.S. headquarters in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Sennheiser's pioneering excellence in technology has rewarded the company with numerous awards and accolades including an Emmy, a Grammy, and the Scientific and Engineering Award of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For more information, please visit www.sennheiserusa.com.