Anyone who has sold telecommunications systems in the past knows the importance of the piece of equipment that is going to sit on the CEO’s desk.  Phone system sales have been won or lost based on the appearance of the “phone”.  Well, here’s the twist for today’s workers.  Meet the Calisto Pro Series from Plantronics – the phone system for remote workers and others sitting in a home office!  I believe it can easily provide a Wow! factor or a differentiator for a telecom system sale (legacy or VoIP) to any company that has remote workers.  

I usually don’t have the opportunity to review products in our industry, since I am essentially a “remote worker”, so I was excited to try out the new Calisto Pro.  And I have to admit, the Calisto is everything Plantronics says it is – and for someone who wants to wander away from her desk frequently, it really does the job and then some. 

I like to walk and talk at the same time – I think better that way.  The Calisto Pro Series provides me with not only a hands-free phone system, but a multi-function Bluetooth headset that lets me answer whatever is ringing - my landline, my VoIP, or my cell phone – just by pressing the button on the headset.  I keep my cell phone turned on even when I’m in my office because people often call me on the cell instead of the landline.  I have to keep juggling the phones – which one is ringing, which one do I pick up?  With the Calisto headset – something rings, I push the button on the headset and I’m answering the call wherever it is.

The handset and the headset sit in one compact sleek-looking unit that serves as the charger for both, as well as providing a USB port for easy Outlook and VoIP connectivity.  The handset is compact like a cell phone but fully featured – including a speaker phone that has great sound quality (unlike many I’ve tried).  The handset even has a clip so that I can move around and keep my headset in range of the handset (the handset can be 300 feet from the base unit and the headset can be 33 feet from the handset – great mobility).  And the handset uses a button configuration more like the cell phone than the traditional handset.  Very clever!

Configuring the handset was very easy – even for a non-technical type like me.  The instructions were clear and simple.  The only problem I had was the speed dial.  Under the heading of user error, once I easily programmed the speed dial buttons from my phonebook, I couldn’t get them to work!  I tried – again and again!  But the one thing the guide doesn’t tell you is that when it comes to speed dial, this handset mimics a cell phone rather than a traditional handset.  You press the speed dial number first and it accesses dial tone!  As I said – user error – but it would have been nice if the guide had been clear on this.

Overall, for me, Calisto lived up to the marketing slicks!  The touch keys are a little small for total comfort, but I consider it the price for enabling me to be more flexible and mobile.  The charging base has a small footprint on my desk – and it looks good!  The headset is very comfortable and callers tell me the sound quality is excellent!  What’s not to like?  The Calisto Pro Series provides a high quality, good-looking, easy to use tool for remote workers and home offices in this age of improving communication technology.