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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (For Singapore Only)

Headsets Identified as Key to Sales Success

Singapore, June 15, 2009 - Plantronics, Inc. (NYSE: PLT) today unveiled the company's latest market research identifying how headsets shape the experience shared between sales representatives and their customers. With the economic downturn and trimming of travel budgets, companies are becoming increasingly dependent on their sales forces' ability to foster and maintain valuable customer relationships over the phone.

With the pressure mounting, Plantronics has discovered that throughout the world, it's clear that for sales and customer, using a headset is the key to creating a comfortable and compelling customer experience.

Conducted by research specialist Opinion Matters/Tickbox.net, Plantronics' online survey polled thousands of sales representatives (not contact centre workers) and customers from the UK, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain. In each region, both groups reported a vast preference for the use of a headset during sales/customer calls and expressed the importance of headsets in shaping a positive customer experience.

According to the survey, an overwhelming majority of sales respondents from all regions reported feeling better able, in general, to solve customer/client problems and issues and work more efficiently when using a headset as compared to talking over the telephone with only a handset. In addition, the sales representatives questioned felt that using a headset leads to more satisfactory outcomes for their customers, and even rated headsets as a more vital business tool/accessory than a Blackberry.

Similarly, the majority of customers polled throughout the UK and Europe said they believe that professionals using headsets boosts their experience as a customer, and that they actually feel closer to a salesperson when he/she is using a headset. Furthermore, the same customers said they find sales peoples' communication skills more effective when they are using a headset rather than a telephone handset.

"Even though this online survey was done in EMEA, the findings are very relevant to Asia Pacific as all the regions have been impacted by the recent economic downturn. As a result, travel budgets cuts and restricted travel are happening every where." said Susan Hansen, vice president of APAC sales and marketing at Plantronics. "Asia Pacific has been our key growth market in contact center, but we expect to see even bigger growth opportunities in the office market here. We have seen a lot of effort to drive Unified Communication growth from both telecom and IT industry leaders in Asia Pacific, and our recently launched UC portfolio and the new Savi family wireless headset will help Plantronics to leverage this growth.

Other key findings from the survey include:

- Top two reasons for using a headset are to work more efficiently/smarter and to enable quicker access to customer data/info.

- Other key influencers for headset use include its ability to bring the sales/customer rep closer to the customer as well as appear more natural on the call.

- Almost all respondents felt that their jobs would become more difficult and/or the level of service they provide would suffer if the headset were no longer available.

- Headsets were rated the third most important business tool vital to performing their job successfully, just under mobile phones and software tools.

- Sales/customer service representatives feel more effective at communicating with their clients and feel the rapport they build with clients / customers when talking to them is stronger when using a headset.


About Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net
Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net is a leading market research organisation, carrying out consumer, corporate and niche market surveys online amongst a 50,000+ member panel. The Plantronics and Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net survey was conducted online between 03.02.09 and 12.02.09 amongst a nationally representative sample of adults throughout the UK, France, Germany, Holland and Spain aged 16+. None of the people surveyed were working in a contact centre, where the usage of headsets is the norm . Opinion Matters / Tickbox.net follow the codes of the MRS (Market Research Society) and are fully registered and compliant with the Data Protection Registrar.

About Plantronics
In 1969, a Plantronics headset carried the historic first words from the moon: "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Since then, Plantronics has become the headset of choice for mission-critical applications such as air traffic control, 911 dispatch and the New York Stock Exchange. Today, this history of innovation is the basis for every audio product we build for the office, contact center, personal mobile, entertainment and residential markets. The Plantronics family of brands includes Plantronics, Altec Lansing and Clarity.




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