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Professional communication in the time of coronavirus
6. April 2020 Published by Raphael DoerrThe provision of goods and services and hence work in core areas of public life must continue despite the coronavirus pandemic. Hospitals, doctor’s offices, police stations, pharmacies, supermarkets and delivery services – all those and many more are working as usual and even going that extra mile at the moment to keep the general public supplied with its basic necessities. Telecommunications is a daily part of work in all those fields – and the phone is a constant companion and so a key tool in the hands of many people. Is there a potential risk of infection for users from it?
Caution is advised
We know very little about the novel coronavirus at the moment. The same goes for how it is spread: Is it transmitted through the air or via smear infection and how long does it stay active? There are many unanswered questions. So caution is called for. That means bearing in mind that objects that are jointly used represent potential sources of risk. That’s also true of fixed-line phones.
You can largely forget that worry as far as your own family is concerned, but not at work: whether with the central phone used by a delivery service to take orders or the phone in the pharmacy. Several people can share this single device just about all the time.
Not suited for disinfectant
Even if users remember that devices like phones should be cleaned regularly, especially now, there is still the problem that most phones used for professional purposes can be damaged by disinfectant:
Alcohol-based disinfectants are needed as an effective means of killing viruses and bacteria, but they are highly aggressive for plastics. Disinfectants are basically solvents, with the result that most plastics become discolored and porous and their plasticizers diffuse.
“It’s not easy to make a device that is truly solvent-resistant,” says Kurt Aretz, SVP Quality & Service. “In the course of our development work, we have experimented with admixing copper and silver ions in the plastic. However, we’ve switched to using special lacquering to protect the devices. If we didn’t do that, structured surfaces would soon become smooth and shiny surfaces matt if disinfectants are used on them.”
Certified devices from Gigaset
There’s no need for those worries with Gigaset Professional products. Whether it’s desktop phones from the Maxwell series or popular handsets such as the S650H PRO, R650H PRO or SL750 PRO – they are designed and made to be suitable for the use of disinfectants. All the models are tested with common disinfectants that have an antibacterial and antiviral effect.
Tested antiseptics and disinfectants
- Sterillium ✔
- Ecolab Epicare Des ✔
- Ecolab Incidin Rapid (2%) ✔
- Ecolab Spitacid ✔
- Schnell Climo Sept. ✔
- Schnell Samtasan ✔
- Lysoform AHD 2000 ✔
- Desderman Pure ✔
But disinfectant is sold out!
No one was prepared for the pandemic and so a lot of people rushed to buy disinfectant, antiseptics and protective masks. As things now stand, it’s extremely difficult to obtain these virucidal antiseptics.
“We also recommend unconventional measures,” adds Aretz. “We’ve not only tested common disinfectants, but also confirm that our desktop phones and handsets can also be cleaned with alcohol or ethanol in unusual circumstances like that of the current coronavirus crisis. Vodka on ice is not only something you can savor, but also a protective measure in an exceptional situation.”
But joking aside: It’s important to protect yourself and others in the current times. That’s especially true for employees who keep our social structures functioning and ensure that companies are able to operate. With their special protective lacquering, Gigaset Professional products help protect the workforce. So take advantage of that – not only in this time of crisis, but also as a general hygiene measure in an age of connected working and shared office spaces.
Whether it’s a certified cleaning agent or pure alcohol in times of crisis, neither can harm Gigaset Professional devices. In this spirit, do your bit to combat the coronavirus pandemic and choose professional telecommunications solutions that are resistant to disinfectant so that you #protectyouremployees!
More information about all Gigaset Professional products and solutions can be found here.
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