Microsoft Windows and Microsoft Outlook Features Boost Productivity of Compaq* Employee with Hearing Loss

Rick Burgos says he's probably a better listener than you are—even though he has an 80 percent hearing loss. "My hearing loss has forced me to be an aggressive listener," says Burgos, an advisory support specialist in one of Compaq* Computer Corporation's Global Customer Support Centers.

Listening is a crucial part of Burgos's job, which itself is crucial to Compaq and to many of its largest customers. Burgos supports Compaq's NonStop Himalaya computers, dubbed "the Fort Knox for moving money." The Himalaya computers are used by major financial institutions for automated teller machine (ATM) systems and securities transfers, by major telecommunications companies to handle most of the United States' wireless calls, and by public safety systems to handle half of the nation's 911 calls.

Microsoft Products and Assistive Technology Smooth Communications

Given the mission-critical nature of the Himalaya computers, Burgos's ability to rapidly understand and respond to customer issues is mission-critical as well. He backs up his aggressive listening with a range of Microsoft products including Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Windows Messenger, and Microsoft NetMeeting plus a Phonak HandyMic TX3 wireless microphone and a Plantronics M10 amplifier and headset.

For Certain Information Outlook is 'More Useful Than a Phone Call'

"Outlook is my main tool," says Burgos. "For certain types of information, it's more useful to me than a phone call. For example, if a customer rattles off a detailed error message to me, he may only repeat the parts he thinks are relevant, missing important information. Or, I may not hear it correctly. My ability to capture lengthy and detailed information through e-mail is greater than over the phone."

Outlook Makes 'Ideal Solution' for Other Tasks as Well

Beyond communicating with customers, Burgos finds Outlook an ideal solution for calendaring, scheduling, and tracking tasks. Instant messaging with Microsoft Windows Messenger, the other text-based communications tool Burgos uses, is helpful to him in a variety of ways. "I was one of the first in our group to try instant messaging when it became available," Burgos recalls. "I saw the value in it to make my work go faster, better, easier."

Electronic Conversations Prove Effective

In addition to holding an instant messaging conversation with customers, Burgos uses the technology to consult with Compaq colleagues from coast to coast. Electronic conversations—whether via e-mail or instant messaging—are also ideal workarounds for understanding customers, colleagues, or fellow students with accented English that is especially difficult to hear and understand for someone with a hearing disability such as Burgos. To make these applications even more helpful, Burgos configures them—using their standard options—to provide pop-up visual cues in addition to audio cues when, for example, a new message comes in.

NetMeeting, which is widely used as a training tool, is even more helpful for Burgos because he can plug his microphone into the PC and hear the audio component of the training sessions perfectly.

All of these applications run on Burgos's standard Windows-based Compaq Deskpro PC with the only extra component being a sound card to accommodate his microphone. The wireless amplifier and headset both boost the volume and clarity of telephonic conversations and filter out the background noise of his support center environment, which can otherwise make conversations difficult to hear.

Striving to Be an Employer of Choice

Compaq strives to be an employer of choice, and is dedicated to providing accessible technology for its employees who need technology accommodations. "To the extent that we can accommodate our employees, we do so. It's as simple as that," says Compaq EEOC and Affirmative Action manager Bob Brintz.

Accessibility Program office director Michael Takemura explains why this is so important to Compaq. "We have an extremely talented pool of employees throughout the company—in engineering, marketing, information management, Web development, human resources, and so on," says Takemura. "We would suffer without these people. Even when the labor market is loose, it's difficult to replace good people. So we want to ensure that these people stay with us and stay effective on their jobs. If assistive technology helps them to do that—and it does—it's a modest investment for us to make. From our vantage point, assistive technology is just another productivity tool for those employees who can benefit from it."

Accessibility Benefits Employees and Customers

Both employees and customers use Compaq's products, so building accessibility into those products is a win-win situation for the company. "Making our products more usable for all increases the accessibility of information for all—including people with disabilities," says Takemura. In this way, we address accessibility in our products as a mainstream part of product design, not as something segregated off on the side for a small group of users."