ORECX CALL RECORDING BLOG

Call recording solutions come in all flavors, sizes and styles but at the core, most have one basic function, and that is to capture customer calls and store them for compliance, quality assurance and/or dispute resolution.  So, if they all essentially do the same thing, then why are there so many different call recording vendors out there?  There are actually over 40 in all!

Here are some variables to help you distinguish between the huge selection of call recording solutions out there:

Scalability - some systems can only record up to a few hundred channels or employees.  You want a solution that can capture as many as you have plus room for more as you grow.  You really want a solution that can handle 1,000 or more.

Feature Stripping - some solutions offer all-in-one offerings with call recording, quality monitoring, screen recording and mobile recording all bundled together.  These typically offer the biggest bang for the buck.  Other sell a core call recording product and then charge a small fee for added capabilities.  Still, others sell you call recording functionality and then charge an arm and a leg for all added capabilities.  Beware of these types of offerings as you may wind up buying things you don't really need (and that are very expensive) just because they sound good at the time of purchase.  On the other hand, you also don't want to go with a vendor that strips away some of the core features in their "basic" version.

Speech Analytics - do you really need speech analytics?  Some companies may find a real business need for it but most can easily get by without it.  Yes it can add tremendous value but there is also a huge margin of error in accurately capturing content/calls of interest.  I wouldn't consider this a make or break in terms of picking the best call recording vendor out there.

Interoperability - this is really a big one.  The word "proprietary" should never come up in any conversation you have with a call recording provider.  If they mention it, run.  You want a call recording system that is "open" in its architecture and that can interoperate with virtually any third party software (CRM, Sales Force Automation, ERP, etc.) or hardware (i.e. PBX switches).  Some recording vendors tout the five or 10 switches they have interoperability with.  In today's world of best-of-breen contact centers, why would you want to paint yourself into a corner?  What happens if you add a new switch that isn't supported by the vendor?  This is why it is imperative to go with an "open" system that has an "open" API so you can work seamlessly with any existing or new application, hardware, switch, etc.

Installation - some companies take weeks to even get to your installation and then weeks or even months to facilitate and complete it.  You don't have time for this.  You want to start recording calls now, not next quarter.  Don't be fooled by one of these providers.  There is nothing they offer that is worth waiting months for. 

You want a solution that can be installed:

A. on your own without the vendor's support

B. in hours (not days, weeks or months!)

C. easily

These are just some of the many criteria to consider when purchasing the right call recording solution for your business.

Call recording software is typically purchased for one of a few business purposes (customer service, compliance or risk management), however, this article will detail many other uses you probably haven't even thought about.  The truth is call recording software can help your contact center or enterprise in a multitude of ways, such as:

1. Best practices library - create a repository that all agents can access which houses dozens of "best practice" customer interactions to show other/new agents a great interaction.  You can even replay these calls in team meetings to showcase how well a certain agent did on the phone.

2. Marketing intelligence - When a customer mentions something of interest to your Marketing team, email the team a copy of the recording.  This could include an idea for a better promotion, insight on why a certain product/service doesn't work for them, etc.

3. Technical intelligence - When a customer mentions a unique problem they are having with your product, why try to relay the information to your technical team?  Why not simply forward them a copy of the actual interaction?

4. Bad calls library - like the best practices library, also create a repository of under-performing calls to show agents what not to do on the phone with customers.

5. Product development ideas - Perhaps a caller has a great suggestion for how you can improve your product or service.  With call recording software, the agent can email a copy of the call directly to the product development/product marketing team.

6. Supervisor follow-up with unhappy caller - As a customer, wouldn't it be nice if that supervisor that you asked for knew what they were talking about when they called you back regarding your complaint?  With call recording software, that supervisor can easily pull up and replay every dissatisfying interaction you had with the call center agent.They can do this to arm themselves with your past interactions before ever calling you.

7. Identify on-screen navigational bottlenecks - With screen recording capability (typically comes with your call recording software) supervisors can detect agent screen navigational issues and correct them to decrease average handle time (AHT).

8. Offer senior management "voice of the customer" access - With recorded calls, you can give your company's top management (CEO, SVP, etc.) access to the customer's actual voice so they can stay plugged in to what your customers are saying/asking for and so on.  The best way for a top executive to stay connected with his/her users is to listen to them first hand.

9. Showcase your customer service excellence - Take several snippets from best-practices calls and showcase them on your website to demonstrate how superior your customer service really is.

10. Reward best agent performance - Once a month you can award a "gold", "silver" and "bronze" medal to the agents with the three best interactions that month, and you can then play them for other agents during a team meeting to recognize the high-performing agents and also to demonstrate best-practices for other agents.  You can even award prizes to the medalists each month for added incentive to perform at the highest level.

Call recording systems today come in three flavors: hardware based (voice logger), software- based (call recording software running on commercial off the shelf hardware) and cloud-based.  While some companies may feel it is necessary to still purchase a proprietary hardware-based voice logger for their call recording needs, it simply is not necessary anymore.  The days of proprietary black-box voice logger systems are gone, and in their place are open platform, software and cloud-based call recording solutions.

A software or cloud-based call recording system gives you unbounded flexibility in terms of interoperability with your PBX, CRM, ERP and other systems.  There is simply no need to be pushed into a corner any more with regard to proprietary voice logger systems.

Think about some of the disadvantages of going the proprietary voice logger hardware route:

1. They tend to cost much more than standard hardware.

2. They require professional installation in order for the logger to interoperate with your existing technical environment. The word "proprietary" usually does not coincide with an open API.

3. You have to physically send the voice logger back to the manufacturer to have it fixed, and only they can fix it.  Furthermore, many times the manufacturer does not even make the product themselves but rather farm it out to Asia, for example.  So your shipment costs and wait time might be worse than you think.

4. They export recorded call files in proprietary, non-standard format.

5. They require a specialized player to hear the call.

6. You can't use the logger for anything else, unlike a commercial off the shelf server which can be shared among many different applications and systems.

7. They take up space, especially when you have a multi-site environment requiring multiple voice loggers.

If you have a proprietary voice logger system, it is not too late to switch to an open, software/cloud-based call recording system.  Plus, it's better to switch now before you go any further down the proprietary road.  In the long run you will save on additional hardware and certainly maintenance costs.

The word "free" certainly comes with many red flags today, doesn't it?  After all, nothing of value can really be free, right?  While this is certainly the case in most instances, there is room for viable free call recording software in the market.  You just have to know what to look for:

Here are some good rules to go by:

1. It should be offered by a reputable company, not some independent software developer with no credibility.

2.The software provider should list at least some of its other customers and partners.

3. You should not have to give your credit card number.

4. If it's based on a free trial, you should have zero obligation to pay at the end.  If you want to simply let the trial expire, you should be able to - no questions asked.

5. There should be a more robust version available if you want added functionality - even if you have to pay for it.

6. The software should have testimonials behind its use.

7. You should not have to talk to a live salesperson before downloading the free call recording software.

8. The software should have some awards under its belt.

9. The software should have solid documentation to explain how it is installed, used and what type of features/functionality it has.

10. There should be someone you can contact directly for support - at no charge.

So if you're thinking of evaluating some free call recording software, be sure to consider these 10 rules before downloading it.  It could save you a lot of heartache in the long run.

Not all call center recording providers are created equal.  To be sure you are employing/have employed the very best call center recording solution for your contact center, there are several important questions to consider asking the prospective or current call center recording provider. 

Here are some of the top questions to ask:

1. Do you offer software only systems?  Some systems come with proprietary voice loggers that must be deployed along with the recording software.  These are very expensive and really limit your options in terms of interoperability with other software and hardware already in place.  You want a software-based solution that you can running on commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.

2. Which PBX systems do you integrate with?  You want to be sure your call center recording provider has tested its system with the PBX system you have in place or plan to employ.  Check not only the brand (such as Avaya, Cisco, Mitel, etc.) but also the version number.  The best option is if the provider has an open API to ensure any interoperability is possible.

3.  Is your call recording solution all-in-one or modular?  You actually want modular so you can only purchase those modules you really need.  All-in-one systems tend to charge you for functionality you may not ever use.

4. Do you offer permanent and subscription pricing?  This is important because subscription pricing allows you to try the solution for a little while without getting locked into a big contract.

5. How long, difficult and expensive is the implementation process?  Most call center recording providers have a complex days-to-weeks-or-even-months implementation process and many charge for their installation services because it is virtually impossible for you to do it on your own.  Ideally, you want to go with a provider that offers a simple, no-charge installation that can be accomplished the very same day, on your own.  There aren't many of these providers out there. 

6. How much training is involved in getting my users up and running?  You want to be sure your call recording system is intuitive and does not really require any training.  You certainly don't want to have to pay for any such training and if you do, it means the solution is probably difficult to use.  This can be costly and problematic, especially as you bring on new users.

7. What are the typical maintenance requirements for this system?  Some call center recording solutions are not only difficult to install but also maintain and troubleshoot.  This is because their software is extremely complex and requires professional services to integrate it into your environment.  You want software that integrates seamlessly and has zero issues.  This frees up your IT staff to focus on other projects.  This question is so important that is would be wise to ask for some references to prove their claim, once they give it to you.

8. Is there a free trial of your software?  It is always better to demo something for free without any strings before making your purchase.  Most providers do not offer such a trial, but it is worth asking and/or finding a provider that does.  How can you know if it will work well in your environment without first trying it?

9. What other organizations in my industry do you currently serve?  You want a provider with relevant domain expertise, and you also want to be sure other companies like yours are using the call recording solution and are happy with it.

10. What is the typical return on investment timeframe?  You want to be sure your call recording solution can offer you a rapid ROI so you can recoup your investment and demonstrate the system's value to your senior management.  Many systems promise a six month or even a year.  You want a solution that offers an ROI in the weeks-to-three months range. 

Essentially every one of the 2 billion+ cells phones on this planet has voice mail capabilities, but why do almost none have phone recording software built in, especially devices issued by a company for business-only purposes?

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The lack of mobile call recording in business is one of those white-elephant-in-the-room questions that no one can really seem to answer.  Phone recording software should by all rights already be on every iPhone, Android and BlackBerry device, but as we all know, it is not.  Let's explore the possible reasons for this:

1. Big businesses don't believe their work-at-home agents are using their cell phone to speak with customers.  They are!  (likely reason)

2. One of the major mobile platforms hasn't yet built it into their product.  (likely reason)

3. No businesses are asking for it.  (possible reason; I think every highly regulated business would love it, but it's just not top of mind because phone recording software is largely unheard of at this point on mobile devices)

4. No big company (in healthcare, financial, insurance, etc.) has come forward in the U.S. and said they are going to start recording employee's mobile calls for compliance, quality and dispute resolution. (likely reason)

5. There is no government regulation mandating recording of mobile devices in highly regulated industries - again, like healthcare, financial, insurance, etc. Such a law exists in the UK for financial firms and it is requires financial firms to capture mobile phone calls. But no such law yet exists in the U.S. (likely reason)  

6. Companies don't want to spend the money and are simply putting the topic aside for now. (likely reason) 

7. No big liability or compliance cases have arisen yet involving mobile phone use. In other words a financial client saying he told his broker to make a big-money buy for him, for example, and claiming that since the trader did not make the purchase, he lost out on millions of dollars.  Having that recorded call would sure be helpful to prove the financial firm's case.  (likely reason)

NOTE: Phone recording software for mobile phones does not really cost that much at all.  It would be a pretty nominal cost to a small, medium or large-sized business.

No one really knows what the future holds for phone recording software for the mobile phone industry, but I'm betting big business is soon going to pull the trigger.  There are simply too many liability, quality of service and compliance issues at stake.  Once big business jumps in, smaller firms will likely follow suit.  The bottom line is that businesses need a way to protect themselves when big dollars are at stake, like the financial trading example.  The same holds true for work-at-home call center agents, mortgage brokers, insurance brokers, real estate professionals and enterprise salespersons on the go.  By recording such mobile calls, the consumer is also protected since they can request to have their conversation pulled if necessary.

I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Call center recording is a must-have today in the contact center.  These profit-driven organizations not only service and support customers (inbound) but many also proactively sell (outbound) the company's products and services.  These two critical business functions require certain tools in order to maintain a high level of customer service as well as ensure compliance (industry, regulatory and corporate).   

So now we know that every contact center needs call center recording and quality monitoring software, but with such high-cost solutions on the market, how can you afford it?  There are certain variables to take into account that will help you drive down the costs associated with call center recording (and quality monitoring).  They include:

1. Select an open-architecture software-based solution that lets you run the system on commercial off the shelf (COTS) hardware.  This industry standard hardware is much more affordable than proprietary voice logging hardware.

2. Supply your own hardware/server.  Call center recording solution providers are not really in the business of selling hardware.  They are driven largely by their software revenue.  Many supply servers just to ensure a total solution, however, many also hike up the price a little so there's room for margin.  Go out and purchase the server on your own.

3. Pick a complete solution with no feature stripping - Pick a product that offers all of the features and functions you need without a bunch of add-on costs. Some call center recording companies offer a base version that really does nothing but audio capture.  They then charge you extra for every little piece of functionality (like call tagging, audit trails, PCI Compliance, multi-criteria searching, etc.), which significantly drives up your cost.  

4. Avoid installation costs - You should be able to purchase a call center recording solution and be able to install it yourself or have it done remotely without any additional costs.  Some call center recording companies charge thousands (or even tens of thousands) for the installation alone.

5. Rapid ROI is critical - The quicker you realize a return on your investment, the more affordable the solution becomes.  Pick a call center recording solution that installs in a day or less and has you up and recording calls within 24 hours.  This enables you to begin realizing significant value the same day, if not the same week.

6. Multiple pricing options - Be sure the vendor you select offers several pricing options, such as one-time-cost versus subscription-based.  There is often a savings if you choose one over the other.  Explore these and other options.

7. Zero maintenance required - You can actually find call center recording software that truly needs no maintenance or troubleshooting resources - really.  They do exist.  Find one of these solutions and let the software do it's job.  Put your other resources to work doing something else that's more strategic and value-add to the organization.

8. Open-API is a must - It's important that your call center recording software easily integrates with your PBX switch, CRM system, etc.  To ensure this smooth interoperability, be sure the solution you choose offers an easy-to-manage open API to help facilitate this integration.

By following these simple rules when selecting the call center recording product for your contact center, you stand a much greater chance of saving some of those ever-so-mission-critical dollars in your budget.

The time is right for you to seriously consider going after the real estate and legal verticals.  According to Heavy Reading, these industries are the most primed right now for business VoIP services. 

Wouldn't it be great if you had something really distinguishing among your offerings to make you stand out from the competition?  That something extra is a call recording system - a logical extension to your other business VoIP services.

Call recording can be a simple add-on service to your existing portfolio that you could very easily turn on or off for existing or new clients.  Think about the possibilities.  You would be able to:

• Upsell existing customers
• Strengthen your value proposition
• Extend your reach into real estate, legal and other markets
• Differentiate your business from other business VoIP providers
• Grow your business-VoIP practice
• Expand your footprint among SOHO/SMB businesses

Call Recording for Real Estate SOHOs/SMBs

Real estate professionals conduct a lot of business over the telephone, and new call recording capabilities will enable them to show proof of compliance (if necessary), verify what was said during a conversation, help resolve "he-said-she-said" disputes and more. Both commercial and residential brokers will have an easy-to-access record of every call they make so they can easily pull a conversation and play it back to also verify something they may have forgotten.  Often times a deal can be lost by a broker who simply forgot to do something important.  Recorded calls help agents avoid these mistakes and keep their clients happy and on board.

With the right call recording solution in your business VoIP arsenal, you will also empower your customers with the ability to search through their recorded calls for all conversations associated with a specific agent or customer or time of day. Think about how powerful and useful that will be to their business.

Call Recording for Legal SOHOs/SMBs

Lawyers and legal associates spend over 75 percent of their time on the phone with clients and their representatives.  With the ability to record client calls, law offices can maintain compliance, resolve disputes, document litigation discussions, verify fee agreements with clients, maintain case continuity between phone-based and non-phone-based conversations, and so much more.

Law firms can monitor how compliant their legal clerks and administrative teams are on the phone and easily identify and fix any problems or skill gaps.

Recorded calls are also a great way for legal firms to keep track of billable time on the phone with a client or when speaking with someone on their behalf.  It is often times very easy to underestimate (or overestimate) how much time was spent on the phone, without an accurate record to refer back to.

Again, like with real estate, the right call recording solution enables your customers

 to search and locate specific conversations associated with a particular case, for example.  This can be extremely powerful for legal entities.

Finding the Right Call Recording System

You want a call recording system that fits easily and seamlessly into your existing communications environment, is easy to use, and quick to turn on/off for customers.  You also want a solution you don't have to maintain or troubleshoot, and for the real estate and legal industries in particular, you need a Total Recording (100 percent audio/screen capture) software product that records both the voices of the two parties, and the screen of your employee.

Recording customer calls can be a nice to have and it can also be a necessity to help protect you from relevant legislation. For example, did you know that with the Truth in Lending Act, there are a number of pieces of information that must be disclosed during a customer call?

• "amount financed"
• "total of payments"
• Annual percentage rate
• Finance charge
• Schedule of payments

This is just one example of a law that sets mandates on what must be said over the phone.  Infractions can be quite costly to the organization in violation.

A number of businesses choose to capture all customer calls (compliance recording) and mine them to ensure agents are saying the proper things (or not saying certain things) during such conversations with customers. These recorded calls can also be used to settle a claim against a company who has been cited by a customer for violating behavior associated with one of these laws. 

Here's another example. 

Did you know that with the Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR), telemarketers are required by law to:

• Include on voicemails a toll-free number that the consumer can call to place an opt-out request? 
• Tell the absolute truth - not even little white lies about product capabilities and features are allowed

Just imagine if you had hundreds of agents a day violating such stipulations?  The resulting penalties could be huge.

A good practice for your organization is to capture agents' calls with customers to quality check whether your employees are following the correct protocols to ensure proper compliance.

There are a number of laws in the U.S. that have similar stipulations that your organization should be aware of. These include, but are not limited to:

• Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) - credit card numbers need to be kept hidden from unauthorized staff
• Telemarketing Sales Rule (TSR) - an "opt-out" must be included on voicemails
• Truth in Lending Act (TILA) - several disclosures must be stated during the call so that borrowers are made clearly aware of all costs and terms associated with the credit (e.g. is there a prepayment penalty?)
• Fair Debt Collections Practices Act (FDCPA) - debt collectors must identify themselves as collectors in every communication, and collectors must notify the consumer of their right to dispute the debt
• Health Insurance Portability and Protection Act (HIPPA) - personally identifiable information must be kept hidden from unauthorized employees
• Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) - requires organizations to design and maintain standards to protect customer information

The best thing to do for your organization if you feel there are some of these laws (or potentially others) that may impact your contact center operation is to consult with a lawyer who can research the most pertinent legislation.

The information presented in this post should not be considered legal advice.  It is intended to simply raise awareness of the potential for violating certain laws if your agents aren't abiding by relevant stipulations. 

Implementing a Compliance Recording (100 percent audio capture) solution can help protect your business from such infractions by enabling your supervisors to assess agents for proper behavior. This recording software can enable you to easily search, find and categorize recordings based on time or date of call, incoming phone number, outgoing phone number, agent ID, customer name, etc. 

Phone recording software (aka call recording software) is a very effective tool in not only assessing and evaluating call center agents but also in helping to train them to enhance their skill sets and performance.  Phone recording software with quality monitoring capabilities empowers supervisors, team leaders and agents them

selves to review good and bad past calls to identify best-practices and areas for improvement.

Here are 10 ways you can use phone recording software to improve customer service skills within your contact center.

1. Create an online repository of weak phone calls between agents and customers.  Include all types, such as: cancelled account, customer complaint, dissatisfied customer, very long call, etc.  Use these calls to train new and existing agents on what "not" to do.  Keep these calls fresh and update regularly so the repository does not become stale.

2. Create an online repository of best-practice strong phone calls between agents and customers.  Include all types, such as: new customer, renewed subscription, successful upsell, successful cross sell, highly satisfied customer, etc. Also use these calls to train both new and existing agents on what to do and how to handle specific situations.  Make it a contest and have agents submit their best calls.  Pick the best calls and reward agents accordingly.

3. Combine recorded-call evaluations with live monitoring for a 360-degree assessment of the agent's performance.  Live monitoring enables supervisors/evaluators to give immediate feedback when necessary following the call, while recorded-call evaluations gives the evaluator more time to review the call on a number of factors.

4. Hold "rapid fire" group call-review sessions to go over good and bad recorded calls together and discuss as a team.  This gives all agents, customer service managers, evaluatory and supervisors the benefit of hearing other team member's perspectives.

5. Evaluate the evaluator - allow call center agents to evaluate a call or two of their team leader through an evaluation form.  This empowers the agents and makes them feel like their input on call performance is important.  Inadvertently, it also helps them with their own training.

6. Self-evaluate - Have supervisors or team leaders pick specific calls for agents to review in order to grade themselves on their own performance.  This also empowers the agent and gives him/her a non-threatening opportunity to see what went right and what went wrong during their call.

These are simply some of the many tips you can use to improve agent performance using call recording and quality monitoring software.