ORECX CALL RECORDING BLOG

Call recording systems are often times only as good as the team that is adminstering/using them. If an organization has a robust call recording system in place, but its people aren't fully trained or committed to using it to its fullest potential, then the system's perceived success will be very low. This can impact performance and future resource allocation for the call recording system. 

For a successful call recording program within your organization, you need to start off on the right foot with the right strategy in place. This will help ensure passionate buy-in for your call recording system from your contact center team, your business users and your management team.  

Below is a framework to help you organize and launch a successful internal campaign for your call recording system.

NOTE: Even if you already have a call recording system in place, you can still adapt this process to fit your current needs and breathe new life into your call recording program.

To ensure you communicate the value of the call recording system to all relevant parties within the organization, it is best to view it from a three-tiered perspective consisting of three levels of value - tactical, operational and strategic - each with their own internal target audience(s).

TACTICAL VALUE:

Target - call center agents

This level describes how your call center agents can/should interact with the system. They can review past calls to see what went right and wrong, view performance reports on the length of their calls, the first call resolution rate of their interactions, how they measure up to others in their group, and so on.  It is important to communicate these things clearly to your agents to ensure maximum uptake, acceptance, utilization and impact of your call recording system.

OPERATIONAL VALUE:

Targets - call center supervisors and quality evaluators

This level represents how your call center managers and evaluators can leverage the system to improve their jobs.  For call center supervisors, this means monitoring agent and group performance to see where improvements need to be made in staffing, skill sets, process workflow and so on.  For evaluators, this level is about using the quality monitoring evaluation forms to assess and train agents for improved performance.  

STRATEGIC VALUE:

Targets - business users (marketing, sales, product management) and senior managers (VP Customer Service, COO, VP Compliance, etc.)

There are as many call recording solution providers out there as there are letters in the alphabet, with a large revenue disparity between the top two behemoths and the rest.  With regard to this bifurcation of the brand name players and all the others, the question becomes:

Does it really matter if you buy call recording software from a big guy or a small guy?  The short answer is a resounding "No".  Why do I know this?  Because I've worked for over six call recording companies including the number one provider, and I can tell you that customer after customer comes to the smaller guys following a dissatisfying experience with a big guy.  It happens all the time!!

Behind my nine-plus years in the call recording industry, I believe buyers of call recording systems sometimes play it safe by purchasing a system from one of the 800 pound gorillas, when in fact they could be just as well served (or even better served) spending far less by going with a smaller provider. At the end of the day, call recording systems really come down to four components which all vendors have some flavor of:

1. Call capture software - the software that actually records the call/screen and puts it in a storage location.

2. Logging hardware - the physical hardware that stores the recording(s).

3. Call query software - the software you use to go back and find and call up the calls you want to listen to.

4. Quality monitoring software - the software that lets you filter out a select number of calls for evaluation purposes and then facilitates the assessment process with reports, forms, etc.

The dirty little secret in the call recording industry is that most solutions offered by the various call recording companies all do the same thing - with a handful of bells and whistles bundled in to spice up the offering.  In most cases, these added features aren't even necessary or used.

To ensure you have or are purchasing a good call recording system, be sure you can answer "Yes" to the following questions:

A. Can you capture incoming calls and the computer screen activity of your call center agents?

B. Can you choose to record all calls or just a sampling of calls?

C. Can you query recordings for select calls based on agent, phone number, customer name, time of day, etc.?

D. Can you/did you implement the solution in two days or less?

E. Do you have to perform little to no maintenance on the system?

F. Can you easily customize the solution to your needs without asking for professional services help from the vendor?

If you answered "No" to one or more of these questions, you really need to think hard about the solution you have or are considering.  The truth is, there are very similar options out there for you to select, which are easier to install and maintain, are offered at a much lower cost and offer essentially the very same core functionality.

We've all heard the statistics that it costs 6-7 times as much to land a new customer as it does to keep an existing one.  While the challenge of mitigating customer defection is an ongoing one, it can be overcome with call center recording.

Call center recording systems enable you to capture your customer interactions and learn what went right or wrong during the call so you can go back and fix any problems.  You can also use the call recording system to monitor agents to learn why they are successful and unsuccessful so you can go back and better train them.  This same software can also help you quickly identify customers that are about to defect.  What if you created an alert that told you every time an agent visited a "cancel a subscription" page?  That would give whoever is responsible for rescuing fleeting customers instant notification of one about to leave.  Just think for a second how valuable such an alert or intelligence would be in terms of stemming the flow of departing customers. It would be huge.

The capabilities call center recording brings to your organization (whether a tiny, small, medium, large or enormous call center) can make a profound impact on your ability to increase customer satisfaction and dramatically decrease customer defection rates.

Here are some tips for lowering customer defection rates within your organization using call center recording:

1. Set up alerts to notify your customer account rescue team (or person) that a person is about to defect - or already has.

2. Monitor agents to determine who has the highest number of customer defection calls and train them accordingly.

3. Send training modules to all customer-facing staff with tips on how to persuade customers from leaving.

4. Query, identify and flag all recorded customer calls in which the customer has indicated dissatisfaction of any kind.  Then, assign these customers (by their phone number) to your best agents so they are handled as delicately as possible the next time they call in.

5. Create two recorded call libraries to train staff - one containing best-practice calls in which the unsatisfied customer was persuaded to stay, and the other containing poor-performing calls in which the call was handled poorly and the customer did indeed defect.

6. Hold rapid fire training sessions with all customer-facing staff to share positive and negative experiences with handling customer dissatisfaction.

7. Create a customer rescue team that follows up with all dissatisfied callers within 24 hours of their last contact with your organization.  These individuals can offer the customer some sort of incentive to smooth things over - such as a discount, a free offer, etc.

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.