ORECX CALL RECORDING BLOG

These days, many unified communications platforms offer similar capabilities, such as messaging, presence, and voice and video communications. Understandably, these unified communications platforms are now looking to differentiate themselves.

As unified communications platforms and other UC products look to advance enterprise collaboration, their contributions to the industry are often deemed evolutionary, rather than revolutionary. Although incremental developments may not seem innovative, they are important to advance an industry in realistic, problem-solving ways.

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Some enterprise-class call recording solutions are affordable enough now that even small businesses can afford to employ them.  Primarily software-only based, these applications provide the full functionality of their hardware-based counterparts but at a fraction of the price and with minimal maintenance requirements.

This means that even the smallest of law offices, insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, doctor's offices and any other small business can now tap into the value of call recording, which was previously reserved for only the largest of businesses - one's that could afford that previous hefty price tag.

Value of Call Recording

• Verify orders - Have a stored record of every call in case you need to go back and verify any purchase details or authorization, for example.
• Protect your business from he-said/she-said disputes that can otherwise cost you a lot of money if you are unable to prove what was actually said by the customer.
• Verify customer service levels by reviewing select calls to understand how well your staff is servicing your customers.

Here are some key features to look out for if you are a small business considering a call recording system:

• Easy and quick installation with no additional implementation costs required. Some vendors charge you for the software and then require you to pay a separate installation fee. Avoid these providers.
• Open API for fast and easy customization and interoperability. You will undoubtedly like to make some custom changes to the call recording system to best meet your needs. This shouldn't require a forklift effort.  It should be quick and easy to tailor the software to your requirements as well as integrate it smoothly into your existing environment.

• No proprietary hardware required. You want a call recording system that can run on an existing server or at the very least a commercial off the shelf (COTS) server.

• Recordings portable in MPEG format - You want to be able to playback your recordings without needing a proprietary player or converting the files into a format anyone can use.  You want your recordings to be available to you in standard MPEG format. This way you could even email them to a partner (or someone else outside the organization), for example, if you needed to. 
• Minimal if any maintenance required - Some solutions can be a headache to maintain and troubleshoot. Stay away from these complex systems. You want a solution that requires essentially no maintenance and will give you zero problems.  Even ask to speak to one of the vendor's existing customers to validate such maintenance requirements.

Every organization wants to know what its customers are thinking. After all, when you’re armed with this information, you have the ability to develop new products and services – or modify existing ones – to help bolster sales conversion, market penetration, and, ultimately, profits. Fortunately, insight into the minds of your customers is closer than you think, through the power of call recording. With this tool, you can listen to the actual voices (including the tone and intonation) of your customers when they call your organization to order a product, file a complaint, cancel a subscription, or ask a question. These calls can provide various types of market intelligence that can help your organization succeed, including:

• Product Feedback: Call recording software provides access to every conversation your sales and support staff have with customers. This means you’ll hear, first hand and in their own words, whether customers are pleased or dissatisfied with your products – what they like, what they don’t like, why they purchased your product, or why they want to return it. This information can then be shared with your product development team to help them better understand and segment your customers so they can provide more targeted, improved products and services.
• Competitive Insight: When customers call your company, they sometimes reveal details about the activities of your competitors. This information can take the form of statements such as, “Well, XYZ Corporation doesn’t require a credit card for a free trial” or “I can get a free widget when I enroll in XYZ’s program.” These disclosures by your customers can give your sales and marketing team the insight they need to perhaps realign certain products to improve sales conversion. This information also can help your customer service staff learn how to address these situations in the future, perhaps by countering with a similar offer.
• Buying Behavior: Call recording software can help reveal why customers in a certain geographic region are purchasing (or are dissatisfied with) your product. You can also glean seasonal patterns (for example, do product sales pick up around holiday times?) and determine what might be done in certain geographic regions to help address these disputes or capitalize on these trends. You can also use this data to identify and increase cross-sell or up-sell opportunities.

While most call recording software gives organizations the ability to record customer calls and analyze them at a later time, other solutions can actually provide real-time access to these calls. With live monitoring software, a call center supervisor can listen to a call in real time, enabling the supervisor to quickly send information (via chat, for example) to help an agent retain the customer. Similarly, some monitoring software solutions enable you to set up a report that flags every call in which your sales or support person visits the “Cancel my account” page, or in which an account was actually closed. You can then send those calls to your account rescue team to prevent the customer from leaving or help win him or her back.

Equipped with this market intelligence information, your organization can also prepare a list of “canned responses” to customer indications of defection. These can help with customer retention and also improve the skill sets of your agents. The truth is, the cost of acquiring a new customer is six to seven times greater than keeping an existing one, which means that keeping the customers you have is a business imperative for every organization.

Do you own (or have you ever given away) an old cell phone? If the answer was “yes,” you probably know why: Because as technology has changed and new enhancements to mobile phone communications have become available, we all want to upgrade to the latest and greatest models. Better technology means better performance, better ease of use, better battery life, better portability, and countless other improvements.

You don’t have to look at your old cell phone from the early 2000s to understand that it – and many other forms of technology – have evolved over time, including the technology of call recording and call monitoring software. What once offered rudimentary and fairly limited capabilities now provides the ability to record, analyze, and interpret vast amounts of data to improve customer service and operational performance.

When considering a call recording software or call monitoring software provider, look for one that comes equipped with the latest and greatest features, particularly those that can give you greater flexibility in terms of provisioning, administration, and utilization. Here are six technological innovations that you want to make sure your call monitoring software provider offers:

1. LDAP support. Look for systems that support LDAP for user identification and auto-provisioning. This capability means that system administrators are relieved of the potentially error-prone task of manually provisioning users in multiple systems.
2. A web interface that supports HTML5.  Look for systems that permit access to the system from any device (laptop, tablet, smartphone) and enables audio recording playback without any browser plug-in. Playback is native to the web browser being used.
3. Single-check emailing of media files – Look for systems that provide a single-click emailing of media files from the web interface to the logged-in user. The benefit? All that is needed is the configuration of an SMTP server for sending emails and ensuring that users have an email address configured in their profile.
4. Auto-Provisioning – Look for systems where auto-provisioning is supported primarily for use with BroadWorks and LDAP. This ensures that users and groups (or service providers) can be automatically provisioned based on incoming recordings or upon a login attempt to the web interface, depending on the platform and configuration.
5. Quality Monitoring (QM) Scorecard – Look for systems that feature Quality Monitoring (QM) scorecards, which provide a highly customizable set of evaluation criteria for reviewing, coaching and assessing agents based on the content and context of their customer interactions. These scorecards may contain any number of criteria, which can be configured with custom weighting scores or even the authority to auto-fail the evaluation of the call as a whole based on a single criteria.
6. Media Manager – Look for Media Manager, an extremely flexible tool that allows administrators to set up programs for managing recordings. Media Manager programs provide criteria-based execution of multiple functions such as copying, moving, deleting, or emailing recordings. Some examples of Media Manager typical uses are backing up or archiving recordings, setting up different retention periods for different groups of recordings, centralizing recording files in a distributed architecture, and automatically emailing recordings to their owners.  The execution trigger of these programs may be pre-scheduled (recurring or one-time) or event-driven, such as when a recording ends.

Call recording systems with advanced features such as these can enable users to significantly reduce the time their IT support staff spends on user provisioning and system management. What’s more, these advances can help ensure that supervisors will be able to easily pinpoint specific customer service issues and drive immediate improvements.

Believe it or not simple call recording, quality monitoring and screen recording software can help the operations of any company substantially and in many ways.  It can even help you promote growth and meet your financial objectives - really.

Companies of all sizes today employ call recording software, and if you are not one of them, you need to carefully consider making the modest investment now to start realizing all of the value this seminal software can provide.

Definitions:

Call Recording Software - a tool that captures all of your incoming calls and records them for later playback if necessary to ensure high levels of customer service, settle disputes, maintain compliance (HIPAA, PCI...) etc.

Quality Monitoring Software - a tool integrated with call recording software that captures a sampling of calls to measure for quality assurance. The software includes call evaluation tools to assess employee phone performance.

Screen Recording Software - software that records in video the employee's actual desktop screen activity while on the phone with a customer and then offers fully integrated audio/video playback for a complete picture of the call as it actually occurred.

Here are just some of the many ways in which your organization can benefit greatly from call recording, quality monitoring and screen recording software:

Delivering smooth client service - capture a sampling of calls (including employee screen activity) per employee and go back and listen to them to assess sales, customer service or financial management performance, especially when speaking with clients. Immediately address any critical issues that arise to ensure smoother customer service moving forward.

Assessing operational workflow - capture and review a sampling of calls and employee screen activity to identify any operational process breakdowns in terms of support, service, sales...You can then take these discoveries and reengineer appropriate processes to improve efficiency and performance (think of how well this would work in your call center!).

Managing quality assurance - use recorded calls (and employee screen activity) to review staff client interaction performance and identify strengths and weaknesses. Share examples of their strengths with other employees and offer training where needed to improve deficient skill sets. In the end, your clients will be better served and your staff will be better equipped with the skills they need to do their job more successfully.

Minimizing risk - A big worry these days is regulatory compliance, especially when speaking with clients (a la PCI, HIPAA, etc.). Record customer calls and employee screen activity to understand how well staff are complying with relevant regulations. It's much better to proactively identify potential weaknesses early on before any costly infractions occur. Use what you learn to make the necessary improvements immediately to avoid any unnecessary penalties and client dissatisfaction. Recorded calls can also be pulled to refute a customer dispute, saving time, money and brand reputation.

What to Look for When Purchasing Call Recording and Quality Monitoring Software

When you start looking to purchase these tools, consider the following criteria when making your decision:

1. Cost - these software tools don't need to break the bank.  They can be purchased for as little as a few thousand dollars a year (or less). If you'll be paying more, look elsewhere.

2. Interoperability - make sure the software can easily and quickly integrate with your existing telephone switch, CRM system and so on.

3. Searchability - be sure to fully understand the searching capabilities of the software so you can successfully pull any necessary call recordings when you need them.

4. Compliance - ensure the software has the necessary capabilities to help you maintain regulatory compliance (e.g. can customer's personally identifiable information be protected from unauthorized staff?)

5. Implementation - many call recording providers offer software that takes weeks or months to get up and running.  Not all do, however. Some can have you up and recording calls the very same day.

We hear all the time that small businesses comprise the backbone of the U.S. economy. The truth might be even more staggering than you think: According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of U.S. employer firms and are responsible for roughly half of the country’s economic output. What’s more, the SBA’s Office of Advocacy reports that small firms accounted for 63 percent of the net new jobs created between 1993 and mid-2013, with small firms in the 20-499 employee category leading in job creation.

And while small businesses may operate in a variety of different industry segments, what nearly all of them have in common is this: They have customers who call into their business, customers who require service, customers who provide the business with their source of profits. Is there a way to capture these important calls – to ensure that customer service representatives are performing properly, that customers are being provided with the highest level of service, and that the business is operating at its optimal capacity?

The answer is a resounding “yes,” through the power of call recording software.

As a small business owner or manager, it might be intimidating to think about a complex call/screen recording system, one that requires costly installation fees and hours and hours of training. It doesn’t have to be that way. Today, there are solutions that:

• Are economically affordable: Can be purchased for a little as (believe it or not) several hundred dollars.
• Don’t require technical expertise: Anyone can remotely install, operate, or manage the solution, with no special technical expertise or training required.
• Don’t need ongoing maintenance:  There’s no need for costly maintenance or troubleshooting.
• Can be up and running in less than (really!) 30 minutes.

For small businesses, call recording can offer peace of mind – not only that the quality of service you provide is top-notch but also that you are complying with any regulatory (such as PCI and HIPAA) requirements. That’s a vitally important capability, especially because fines for violations of these requirements can be financially crippling for small businesses.

Small businesses aren’t like large enterprises – and the needs they have for a call recording solution vary as well. If you’re ready to look into a call recording solution, make sure you take into account the following questions when selecting a provider for your enterprise:

1. Is the solution designed for a company of my size?
2. Will I have to pay for features really designed for a larger organization?
3. Can the solution scale to support my company’s growth?
4. Does the call recording vendor have experience with businesses in my industry?
5. Can the solution address my specific industry and regulatory requirements?

As a small business there really is no need to wait any longer.  Call recording solutions exist today that won’t break the bank and will provide you with the capabilities you need at a low total cost of ownership.

Organizations invest considerable resources into attracting and training a top-notch sales and marketing team. But is your team equipped with all the information they need to perform their jobs easily, quickly and, perhaps most important, successfully?

There are numerous ways that organizations can gather sales intelligence – from hiring posh consulting firms to conducting demographic studies, to purchasing massive enterprise systems to crunch reams and reams of data. Most large-scale sales intelligence solutions are designed for companies in the manufacturing, distribution and wholesale sectors, all highly competitive markets where volumes are high and margins are low. These solutions provide unique insight into customer buying patterns, helping organizations to identify and deliver up-sell, cross-sell and switch-sell opportunities. 

For most organizations, access to this critical information is more attainable than ever, through call recording software. This sales intelligence solution can enable organizations to answer questions such as:

What special offers are my competitors making? Call recording software grants you access into the workings of your competitors. For example, sometimes when a customer or prospect calls into a call center, they’re unsure about whether or not they want to make a purchase and may reveal information about your competition, as in “Well, I get a free 30-day trial when I sign up with XYZ Corporation.” This competitive intelligence can provide your sales and marketing organization with insight to help re-align campaigns or promotions.  

Where do my customers live? A call recording system can help you gather key geographical information that can be vitally important to your sales force. Knowing which parts of the country or the world are most receptive to your products or services will help you better identify specific customer segments, leading to more successful lead generation and closed sales. You can also gain insight into which regions of your customer base have the most individuals who agree to a subscription upgrade or a cross-sell, which can help your sales staff spend their time on the most promising targets.

Are my claims misleading? From recorded calls, you can learn if your call center receives numerous cancellation calls for a specific product. The meaning? Perhaps your sales/marketing messaging around the product is misleading and must be revised. You can use this information to re-train your sales force or revamp your advertising campaign.

What if your business could have a window into what your customers actually think – such as how they view the level of service you’re providing, or how satisfied (or dissatisfied) they are with your products? Or, wouldn’t it be valuable to have a window into whether your staff is actually performing their jobs as they should? That window exists, and it’s more accessible than you may realize, thanks to call recording.

For businesses big and small, operating across the world or just down the street, call recording can provide critical information for sales and marketing intelligence, customer service, compliance, and staff development. Organizations spanning all industry sectors – even non-profits and government entities – can realize benefits from using a call recording system to capture, monitor, and track customer interactions.

Call recording can enable any organization to enhance its:

Service quality: Call recording captures customer interactions so that managers can see that their people are providing the highest level of service. Recorded calls also help in dispute resolution.

Regulatory and industry compliance: Call recording can help to ensure that the proper procedures – from a PCI or HIPAA compliance perspective – are being followed. This includes guaranteeing that credit-card information and personal data are being properly handled.

Operational performance: Call recording allows managers to screen employees’ activity to identify areas where workflow was hampered or interrupted. It can also assist with staff training and development.

Call recording isn’t just for multinational companies with complicated IT systems and thousands of customer service reps. Small business owners might be surprised to learn that it can take minimal technical expertise or aptitude to install and use a call recording system. For small business owners, the best solutions are ones that:

-Can be remotely downloaded and installed, in some cases in fewer than 30 minutes.

-Need no special hardware; they can run on existing workstations or servers.

-Require absolutely NO maintenance.

-Can be learned and used in minutes; no technical expertise is required to install, operate, or manage the system.

Of course, financial considerations are a concern for any business, global enterprises and sole proprietorships alike. The truth is, today’s technology has evolved to such an extent that what used to take tens of thousands of dollars can now be purchased for just a few hundred. Those costs include a small upfront or monthly fee, but with the right system, there are no fees for implementation, maintenance, training, or troubleshooting.

Ready to take the next step? Then here are some questions to ask when choosing a call recording vendor and solution:

1. Is the solution designed primarily for a company my size?
2. Does the solution support multi-site and multi-tenant capabilities, if and when I need them?
3. What does the implementation process look like and what does it cost?
4. Is there phone support available in case I have any questions?
5. How open and interoperable is the solution, given my current IT environment?
6. Does the call recording vendor have experience with businesses in my industry?
7. Is the solution designed to address my specific industry and regulatory requirements?

Due to the various VoIP apps available for both desktop and mobile (including call recording software), video conferencing has become part of everyday life – for many of us it's how we keep in touch with family members and friends. Video conferencing is also commonly used to discuss business (or startup) ideas with friends. From there, it's just a small step to using such solutions to keep in touch with business partners, investors, and possibly customers.

The latest technologies now allow you to take the conference room with you on the go, eliminating the need for face-to-face meetings, reducing traveling costs, and saving precious time. Users are able to join scheduled meetings or last-minute, on-the-fly meetings with a tap of a finger or a click of the mouse on their mobile device or personal computer.

If you've been considering using any of the available VoIP apps such as Viber, Tango, FaceTime, Skype, or Google Hangouts (just to name a few), you may want to reconsider, because these tools lack the most important features a business needs for conducting a video conference. Some also lack the ability to connect more than two people and are limited to a single platform, such as FaceTime, which only works within the Apple ecosystem.

A professional video conferencing tool works on all platforms – both desktop and mobile – and it incorporates the ability to moderate a meeting, such as inviting participants, granting requests to speak, putting participants on mute, blocking participants' video, disconnecting unwanted attendees, recording meetings, and much more.

One such solution is Scopia, a video conferencing application for desktop and mobile from Radvision, an Avaya company. The application is compatible with every major platform in the form of a simple browser plugin on the desktop. By installing Scopia on mobile or desktop, you will be able to create the perfect meeting environment for remote workers, clients, and vendors.

The app delivers HD video conferencing from mobile devices and also incorporates an advanced audio system providing echo cancellation and background noise suppression.

Digitcom (an OrecX call recording reseller) is proud to be an Avaya partner in providing the ultimate virtual video conference room for businesses. For more detailed information about how Digitcom can help you can grow your business, improve your customer service, and increase productivity, visit digitcom.ca.

OrecX is also an Avaya partner, with proven integrated call recording integrations.