In this article we’ll take a look at Call Recording on a VoIP system. What actually is it, who needs it and why, and where it will be of most use.
WHAT IS IT?
Call Recording, to put it simply, is having all your incoming and outgoing phone calls recorded. On a VoIP system, this is usually a feature, which may or may not have an additional cost involved (depending on your VoIP Provider). The recorded calls should then be accessible, either on request or by some form of accessible Portal. You can listen, and download them (again, these features may depend on your Provider).
WHO CAN BENEFIT?
Every company can benefit from having their calls recorded. It can help with training staff, so new starts can be clear guidance on what is acceptable, what isn’t up to company standards, or where they may have fallen into any pitfalls. It can also help with resolving any disputes with customers.
Call recording is of particular benefit to companies operating in the legal and finance sectors. Many industries regularly use Call Recording, including banking, finance and financial advice, Government departments, and those offering legal advice. Depending on the legislation specific to your industry, Call Recording may be an actual legal requirement.
WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE USEFUL?
It means the public, phoning in to any of these organisations, are protected should they be misinformed. If anything untoward happens, the caller has the right to raise an official complaint, and the initial and subsequent phone calls could form part of an official investigation. The calls are required to kept securely, with a clear process in place as to retrieving the recording.
Staff dealing with complaints, and organisation management, must be aware of how this will happen. The Provider of the telephony service for the organisation must have a process to allow these customers to retrieve any required Recordings, and this process must be clear both to the organisation and to the staff of the Telephony Provider.
The recordings must be kept securely, either hosted in the cloud, or retrievable from a linked storage device.
WHERE WILL IT BE BEST USED?
Recordings can form part of a company’s ongoing staff training and development. For instance, new members of staff may have calls with customers reviewed to check on their progress. Are they using the correct words and company-sanctioned phrases? How did they come across to customers? Does the staff member require additional training? Companies do have to develop and monitor staff, and recording their performance whilst conversing with customers contributes to this.
Recordings can also be used in the case of a customer dispute. If a customer is claiming they have been mis-sold something, or promised something as part of a deal, and this then hasn’t happened, then the company can review the recording of any specific phone call.
Management of a Call Centre company often find Call Recording an invaluable aid. They can monitor and review staff performance, and provide feedback.
It can also be used to protect staff. If an employee raises an issue with a customer call, for instance the customer was aggressive or verbally abusive, then this can be confirmed by listening to the recording. The company management can the make a decision as to how to proceed. They can request the customer desists from further contact, or even, in extreme situations, raise the matter with the Police.
WHY SHOULD I CONSIDER IT?
The most important thing to consider here is whether you have a legislative requirement regarding storing your customer calls. If you work in an industry sector where you are required by law to keep all customer contact for a set period of time, then conversations between your staff and customers form part of this contact. Put simply, you don’t have a choice. You are required to keep recordings of all your customer calls for a set period.
Another consideration, whether or not you work in an industry sector which requires retaining recordings, is if you feel it would benefit staff training. Many companies monitor calls, to ensure staff are upholding the desired image they wish to present. Many companies also have set texts which employees must give over the phone, and recordings allow management to monitor this.
Watching staff performance is another use, and samples of customer interactions may form part of ongoing staff reviews.
If a customer accuses a staff member of mis-selling, for instance, or of being abusive, the a Call recording can be vital when you investigate. You have clear factual evidence as to who said what.
So, there we have it – the Who, What, When, Where and Why of Call Recordings.
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