Voice Logging Considerations

By Michael Stoll and Danyel Casselman
June 2004

Memo: "I want to put a voice logger on our phone lines."  Signed, The Boss!

Agent reactions to such edicts include, "He'll hear all about my personal business."  "We can't talk anymore."  "It won't be any fun to be here any more," and "I won't work here any more."

How often are we confronted by new technology in our modern lives?  Think about cars with DVD players, teenagers with Mpeg 3 players containing 5,000 songs, and wireless handheld computing and organizational devices.  Many of us, particularly those of us who grew up during the previous century, are still worried about keeping the VCR display from blinking!

Driving Technology: What is driving the growth of technology?  Is it manufacturers' desires to stay on top, the convenience and ease of using new technology, attempts to increase market penetration, or is it the need for consumers to feel more secure?  Maybe it's the need for new technology to assist us in the maintenance of relationships – both positively and negatively.

From our perspective, technology change is driven by:

• Customer needs and wants 

• Manufacturing parts obsolescence

• A desire to be the first with the best

When it comes to customer service and call processing, clients want to know: 

• What were my calls? 

• How were they handled? 

• Who said what?

• Why is my customer telling me something different?

Voice loggers offer the only technology "fix" to monitor all these aspects.  Recording, listening, and archiving call center conversations for both clients' and employees' files is the only way to cover all your bases.  Voice loggers can be used to provide protection from a threatened lawsuit or during unemployment hearings.

Another Technology Change?  Voice logging manufacturers are often asked, "Do you make your own components and write your own software, or do you buy it all on the outside and just assemble the components?"  The fact is, manufacturers differ in these areas.

Some manufacturers elect to do all their own engineering, voice board design, and manufacturing.  This approach is not shared by all manufacturers.  Today's engineering world is very different from that of just 10 years ago.  There are not many "generalists" who choose to do all aspects of product design.  Outsourcing is the engineering buzzword today!  However, it can be a risky business decision.  Therefore, don't be afraid to ask your voice logging manufacturer about their engineering practices.  When you select a voice logger, don't just pick a logger, but also consider the company behind it.

Michael Stoll is president of Record/Play Tek, Inc and Danyel Casselman is the sales associate.  For more information, call 574-848-5233 or visit www.recordplaytek.com.

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