Voice Logging in the Call Center

April 2007

Once thought of as a call center luxury, voice loggers (call recording devices) were used exclusively to document agent conversations with callers.  However, loggers are no longer just a tool to prove who said what or how it was spoken.  Voice loggers have proven themselves invaluable as a training tool, for agent self-evaluation, for quality control, and most recently, as a call compliance device.

Some systems record all headset audio, both during calls and between calls.  This can offer additional insight about a call that just took place as well as agents' perceptions of their jobs and employers; it can also raise privacy concerns.  Other systems record only the call audio and not idle conversions with coworkers in between calls.  Some systems can work in either mode, allowing the call center management to decide which is appropriate for their center.

Before recording any calls, check with an attorney familiar with your state's laws.  The biggest issue is whether one or both parties need to be made aware that recording is taking place.  Agents should always be notified when call recording is happening (one-party notification); notification to the customer can be made by a preamble recording ("This call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes") or a periodic beep tone (two-party notification).  [More information about this and related topics is available at www.connectionsmagazine.com/articles/2/183.html.)

See our current listing of vendors that provide call logging and voice logging solutions.

[See product literature from many of these vendors.]