On the Record
Integrating call monitoring and recording into your new IP telephony network helps your call center improve service and increase business productivity.

IP telephony delivers tangible business benefits that make the move to convergence a no-brainer for business. Not only does VoIP promise companies significant cost savings and improved manageability but it also delivers features and functionality that helps organizations increase their productivity. Convergence makes certain applications that were out of reach in traditional voice networks not only possible but practical.

Companies can now count IP call monitoring and recording among these applications. Call center-type computer telephony integrations are now practical for small and medium businesses that make the move to convergence. As a result, businesses that did without a call recording solution in their circuit-switched voice network are discovering first-hand that deploying an IP telephony network with a call recording solution can deliver a host of advantages to help their companies comply with regulations, improve customer service, and meet corporate objectives.

The desire of executives and IT managers to achieve quality assurance and make sure their call center agents interact effectively with internal and external clients is a big driver of call recording solutions. By listening to the recorded call after it takes place, call center managers can better train agents to respond to customers’ needs and in turn meet their corporate performance goals, according to Louis Person, president of IP telephony solution provider and ShoreTel partner Traxi Technologies. A new IP telephony implementation creates an ideal opportunity for businesses to add call monitoring to their call center operation.

The need for call recordings to provide proof of transactions for regulatory compliance, such as brokerage orders, is clear. However, any business with a call center will gain perspective when using IP telephony software with a call recording solution, says Person. For example, managers can play back call recordings to staffers as a very effective way to offer constructive suggestions to help them improve their interactions with customers. "You are going to get fast return on your investment from playing back those calls," Person says.

Call Recording Solutions
Traxi Technologies recently sold Volcrum, a call recording solution, to Liquid Labs, a software company focused on delivering VoIP and CTI applications. The Web-based Volcrum Voice product line has a call recording element that tightly integrates with ShoreTel’s IP telephony solution so companies can capture, store and replay any call. Administrators can filter and record calls using almost any criteria in the ShoreTel call detail records. For instance, they can record calls by user, time of day, area code or number.

"Volcrum ties directly with the ShoreTel system so it can access the ShoreTel call detail record information," Person says. "Volcrum fully leverages the ShoreTel architecture."

Person acknowledges that security concerns have made some companies wary of using call recording software. But Person says call recording is very secure, noting that ShoreTel can encrypt calls, and Volcrum works with call encryption enabled. Volcum also efficiently compresses and archives call recordings.

Though companies in the financial services and other heavily regulated industries are leading the call monitoring and recording charge, businesses in other sectors are eagerly integrating the technology into their new IP phone systems, according to Person. He notes strong interest from industries like trucking and distribution that are centralizing their operations.

Call recording gives businesses accurate insight into their call center operations, offering the kind of concrete information they need to speed their responsiveness and better meet their customer needs. Only when that happens can a business guarantee its success. Person says all companies can benefit from this technology, even those who think they are performing well.

"If a business thinks their customer service is adequate, that might be a false impression," Person says, "But if they listen to the calls, they might think differently. Even highly tuned businesses have room for improvement."