Why record your telephone calls?

In today's business environment the need and ability to record phone conversations is critical. Whether for staff training or being able to verify information given, call recording provides a secure, impartial and utterly reliable witness to every important phone call.

Call recording can also be used to improve customer service, resolve customer disputes, enhance employee productivity and meet legal and contractual call recording obligations.

Large call centres were early adopters of call recording and we are now familiar with the expression 'this call may be recorded for training or quality control purposes'. Many government organisations are legally bound to record their calls for liability purposes

Creating customer loyalty

In the UK we have a service-based economy. The quality of your service is critical because today it is what differentiates you from your competitors, and it's becoming increasingly important as more and more companies become familiar with the tools and techniques of first-class customer service. In fact, the premium on good quality service has never been higher.

How do you control your customer service when you're relying on individual personalities to deliver it? Without any evidence other than their word, how can you ensure that your people remain objective and professional even when dealing with the most awkward of customers, day in day out?

Customer service advisers operate within the privacy of a one-to-one phone call and towards the end of a long day it can be an alienating experience. How can you ensure that you protect them? How do you provide a way for them to demonstrate how good they are at their jobs - a way for them to get more involved in the workings of your organisation?

After all, they're the ones talking to your customers - imagine the insight you could get from their experiences!

But how do you get that insight without taking them away from what they're paid to do - take calls?

"Hi, you're through to Louise, how may I help?"

"Listen, don't transfer me, don't call me back to ask me things I've already told you. I'm sick of you people passing the buck. I'm going to tell you, once, and I want you to sort it out."

"No problem sir, you're not actually through to the right department but I assure you I'll get this resolved today."

"How can Louise say that with such confidence? Could she have a secret weapon in her customer service armoury?"

Statistics show that a customer who has a problem resolved is 50 times more loyal than a customer who's never had a problem. Because in a world of marketing and selective truths, what better way to instil confidence in your customers than by demonstrating your ability to look after them if all doesn't go exactly as planned?

That is where loyalty is born.

Louise can record the call and send it to the right team, who can call back with the answer.