“This call is being recorded for quality assurance purposes.” It’s a phrase you hear almost any time you call a customer service line. Even many small businesses have taken to recording their ingoing and outgoing calls. While recording phone calls can offer businesses some great advantages, there are also several pitfalls that need to be avoided. How can businesses make the most of recording customer service calls while avoiding the associated problems?
Advantages of Recording Phone Calls
- Eliminate “he said, she said” situations – When businesses record customer service calls, it eliminates ambiguity as to who said what, and what was discussed. This will help clear up any potential customer service issues, as well as protect the business in case of false accusations by customers.
- Improved training – Recorded customer calls also make great training material. Use recordings to point out how employees who speak with customers on the phone can improve and as demonstrations of positive behavior.
Potential Issues with Recording Phone Calls
As useful as recording calls can be, it does raise several issues that businesses want to avoid:
- Legal issues – Different states and countries have different laws regarding how and when participants in a phone conversation have to be notified they are being recorded. Some laws even differ as to how many people in a conversation have to give their permission for a recording to be legal. Businesses that have customers in multiple states or countries will have to make sure they are compliant with all relevant laws regarding the recording of telephone calls.
- Employee resistance – Most people have a natural aversion to being monitored, and employees may push back against the idea of being recorded. This is especially true if recordings are being used to evaluate employee performance, as staff members may feel that they will be unfairly judged against snippets of conversations, or that being constantly monitored means that they are not trusted by management.
Thankfully, there’s a way for businesses to take advantage of all the benefits of recording phone calls, without having to worry about the disadvantages. Always Answer’ call centers will take care of all legal compliance issues and also use staff members who have been trained to work in a monitored environment. To learn more, contact us today at 800-606-9898.
