Voice Logging

Fall, 2003 (updated June 2006)

[For more information, see Voice Logging Vendors and the Legal Requirements of Voice Logging.]

Voice logging is an important and valuable call center technology, considered by many to be an indispensable support tool.  Voice logging allows calls to be recorded for quality assurance, training, self-evaluations, verification purposes, and dispute resolution.  Because of the terrorist attacks in the United States on September 11, 2001 there has been a surge of interest in voice logging.  Although voice logging cannot be viewed as a detriment to terrorism, it is deemed as an essential part of everyone's overall goal of increased security and safety.

Some centers record calls at random, many record all calls, and some continuously record all headset audio - both during and between calls.  Past forms of voice logging equipment have ranged from reel-to-reel tape machines, to specialized audiocassette recorders, to modified VCR units, to today's state-of-the-art computer-based implementations.

How Loggers Work: Voice loggers can be either external stand-alone systems or internal integrated software.  Many of today's CTI-enabled switches and call-processing platforms have voice logging as a built-in option, inherent in the system's design and architecture.  This provides for optimal performance and often allows the call record or captured data - be it a patient call, a telephone triage session, or a doctor's instruction - to be directly linked to the voice file.  This allows for a holistic review of all components of a particular call, as both the audio interaction and the information gathered can be easily accessed and reviewed congruently and simultaneously.

For other situations, stand-alone voice loggers can be interfaced to the switch or call-processing platform, tapping into audio paths at the agent headset, the switch destination port, or the source port.  These later two configurations provide the ability to record voice mail calls as well.  The advisability and desirability of doing so, however, is questionable and should be pursued only after careful thought and consideration of the ramifications and legal consequences.

Often vendors of stand-alone systems have designed universal interface adapters that allow audio to be easily tapped into at the handset or headset connection without affecting or degrading the audio level.  For these external systems, a typical method includes tapping into the headset audio at the agent station and feeding it into the PC's sound card.

For both internal and external voice loggers, the speech is digitized and often stored on the agent station hard drive, usually as wave files.  At some point (either immediately or at a preset time or condition), the wave files are sent over the network to a central voice logging server where they are indexed and stored. 

Indexes are commonly applied to all header field data, such as time, date, station number, agent login, source port, destination port, call completion code, and project ID.  If needed, queries can be established to fine-tune the search even further.  Searching by agent or time are the most common parameters.  However, in the course of troubleshooting system problems, searching by specific ports, completion codes, or station numbers can be most informative.

The retrieval interface is a database, such as Access or SQL.  As such, records of calls can be quickly sorted, filtered, and presented.  Wave file access is then fast and efficient.  If needed, archiving of voice files can be accomplished easily and quickly to CD-ROM or DVD.

Uses of Voice Logging: As mentioned, there are several possible reasons to record calls.  These include quality assurance, training, self-evaluations, verification, and dispute resolution.  Any one of these options often justifies the expense of implementing voice logger technology.  The other features then become pleasant bonuses.

• Quality assurance is the most often cited use of voice logging.  With voice logging, supervisors and managers can easily and quickly retrieve, review, and evaluate agent calls.  By integrating a program of silent monitoring, with side-by-side coaching and statistical measurements, an agent's overall effectiveness can be evaluated and verified.  Voice logging allows areas of deficiency to be discovered and items of excellence to be celebrated.

• Training can be greatly facilitated using voice logging.  One application is to capture examples of exemplary calls by seasoned representatives for trainees to review and emulate.  Conversely, less than ideal calls can also be showcased for discussion and critique.  Although both of these scenarios could be accomplished using fictitious examples or staged calls, there is great benefit in being able to demonstrate real-world examples.

• Self-evaluation is a powerful tool of introspection whereby agents use voice loggers to retrieve their own calls and through a process of self-discovery learn how they can handle calls or situations more effectively.  Although this is valuable during the training phase, it is also beneficial for seasoned representatives, as it allows them to keep their skills sharp and helps sloppy actions from becoming bad habits.  Even more importantly, agents may specifically seek and review a specific call that had a less than ideal result so that a more desirable outcome can be determined and implemented.

• Verification is another worthwhile use of voice logging, especially in an environment where critical information is shared and communicated, such as in telephone triage.  By recording all conversations, the symptoms and nurse's instruction to the patient is captured and verified that proper information was conveyed.  Normally, the recording is never listened to unless there is an argument about the transaction.

• Dispute resolution then comes into play.  Whether it is a message, a medical emergency, or an accusation of improper phone behavior, the voice recording of that call essentially becomes an independent third party account of what happened and avoids the "he-said/she-said" disputes in which neither party can corroborate their own account of what happened.  Though the agent is sometimes found to be in error in such situations, the consensus is that in the vast majority of cases the agent is vindicated; once the aggrieved party hears the recording, the problem resolves itself quickly and with little further effort.

User Input: It is rare to find a voice logger user who is not overwhelmingly positive about the benefits and value of the technology and what it means to their call center.  "I wish I had a logger years ago," is a sentiment commonly made within weeks of a new voice logger installation.

Others see how voice logging allows call centers to improver customer service.  Interestingly, call center staff often initially view the recording of calls as a negative development, threatening the work they do and attacking their competency.  It is only after voice logging technology is implemented that the agents begin to see it as a tool to protect their work and validate their quality.  The reality is that only representatives with something to hide have a legitimate reason to fear voice logging.

Accounts abound from call centers that have increased the quality of their service, improved their training, and avoided a potentially costly lawsuit or a lost patient all because of voice logging.  Although it may seem difficult to cost-justify a voice logger before it is bought, a high percentage of users indicate that it is one of the most important pieces of technology in their call center.