17 under-hyped but mega-useful enterprise call recording features

The engineers in the Virtual Observer labs upstairs are always plugging away, adding features and dropping them on us as early Christmas presents.

We try to make sure every new and valuable gadget, widget, bell and whistle is presented and explained to each and every customer, either through email alert, annual customer interview or through frequent dialogue. 

Sometimes, however, customers are so excited about a particular feature they tend to overlook some of the other capabilities.

There can be a lot of stuff under that hood!

Here's a quick list of some of the most requested "I didn't know we could be doing that!" heard from our customer base, categorized by function:

Call Recording:
* The ability to exclude specific area codes from call logging parameters
* The ability to use alarms to notify personnel when calls aren't being logged

Screen Capture Functions:
*  Users also have an ability with certain screen capture types to record screen capture in real time while they are watching a user in VO Live Desktop.
* VO has an ability to trigger screen capture for screen only events manually from within the software or by an API trigger.

* The ability to record screens in a thin client or multi-monitor environment

Usability:
* The ability to bring any available data stream into a widget on your real-time Dashboard
* The ability to create an infinite range of custom dashboards
* The ability to save any event log view as a favorite, or even as your default start-up view

Quality Monitoring:
* The ability to chat with an agent and assist them in navigating your CRM system during a live call
* The ability to calibrate scoring results for a single event

 Data Storage and IT:
* A client may choose to have certain groups’ calls stored in a separate location, which is possible with most logging environments.
* CSI offers various flavors of automated data replication and redundant storage locations. This goes for VO Auto-Archiving as well.
* Event retention may be different for varying call types or different agent group, and VO allows the client to be able to set granular retention / purge requirements.
* Virtual Observer’s Avaya DMCC recording offerings allow a client to perform redundant recordings that post to redundant application servers and databases.
* CSI supports “cold start” DR solutions, as well as various flavors of “active / active” redundancy
* The ability to run VO in a virtualized environment

Remember, we are always happy to schedule additional webinar training sessions for customers who would like to learn a little more about how else they can leverage all of the robust quality monitoring and training features available in Virtual Observer.

Related articles

• Getting the most out of your CRM
• There's Something Big Missing From LinkedIn
• CallProof Turns the iPhone 5 the Into a Powerful Sales Tracking System with Their Proven Mobile Lead Tracking Software, Now Available as an iPhone App

Everyone's talking about Screen Time

Desktop analytics and screen capture are huge topics in the call center space these days.

For a starting point, centers can begin by looking for desktop activity improvements using integrated screen capture. Most mature call recording companies offer a synchronized screen and audio recording which allows supervisors to recreate the customer experience and evaluate the effectiveness of the agent.

Call centers want the ability to see what employees are doing with their screen time. Are the agents using applications effectively? Are the agents fumbling through the menus and icons? These are some of the questions which can be answered very cost effectively, using screen capture.

We've taken the simple integrated screen capture model and made it more flexible and intelligent:

 With Virtual Observer, customers are able to use our Rules-Based Screen Capture and use business rules to define how they want to capture screens:

- Record a percentage of screens from inbound calls handled by agent X
- Record a percentage of screens from all recorded calls
- Record a percentage of screens from calls from customer x
- Record screens based on agent skill set
- Record screens based on call type
- Record screens based on ANI (Caller ID)
- Record screens based on DNIS (Dialed Number)
- Record all outbound calls with screens
- Record all calls with screens
- Record only screens (no audio) on-demand
- Record only screens (no audio) using a schedule

Many organizations also now allow their users to have multiple monitors to give them more desktop real estate, which we're supporting. When a user  plays back a recorded event, they will get a synchronized playback where they are able to recreate the entire interaction experience, including dual or multiple screen captures.

Speaking of screens, screen time is also a big topic in my household.

Between the iPad, iPod, DroidX, and our two televisions, we find our son is becoming as big of a tech geek as his Dad.

Restricting his screen time has been a useful tool for us in helping him do the things he doesn't really want to do, such as getting dressed in the morning, picking up his toys, eating something other than Chicken Nuggets.

Thinking about it, maybe instead we should look closer at his screen time and optimize what he is doing during his screen time -- improving the overall parent-child interaction experience.

Or even better, I think I'll drag out some of his favorite books and encourage some old fashioned reading...

 I found this related article fascinating:
http://adage.com/article/adagestat/25-toddlers-a-smartphone/229082/

Related articles

• Multiple Monitors Boost Your Productivity - Try Two Instead Of One (businessinsider.com)
• Recording the Screen on an iPad (ipadclassroom.net)

Use Screen Capture to Improve Agent Performance

Virtual Observer's Screen Capture functionality is more than a "big brother" feature. It is an extremely powerful training tool which can help to identify where your call center agents are making crucial mistakes in navigating your CRM applications. Watching recorded screen activity (which should be synchronized with the audio recording) during the evaluation process allows you to properly evaluate the entire interaction from start to finish, across all media.

Virtual Observers's Screen Capture feature creates a true full-motion video. The video is a smooth, real time capture of your MS-Windows desktop environment, including dual-monitor environments.

Additional Benefits:
- Reduce Call Wrap-Up by improving CRM process flow
- Produce "New Hire" Training Materials which include recorded screen activity
- Include Screen Recordings in Content Deliverables and e-Learning

One of our more recent feature releases, "VO Live", also offers real-time viewing of agent screen activity in a thumbnail view. Supervisors can watch everyone's screens at the same time, enlarge and take control of an agents' screens, and chat with an agent to assist them.

The benefits of screen capture for training

Most of the time, when we implement our enhanced screen capture functionality for a customer, it's not intended to catch occasional ebay surfing or other nefarious internet activity. The main benefit of capturing screen activity is to evaluate how agents are using your company's various applications.

Are they efficiently looking up customer information in the crm?

Do they know how to search the support knowledgebase?

Do your agents know when and how to add notes from a customer call?

Are they presenting correct information?

Are they utilizing the correct applications?

Recording the agents on the phone is only part of the story. Being able to watch the synchronized screen and phone interaction completes the picture.

Note: we are pleased to announce that we are able to record dual-monitor screen activity for agents who use two monitors in their contact center.