Poll--Monitering

[dougiezerts]

How do you feel about employers electronically monitering employees' phone calls? I'm especially talking about call centers.

[Broomjockey]

I think that the company phone should only be used for company business on company time, unless there is an emergency. Most people have cell phones these days, if it's something personal, use one.

And recording employee interaction with customers on the phone is a good thing because that way, no one is left simply having to be taken at their word.

[myswtghst]

In my experience (two years in two call center environments) monitoring is a good thing. It helps the employees to know what they are doing well, and what they are doing wrong. It's a good method of quality control. And it's very useful in the case of a customer complaint.

We've had several instances where customers complained, and we were able to produce the monitored calls to show where the customer was beligerant and the agent did nothing wrong. We've actually had people banned from calling in for their inability to be civil with the agents, thanks to recorded calls.

I will say, it's always odd for me to listen to my monitors, as I can't stand to hear my voice in recordings.

[CurlyLocks]

I also work in a call center and have no problem with it because it truly is the best way to assure quality control. If someone is consistently making the same mistakes they can get coaching on it. Conversely, when you're doing really well you get credit for that. And as myswtghst pointed out, it's a great way to protect agents against unwarranted complaints and accusations.

As a side note, I once had a caller complain about the fact that his call might be monitored. I tried to explain that it was done for training and quality control purposes but he insisted there was no good reason for it. He said that he didn't want to be monitored and felt there should be a way for customers to opt out of having their calls monitored. Now why would you want to do that unless you were planning on being a real SC?

[Banrion]

The only reason someone would object to being monitored while they did their job, would be if they were doing something they shouldn't. From the customers POV, how many times do we hear stories of "the last rep told be yadda yadda" by having the call monitored, you can confirm or deny the story regardless of the quality of notes left.

When I was in the call center, someone actually disputed a payment made over the automated system, even that call was recorded, and we played it back to the customer over the phone. In true SC fashion, customer admitted that it was her voice, and her bank account, but that she did not authorize it. Guess who won that battle? Recorded calls have saved me more than once from lying scamming SC's.

[Spiffy McMoron]

When I was in the call center, someone actually disputed a payment made over the automated system, even that call was recorded, and we played it back to the customer over the phone. In true SC fashion, customer admitted that it was her voice, and her bank account, but that she did not authorize it.

Just curious, but did she say who might have authorized the transaction? I wouldn't mind having a laugh...

[Banrion]

It was a circular conversation with her.

Me:Ma'am do you recognize that is your voice giving us your bank account number?
Clueless:Yes, but I didn't authorize that!
Me:But it is YOUR voice.
Clueless: I know it's my voice, but I didn't do that!
Repeat ad nauseum

Now it should be mentioned that this woman had a very distinct voice, she had an accent that sounded to me like a mix of eastern european and british, she also had a pretty significant warble to her voice. There was no way to deny that it was this woman.

She wasn't really sucky, except for the fact that even after pulling the call,she refused to concede that she either made a mistake, or just didn't remember.

[ta2ooed1]

Maybe she made the call in her sleep. You never know... It could happen... right?

[Foxglove8778]

There was a news story not long ago that had people taking meds to help them "fall asleep & stay asleep" and the meds worked so "well" that people where waking up at work with no memory of getting up, getting dressed and driving to work that morning....

[CrazedClerk]

Maybe she thinks someone recorded her own voice just so they could make a bogus payment to HER account. Yeah...that must be it....

[WSDuckie]

I will say, it's always odd for me to listen to my monitors, as I can't stand to hear my voice in recordings.

I don't think there's anyone in any call center who *likes* to hear their voice during monitors... I cringe everytime I have to do a monitor...

[TWOLF]

We have company phones in the building to allow for calls out and no one knows if those get monitored. I really hope they don't some days. Most of us have cellphones or someone tries to borrow someone elses since there is a 5 min limit on the phones we can use.