Most contact centres record voice calls and interactions, but few manage and utilise the resulting data effectively.
So says Karl Reed, chief marketing and solutions officer at Elingo, who says most contact centres have recording systems in place to protect themselves in the event of customer complaints and queries, but recording is not among the top priorities of contact centres. He describes the purchase of recording equipment as a "grudge purchase" for many companies, which he asserts is a mistake.
"Installing cheap and nasty off-the-shelf recording tools simply to record and store conversations defeats the object of recording, and leaves gaping holes in enterprise security and risk management," says Reed. He adds that business tends to overlook the importance of the confidential information captured in the recordings, as well as its potential strategic business value.
This recorded data contains a great deal of personal information about clients and their transactions with the enterprise, says Reed. "The potential losses and reputational damage if this data should fall into the wrong hands is huge," he says, adding that too many contact centres are vague on how data should be stored and for what length of time, even though, by law, some data must be kept for up to 10 years.
For Reed, as enterprises offer contractual transactions via various channels, voice or electronic communication has become a binding contract, making security, storage and management of these recordings increasingly important. "It is becoming critically important that all recordings are monitored for action points or potential problems, and that these are attended to quickly."
He also cautions that, should the recording not be quality managed, there is a chance it will be buried and the enterprise will lose valuable insights. "Without effectively using this recorded data, the enterprise is left to rely on the contact centre agent alone as the face of the company, responsible for interpreting sentiment and flagging any concerns. When an agent is managing hundreds of calls a day, they may not be effective in flagging problems and retaining customers."
An effective quality management team allows the contact centre to thoroughly analyse the interactions and respond in a proactive way. "As enterprises look to expand their insights into customer sentiment, they may be ignoring the reserves of information they already have access to," Reed says.
When it comes to spending money to improve recording equipment, Reed notes that many organisations delay upgrading to high-end integrated systems due to costs. "It's necessary to consider the costs of not doing so, as well as the potential return on investment in a system that allows the contact centre to deliver better service, increased customer satisfaction and improved business practices.
"Recording needs to be a lot more than a tick in the box," he concludes. "Considering the risk mitigation and customer insight value it can deliver, the management and security of recordings of all transactions, correspondence and conversations needs to be taken seriously."
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