A private company in the UK has recently announced a new service positioned to be an �ear witness� for consumers concerned about doing business over the phone with customer service departments. Calling themselves a �new breed of consumer watchdog,� Registered Call LLC has found a way to provide a service that has thus far proven to be raising interest with UK consumers, while drumming up a bit of profit at the same time.

The service is positioned as a quick and easy way to record any telephone conversations with telemarketing companies, utilities, retailers, service providers and any other companies consumers contact on a regular basis. A user first dials the Registered Call number, and is then connected to the party he or she wishes to call through the Registered Call platform. The end result, according to Registered Call, is a tamper-proof recording of the transaction, should the details or quality of customer service be disputed later. The recordings are saved for a period of six months. Users can retrieve their call recordings over the phone or via the company�s Web site. The service costs 10 pence per minute (about 18 cents U.S.). Registered Call also makes available a complaints forum in which users with similar complaints can be grouped together. A �testimonial� board allows users to post their experiences and share them with others. Additionally, Registered Call offers a �Wizard� which allows users to find contact information for companies or the appropriate government or regulatory bodies, should their call prove to be troublesome.

This is how it works:

A caller first dials the Registered Call telephone number.

First-time users are asked to create user IDs and passwords; returning callers are prompted for their information.

Using the Registered Call platform, the caller is connected to the desired company/organization.

In accordance with British law (and American law, for that matter), an announcement is played to whomever answers the call indicating that the call is being recorded. It is the caller who activates this recording by hitting the star key (*) twice. Registered Caller advises users that they should not begin speaking until they�ve activated the recorded announcement.

The call is automatically stored with Registered Call for the prescribed six month period. Shortly after hanging up the call, the user can access it via the Web or by phone.

Aside from the rather convenient ability to keep a record of transactions to avoid �he said, she said� debacles, it�s thought that if the call center agent knows that the call is being recorded, it will help improve quality from the get-go.

Tracey Schelmetic may be reached for comment at [email protected].

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