Screen Capture + Call Recording = Improved Call Center Interaction Efficiency

Call recording is a technological staple of the contact center and has been for some time. While most companies still use it for agent evaluation (and therefore record only a small fraction of calls), others have moved to a model in which all calls are recorded, either for compliance purposes or to mine intelligence about operations from the call.

But today, recording the call – even if you record all of them – is only half the picture. What the agent is saying on the phone is important, but so too is what the agent is doing on his or her desktop. It can show how well the agent understands the applications being used in the call center, where he or she is looking for information, and what results are being found. Far fewer companies today have the capability to record screen action as well as audio.

“Call recording is fast becoming standard practice in the contact center,” wrote Monet Software CEO Chuck Ciarlo in a recent blog post. “Screen recording, which captures both audio and video of each agent’s desktop, isn’t there yet – but more contact centers are discovering the efficiency improvements and cost-saving benefits that can be derived from this technology.”

Ciarlo cites a recent blog post by open-source call recording solutions provider OrecX  that details how, in a large and busy contact center, any efficiencies that can be drawn out of agents will yield tremendous bottom-line value. Screen recording can add to the efficiencies that can be found.  According to OrecX, synchronized playback of both audio and screen capture can yield a full, 360-degree picture of the agent’s activities. Careful analysis of this synchronized playback can allow call center managers to do the following:

1. Identify application or system breakdowns that affect agent screen navigation

2. Discover areas to improve agent efficiency through additional skills training (for example, increasing proficiency with certain applications or workflows)

3. Uncover unauthorized personal activity by agents (for example, checking their own facebook or playing Solitaire during a customer interaction)

4. Identify PCI (News - Alert) or HIPAA compliance issues upon data entry (such as the agent's screen erroneously displaying the credit card information upon entry when it's supposed to be masked).  

5. Record best-practice agent screen performance to share with underperforming agents

By finding even small efficiencies, companies can shave precious time off each customer interaction. Multiplied by thousands of interactions, these improvements can save time and money and improve the quality of customer support. 

Edited by Stefania Viscusi