A Unique, Inexpensive Way to Capture Phone Calls

Many small to mid-sized businesses would love to have the ability to record phone calls "to ensure quality service" without the huge price tag that usually comes with purchasing the appropriate phone switch and recording software. I witnessed an interesting application that may be an affordable work around for some businesses.

I was visiting a company yesterday that is asking our group to help with developing a simple call monitoring form and program. They are using Reach Local to manage their local advertising on Google. For a fee, Reach Local helps figure out what keywords people are using to find this business and then buys the appropriate ad words to drive more traffic to the clients web site. They provide the client with a Web based dashboard to monitor hits and traffic. The gentleman who showed me hid dashboard yesterday was witnessing some pretty impressive growth in his hit and contact rates.

Here's where it really gets interesting. Reach Local changes the client's phone number so that when a person calls the business from referencing Google's site or the client's Web site, the call actually passes through Reach Local. Reach Local front ends the call with a simple "your call may be monitored message" and seamlessly passes it on to the client. They digitally record the call and upload the call to the clients dashboard. The client can hear a recording of every call that came to his business through someone referencing the number on Google or his Web site. He didn't have to buy a digital phone switch. He didn't have to install a new phone system.

There are certainly limitations. He isn't getting a true sample of all customers calling him or all calls being taken by his team. In addition, he doesn't have all of the cool bells and whistles of a true QA recording and analysis package. Nevertheless, it's a way for this relatively small business to begin the process of monitoring customer conversations and developing a Quality Assessment process. And, it's all part of the marketing dollars spent. There's no additional capital expense.