Overview
Call Center Supervisors can monitor and guide their agents in real time using three audio monitoring modes: Listen, Whisper, and Barge-In. Each mode gives supervisors a different level of involvement in an active call, making it easier to coach agents and maintain call quality without disrupting the customer experience unnecessarily.
Definitions
- Barge-In – The supervisor joins the call as an active participant. Both the agent and the caller can hear the supervisor speaking.
- Listen – The supervisor hears both sides of the call but remains completely silent. Neither the agent nor the caller is aware of the supervisor’s presence.
- Whisper – The supervisor can speak directly to the agent without the caller hearing. Useful for coaching agents mid-call without the customer knowing.
Rules
- Audio monitoring is only available to users with a Call Center Supervisor scope.
- Barge-In and Listen are available on all call types.
- Whisper is only available when one party is on-net and the other is off-net.
- Basic Users do not have access to call monitoring features.
How to Start Monitoring a Call
- Find the agent you want to monitor. The agent must be on an active call.
- Hover over the right side of the agent’s listing and click the speaker icon that appears.
- An Audio Monitoring panel will appear in the bottom right corner of your screen.
Barge-In (Join Call)
Click the Join Call button to enter the call as a full participant. Both the agent and caller will hear you. Use this when direct involvement is needed rather than background coaching.
Whisper
Click the Whisper button to speak privately to the agent without the caller hearing. Ideal for real-time coaching during difficult conversations. Only available on calls with one on-net and one off-net party.
Listen Only
The default mode when you first connect. You can hear both parties without either knowing you are on the line. Click Listen Only in the panel to return to this mode from another mode.
Using DTMF to Monitor Calls
If DTMF Audio Monitoring is configured on your system, you can dial into an active call using a tapping code. This requires prior setup through Support and carries a one-time fee of $50 per domain. By default this is limited to Office Managers, though access can be adjusted per user.
- Dial the tapping code followed by the agent’s extension while they are on an active call. The session starts in Listen Only mode by default.
- Switch modes using the appropriate star codes for Barge-In, Whisper, or Listen Only.
- To end the session, simply hang up.