Install an automated system

You could walk around your office taking notes on employees' calls with pen and paper, but that's hardly an efficient way to work. Instead, install an automated monitoring system that scales to fit your needs and lets you either record calls or listen in on calls as they happen. Many come in versions specific to industries ranging from health care to finance to law.

I recommend: Order from Data Collection Resources (the CEMS system), Accurate Always (the Voxida system) or VoiceGate.

Hire an outside evaluator

Listening to employee calls yourself can be a bad idea because (1) you have better things to do with your time and (2) you are emotionally attached to the business and might not have the right perspective. An outside monitoring service can objectively evaluate how employees handle calls, typically by using a check sheet to make sure that employees give their names, ask the right questions, remember customers' names, speak courteously, and do whatever else you ask them to do.

I recommend: BPA International, At Random Communications, and J. Lodge all provide remote call monitoring.

Be the customer

You can monitor random calls from customers, or you can quiz your employees on exactly the topics you're most curious about by hiring "mystery callers," who work the same way as mystery shoppers in retail environments.

I recommend: Check out mystery calling services from J. Lodge, At Random Communications and Call Metrics.

Follow a customer's tracks

You can monitor calls to learn how customers discovered your business. By tracking leads, you can learn which of your advertising and marketing campaigns work best, helping you save money in the future and direct campaigns where they are most effective.

I recommend: Who's Calling employs lead tracking to boost the return on investment (ROI) of a company's ad budget.

Call monitoring on a larger scale

If you have ten or more employees answering calls, then you may want to establish a "call center" (or "contact center" if these employees also answer e-mails and web requests). Building a small call center from the ground up will cost$1500 to $2000 per employee, including software and phones – but keep in mind that most call center software performs many functions, including call monitoring.

I recommend: To receive call center software quotes from multiple vendors, complete this Buyerzone questionnaire.