Having started out in the days before call management solutions went digital, Oak Innovation has certainly seen some changes in the industry. Riding the waves of technological progress for more than 30 years now, Oak has earned its position as an SME market leader in call reporting, analytics and recording.
The company which first brought Windows-based call management platforms to the UK has kept on setting the pace for innovation, picking up awards for its flagship “X Range” of products. And in recent years it has been on the development path again, bringing two next generation platforms to market – the Evolve integrated call analytics and management application, and Clarify, a call and data recording solution.
Just as Evolve was developed to introduce more call management capabilities into an analytics suite, providing customers with greater control from a single pane of glass, Clarify offers to do something similar with call recording. In doing so, Oak claims that Clarify fully serves what it sees as the three main reasons people buy call recording:
- Dispute resolution
- Compliance
- Monitoring and training
It is in the latter category that Oak promises additional value above and beyond what other recording platforms provide. With its Quality Measurement module, a ‘must have tool for any contact centre’, Oak has equipped Clarify with powerful performance analytics tools which links actionable insight directly to recording capabilities.
In the following review, we will analyse how well Clarify balances the different purposes call recording software can be put to and unpick exactly what it offers in terms of analysis and insight. As always, please remember that UC Today is an entirely independent service for the UC industry and that we do not endorse, market or have any role in the sale of any product.
How Does It Look?
Clarify provides a very simple, uncluttered interface which is designed primarily to make it as easy as possible to create, find and playback recordings. Once completed, recordings are listed in a table format listed by date, direction of call (inbound/outbound), the number called/calling and the agents who participated in the call.
There is a straightforward annotation system which allows agents and supervisors to add tags, flags, marks and notes to each call. These are displayed as icons in the recorded call list. They are also useful for searching for calls, which can be done via filter tabs and a search bar at the top of the page.
What Can It Do?
Clarify is a software recording solution built on top of the award-winning Oak Communication Platform (OCP). It can be hosted on-site, in a data centre or in a virtual environment, with a modular, subscription-based licensing system meaning customers pay for the features they want and can scale up or down at any time.
The web-based interface means Clarify is accessible on any device. It also integrates recording of calls from fixed lines, extensions and mobile devices all in one place, including SIP trunks. Being built on the OCP means it can handle large call volumes and multi-site operations.
As well as recording audio from a call, Clarify also records what the agent does on screen, providing a holistic overview of the customer interaction. This is useful for training purposes, but also for dispute resolution, as there is a record of what the agent and customer say, what the agent logs and what actions the agent takes. So if a customer complains that an agreed action was not taken, there is documentary evidence to refer to.
With tamper-proof protection, Clarify recordings meet the standards required to be used as evidence in legal disputes. This includes stereo recording, which means both sides of a conversation can be reviewed in isolation, a requirement in some legal scenarios.
Clarify is also designed to support easy compliance with data protection regulations, such as the PCI-DSS rules on recording and storing cardholder details during transactions. Agents can pause recordings either on their handset or in the Clarify client before account details are given, but Clarify can also integrate with payment processing applications so recording automatically stops at the right point.
In addition, masking can be used to protect sensitive information captured in recordings, and privacy settings allow access to recordings to be restricted.
In terms of supporting training and development, as well as recording an agent’s screen along with the call, Clarify can be integrated with CRM systems and customer databases, so supervisors get a complete view of the customer’s history when reviewing call handling. Supervisors can listen in to any call live, and the comments feature is an easy way to leave informal feedback or advice.
However, the Quality Measurement module is really where Clarify comes into its own on performance evaluation. It includes sophisticated analytics tools linked directly to the recording software which will assess a call against key metrics. These can also be used to monitor trends in areas like service quality, efficiency and sales strategy.
The metrics used to evaluate performance are fully customisable. Users can create projects focusing on a specific area, with questionnaires to support formal reviews of a call and build up a bank of data. Reporting includes screen-friendly charts and tables, and also leaderboards which highlight star performers as well as anyone in need of additional support.
What do we like?
As with Evolve, Oak has focused on creating an accessible single-pane-of-glass solution which brings all the things you might want from a call recording platform together in one place. So calls from all endpoints, CRM data, notes and feedback, performance analysis – it is all there, easy to find and easy to use.
Who is it for?
Clarify is a premium quality call recording platform suitable for contact centres of all shapes and sizes, including those running financial transactions. It is used by a number of enterprise level organisations, such as the BBC, Nokia, Samsung and Motorola.
What is it compatible with?
Clarify plugs into a number of popular CRM and transaction processing platforms, and is also compatible with Avaya and ShoreTel phone systems.
Clarify Call Recording Demonstration Video
How to Buy? Pricing?
If you are an IT or Telecoms reseller looking to resell a call recording solution contact Oak Innovation for pricing and more information.
If your business is looking to invest in a call recording system contact Oak Innovation by clicking the link above and they’ll point you in the right direction.
UC Today Opinion
Call recording offers businesses numerous benefits, from compliance and protection to gaining better oversight of customer service and driving improvements. Clarify is a solid performer in all of these areas, with the well thought out design of systems and interfaces for recording, storing and recovering recordings making it a user-friendly option for compliance and similar purposes.
But where Clarify really stands out is with the reporting tools available with the Quality Measurement module. This gives the whole system an additional string to its bow, moving beyond simply recording and logging calls, to providing advanced tools for assessing performance at an individual level and across the contact centre. With these capabilities, Clarify moves beyond being a reactive tool for protecting standards and reputation, to being a powerful proactive platform for making genuine improvements for the business in the contact centre.
Do you use Oak Clarify? What are your thoughts on it as a call recording solution? What do you see as its strengths, and what could be improved? We always welcome your views, so please feel free to leave a comment below. And if you know anyone else who might be interested in this article, why not share it on social media?
