Listen, whisper and barge
Listen to a live agent call from your browser, coach the agent without the customer hearing, or join the call.
Floor, recordings & reports · 2 min read
You can listen to any live agent call from your browser, coach the agent without the customer hearing you, or join the call. There is no desk phone to set up: the dashboard has a small built-in phone called Live Monitor.
What you need
- You are the account owner, or a team member with the Admin or Operator role who also has the Floor tab. Viewer, Billing and QA reviewer members cannot listen in.
- A microphone for Whisper and Barge. Monitor does not use one.
- An agent who is on a live call.
Step 1: Check the Live Monitor is ready
- Click My Servers, then your server's name. A small floating box titled Live Monitor appears on the page.
- Wait until its status says READY and it reads Pick an agent to monitor. On the Floor tab, the pill at the top shows Phone ready.
The Live Monitor stays connected while you move around the dashboard. It always belongs to the last server you opened, so open the right server first if you have several. Drag it by its top bar to move it. The slider sets your listening volume, and the bell turns call notifications on or off.
Step 2: Pick an agent on a call
- Open the Floor tab and make sure Wallboard is selected.
- Find an agent whose card shows INCALL. Cards turn thistle, violet or purple as a call goes on.
- Click the card. A panel opens on the right.
Step 3: Choose Monitor, Whisper or Barge
- In the panel, find the Listen row.
- Click Monitor, Whisper or Barge. The first time you use Whisper or Barge, your browser asks for the microphone. Click Allow.
- Within a few seconds you are on the call. The Live Monitor shows the agent's name, the mode, a timer and signal bars.
Who hears what:
- Monitor: you hear both sides. Nobody hears you.
- Whisper: you hear both sides. Only the agent hears you, so you can coach them mid-call.
- Barge: you join the call. The agent and the customer both hear you.
Monitor and Whisper play no beep, so the agent is not told you joined.
Step 4: Mute or leave
- During Whisper or Barge, use the microphone button in the Live Monitor to mute yourself.
- Click the red hang-up button to leave. Leaving never ends the agent's call; they carry on talking.
Every Monitor, Whisper and Barge is recorded with who started it. You can see them on the Activity page (see Who changed what: Logs and Activity).
Only listen to calls you are allowed to monitor. Rules about monitoring calls differ by country and state.
If something goes wrong
Frequently asked
- Hover over a button to see why. "Wait until agent is INCALL" means the agent is not on a call yet. "The phone is active in another tab - close that tab first" means another dashboard tab holds the Live Monitor. "Phone is still registering - try again in a moment" means it is still connecting.
- Only one browser tab can hold the phone. Close the other dashboard tab, or keep working in that one.
- Your internet address is probably not allowed through your server's firewall. Open the Firewall chip on your server page and click Whitelist me.
- Your browser blocked the microphone. Allow it in the browser's site settings and try again. Monitor works without a microphone.
- You need to be the owner, or an Admin or Operator with the Floor tab. Ask the account owner to check your role on the Members page.
- The agent finished the call before you joined. Wait for their next call.
