Record and Review a Call
Practical ways to record and review a call, so you hear yourself as customers do and improve fast.
Recording is the fastest coach. Listen with kindness.
10 tips that really help
These ideas come from Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss), You’re Not Listening (Kate Murphy), The Lost Art of Listening (Michael Nichols), and everyday practice. The first six help the most. Pick one and try it today.
Recordings reveal habits
Listening to yourself shows how you really sound, which often differs from what you imagine.
Review one call this week.
Always get permission
Tell the customer you are recording and why, and follow the rules in your area.
Be transparent.
Check your talk-to-listen ratio
Time how long you speak compared with the customer, and aim for more listening.
Use a stopwatch.
Mark every interruption
Noting the moments you cut in shows exactly where to practise patience.
Count them.
Listen to your tone
Ask whether you sound warm, calm and interested, or rushed and flat.
Compare with a good call.
Highlight your best questions
Spotting the questions that opened people up helps you repeat them.
Save the top three.
Find the signals you missed
Replaying a call often reveals buying signals or worries you did not follow up.
Write what you would ask now.
Pick one improvement at a time
Trying to fix everything at once leads to frustration, so choose a single focus.
Work on it for a week.
Share clips with a coach
A trusted second pair of ears can notice what you cannot.
Ask for two tips.
Protect the recordings
Store them securely and delete them when no longer needed.
Follow your privacy rules.
Easy things to say
When you are stuck, pick one of these. They work in many sales conversations.
“Do you mind if I record this for training?”
“I record calls to improve how I serve you.”
“I listened back and noticed…”
“Next time I will ask more questions.”
“Thank you for letting me record.”
“I shared a lesson with the team.”
Your first week
One small action a day. Each day is only a little bigger than the last.
Check the rules in your area
Ask permission
Record one call
Listen once with notes
Mark three strengths
Mark one improvement
Repeat weekly
Further reading
- Never Split the Difference (Chris Voss)
- You’re Not Listening (Kate Murphy)
- The Lost Art of Listening (Michael Nichols)
The tips above are written in our own words and are general guidance. The books are suggestions for further reading.
More lessons in “Hear What They Really Mean”
Keep going. Small steps every day make a big change.
← Previous: Practise With Friends and FamilyNext: Count Your Talk Time →
- Why Listening Sells More Than Talking
- Give Full Attention, Every Time
- Put Your Phone Away
- Stop Planning Your Reply
- Let Them Finish
- Listen for the Feeling Underneath
- Make Silence Work for You
- Label the Emotion: "It Sounds Like..."
- Mirror Their Last Words
- Say "That Seems Hard" and Mean It
- Use a Calm, Slow Voice
- Say "How Am I Supposed to Do That?"
- Get to "That Is Right"
- Why Empathy Is Not Weakness
- Tone Tells More Than Words
- Watch for Hesitation
- What a Long Pause Means
- Spot Buying Signals
- Spot Warning Signs Early
- Ask the Question Behind the Question
- Notice What They Keep Repeating
- Summarise in Your Own Words
- Ask "Did I Get That Right?"
- Write Down Their Exact Phrases
- Use Their Words in Your Proposal
- Clear Up Confusion Kindly
- Confirm Priorities Before Moving On
- Ask "What Else?" One More Time
- Let an Angry Customer Vent
- Stay Calm When They Attack
- Acknowledge Before You Answer
- Handle Interruptions Gracefully
- Listen to a Rambler Without Getting Lost
- When the Customer Is Quiet
- Practise With Friends and Family
- Record and Review a Call
- Count Your Talk Time
- The One-Question-Per-Topic Rule
- Take Better Notes
- Become the Best Listener in the Room
