If you run a team that talks to customers on the phone, you know the drill: some calls go great, some... not so much. Whether you’re trying to coach your staff, spot tricky compliance issues, or just see what the heck is actually being said, you need to record and review calls. This guide will show you, step by step, how to do it in Callblitz without getting lost in settings or wasting time on bells and whistles you don’t need.
This is for team leads, QA managers, trainers, or honestly, anyone who just wants to keep customer calls on track and improve the way people work. Let’s get into it.
Why bother recording and reviewing calls?
Before you dive into the how-to, it’s worth being clear about why you’re doing this. Call recording isn’t just about “gotchas” or covering yourself. It’s a way to:
- Spot patterns in customer questions or complaints
- Give real feedback to your team, based on actual calls (not fuzzy memories)
- Train new hires using real examples from your business, not generic scripts
- Make sure compliance isn’t just a checkbox
But, a word of warning: Don’t expect call recording to magically fix bad processes, broken scripts, or a toxic culture. If folks are afraid to talk because “everything’s recorded,” you’ve got bigger problems to solve.
Step 1: Set up call recording in Callblitz
Call recording in Callblitz isn’t rocket science, but you do have to set it up right from the start.
1.1 Know what you’re allowed to record
Before you turn anything on, check your local laws on call recording. Some places require both parties to consent, some don’t. This isn’t legal advice, but “better safe than sued” is a good rule of thumb.
- Pro Tip: Even if your area is one-party consent, it’s just good manners (and builds trust) to let folks know calls may be recorded.
1.2 Enable recording (admin steps)
If you’re an admin, here’s what you need to do:
- Login to Callblitz.
- Go to Settings > Call Recording.
- Decide—do you want to record all calls, just inbound, or just outbound?
- Turn on recording for the call types you want.
- Set up an automated announcement if you want callers to hear “This call may be recorded.”
- Save changes.
Be honest: If your team hates being recorded, talk about it openly. Explain the why, not just the how. The goal is to improve, not to spy.
1.3 Pick your storage settings
Callblitz gives you a few options for where and how long to keep recorded calls. Don’t automatically set this to “forever.” Recordings take up space, and keeping stuff forever is a privacy risk.
- Most teams find 30–90 days is plenty.
- If you have compliance rules, follow those, obviously.
- Make sure only the right people can access recordings.
Step 2: Make sure recording works
Don’t assume it’s working—test it.
- Make a test call (inbound and outbound, if you use both).
- Hang up, then find the recording in Callblitz.
- Listen for clarity, check that the whole call is there, and that you can download it if needed.
If the recording sounds like it was made underwater or cuts off early, troubleshoot now. Most issues come down to browser permissions, phone settings, or network hiccups.
Step 3: Reviewing calls—what actually matters
This is where most teams get overwhelmed. Hours of recordings, nobody sure what to listen for, or how to give feedback that isn’t nitpicky.
Here’s how to do it right.
3.1 Set clear goals for review
Don’t just “listen to calls.” Decide what you’re looking for:
- Tone and professionalism
- Did the agent follow the process or script?
- Were compliance points (like disclosures) actually said?
- How did the customer sound at the end—happy, confused, annoyed?
If you’re coaching, focus on one or two things at a time. Nobody improves when you dump a laundry list of nitpicks on them.
3.2 Use Callblitz’s review tools
Callblitz has some built-in features to help:
- Playback controls: Speed up, slow down, or skip to key moments.
- Flagging: Mark spots in a call for follow-up or coaching.
- Notes/comments: Leave feedback tied to a timestamp.
- Download/share: Useful for team training or escalation.
Don’t get too hung up on fancy analytics unless your team is huge or you’re in a highly regulated industry. Most groups just need clear recordings and a way to leave honest, specific notes.
3.3 Keep reviews focused and fair
When you review calls:
- Listen all the way through before judging.
- Focus on patterns, not one-off mistakes.
- If the call went sideways, ask “why.” Bad calls are almost always a process or training issue, not just “bad agents.”
- Share good calls, too—don’t make QA just about catching mistakes.
Step 4: Use recordings for actual training (not just “compliance”)
The real value of call recording isn’t just in catching slip-ups. It’s about learning.
4.1 Build a library of real examples
- Save a mix of great, average, and “needs work” calls.
- Use these in training to show what good (and not-so-good) sounds like.
- Get team input—what do they think about these calls? You’ll learn a lot.
4.2 Practice with real scenarios
Don’t just play recordings at new hires and hope they absorb it. Try:
- Pausing calls and asking, “What would you say next?”
- Role-playing based on actual tricky moments from recordings.
- Letting folks review their own calls and pick one to discuss—people are usually their own toughest critics.
4.3 Avoid common training traps
- Don’t only show “perfect” calls—those aren’t real life.
- Don’t use call recordings as a threat (as in, “We’re always watching.”)
- Focus on progress, not perfection.
Step 5: Manage privacy and permissions the right way
This isn’t exciting, but it’s important.
- Double-check who can access recordings. Not everyone needs to hear every call.
- Delete recordings you no longer need—Callblitz lets you set this up automatically.
- If customers ask for a copy of their call, know how to find and send it (or explain why you can’t).
If you mess up here, you could face privacy complaints, trust issues, or worse. Don’t cut corners.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to skip
What actually helps:
- Short, regular reviews. Don’t do a marathon session once a year—make it ongoing, and less painful.
- Real feedback. Be honest, specific, and fair. Vague “do better” comments help nobody.
- Team buy-in. If your team sees recordings as a tool for them, not against them, you’ll get way better results.
What to ignore:
- Obsessive “scorecards” with 20 checkboxes. They take forever and nobody reads them.
- Overly complex analytics dashboards. Unless you have hundreds of agents or strict compliance, keep it simple.
- Recording every single call forever. It’s a privacy nightmare and a storage bill waiting to happen.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple and keep improving
Recording and reviewing calls in Callblitz isn’t complicated, but it’s easy to overthink it. Stick to the basics: record, review a few calls regularly, give honest feedback, and use real examples in training. Keep your process simple, protect your team’s and customers’ privacy, and tweak things as you go. That’s how you actually get better—not by drowning in data, but by making small, steady improvements.