Call intelligence: Optimizing sales and customer support

Ever been on a customer call and thought, “We should be tracking this…but who has the time? And where would we start?” 

Let’s be honest — most call data goes to waste. Every customer call is packed with valuable intel, like questions, complaints, feature requests, and sales objections, but no one remembers every detail (or wants to sift through hours of call transcripts). 

That’s where call intelligence comes in. Let’s dive into what it is, how it can help grow your business, and what to look for in a call intelligence tool.

What is call intelligence? 

Call intelligence might sound like something out of Ex Machina, but businesses like yours are using it every day. 

It’s advanced analytical technology that drives customer sentiment analysis, call categorization, call transcriptions, revenue opportunity identification, and more. You can use the artificial intelligence (AI) insights you get from call intelligence tools to: 

• Analyze and optimize phone interactions
• Monitor team performance and offer personalized coaching
• Automate follow-up work like creating post-call action items and syncing information to your CRM 
• Understand customers’ overall perceptions of your product and service and improve messaging
• Track recurring themes in calls to improve the customer experience

For example, OpenPhone is a business phone solution with built-in voice call sentiment analysis tools that let you dial in on what customers are really saying, automate sales team touchpoints, and make your support process more efficient. 

Try it free for seven days and see call intelligence in action. 

5 ways call intelligence can help grow your business

Think call intelligence is just for big companies? Think again. Here’s how it can help businesses of any size grow:

1. Streamline follow-ups to avoid missed opportunities

AI-powered call summaries and call tagging make it easy for teams to stay organized when following up with customers. You no longer need to manually sift through lengthy transcripts — everything you need to know about a call, including the customer’s needs and next steps, is right at your fingertips.

Integrations with CRM tools like HubSpot automatically log phone interactions, set reminders, and track new business inquiries. This means no more missed opportunities and seamless communication across your team.

For instance, imagine a customer calls with a question about a new feature. AI analyzes the phone call, their inquiry is automatically labeled with a relevant tag, and someone on your team can follow up with context within 24 hours — ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

2. Track customer sentiment to better understand customers’ needs

AI-driven sentiment analysis tools go beyond keywords — they analyze tone, frustration levels, and customer satisfaction, giving you actionable insights into how customers feel. By combining this with category tags like ‘Billing’ or ‘Product-related,’ you can identify the root causes of customer emotions and improve your approach. 

For example, if a customer expresses excitement about a new service offering but their tone becomes frustrated when asked about pricing, the system flags that. This allows your team to proactively address pricing concerns before they escalate, helping to turn a potentially negative experience into a positive one.

3. Identify coaching opportunities to improve customer service

Call intelligence tools don’t just help you identify patterns in customer feedback. They also provide insights into internal support processes. With organized data, you can pinpoint areas where your team may need additional coaching or resources, leading to more consistent and effective customer interactions.

For instance, if a window installation company notices multiple customers expressing confusion about the warranty process during sales calls, call intelligence can highlight this recurring issue and help for calibrating call handling. With this information, you can train your team to explain the warranty more clearly, reducing misunderstandings and improving the customer experience.

4. Turn customer feedback into product improvements

With call insights, you can spot recurring issues and requests from real customer conversations. Your team can use this data to prioritize updates to your product or service based on what your customers truly need. Boom – your offerings become more relevant and valuable. 

For example, a cleaning company might notice through customer calls that clients frequently request cleaners not to use products with harsh chemicals. By identifying this pattern, the company can prioritize using products with natural, non-toxic ingredients, enhancing customer satisfaction and attracting new business.

5. Detect buying signals or churn risks

Conversation intelligence tools help businesses spot buying signals or signs of potential churn by analyzing customer conversations. By identifying common keywords, competitor mentions, or objections, your team can take action to close deals or address concerns before they escalate.

For instance, a home improvement company might notice that customers are expressing frustration about project timelines during calls. By identifying these signals early, the company can address the issue — such as offering more flexible scheduling options — to prevent customers from seeking alternatives.

What to look for in call intelligence software

Now that you understand why call intelligence is important for your business, it’s time to find the right software to support your needs. Not all conversation intelligence software is created equal, so here are the key features you should look for:

Call recording and transcription

Start by testing the accuracy of call transcriptions — or, even better, choose AI-powered transcriptions to ensure the tool accurately captures what was said during calls.

In addition to transcriptions, look for tools that offer call summaries and action items to help you save time and stay organized.

Smart call tagging

Call tagging is essential for automatically categorizing phone calls based on things like sentiment (positive or negative), scheduling, and cancellations. This makes it easier to spot trends, identify call drivers, and see key action items quickly.

Some tools, like OpenPhone, also offer a call views dashboard that lets you organize calls by tags, team members, or date, giving you complete visibility into your team’s activity.

💡 Pro tip: When creating custom tags, the more specific, the better. For example, instead of a broad tag like ‘Problem,’ try something more precise like ‘Product Complaint’ or ‘Service Issue.’ This way, you can drill down into specific concerns and better understand what’s affecting your customers.

Integrations

Information stored in silos is less useful for distributed teams. Look for call intelligence tools that integrate seamlessly with your CRM, helpdesk, and internal communication tools like Slack.

OpenPhone, for example, integrates with platforms like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Slack, as well as tools like Make and Zapier, so you can set up custom workflow automations to boost your team’s efficiency. 

Analytics and reporting

Analytics and reporting features are a must-have in call intelligence software. OpenPhone, for instance, offers real-time insights into call volume metrics, time spent on calls, and the number of unique conversations so you can track team performance and identify areas for improvement.

These features allow you to spot trends in high call volume so you can adjust staffing levels and optimize operations for greater efficiency.

Get started with call intelligence using OpenPhone

OpenPhone simplifies call intelligence with powerful features like call tagging, analytics, integrations, call views, and summaries with action items, all designed to help you work more efficiently.

Trusted by over 58,000 customers, OpenPhone is a reliable, easy-to-use, scalable phone system that can grow with your business.

Try call intelligence with OpenPhone today through our free seven-day trial. 

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