The Barge and Whisper features in Aloware are powerful tools for supervisors and admins, enabling them to monitor, coach, and assist their teams during live customer interactions. These features are accessible directly from the Aloware Talk interface and enhance real-time call support, jumping into an ongoing call, and coaching reps.
Barge
This feature allows supervisors or admins to join an active call between a rep and a customer, and speak to both parties. When a situation requires intervention or direct support, supervisors can "barge" into the conversation, take it over, and address the customer's concerns directly alongside the rep.
Whisper
With Whisper, supervisors can join an active call, and speak only to the rep; providing guidance or coaching to the rep without the customer hearing. This feature is particularly useful for training new team members or offering subtle guidance during challenging calls, helping reps build their skills in a live environment without disrupting the customer experience.
How can a business admin use this?
Viewing active calls
Navigate to the Wallboard, then select Live calls. Each call entry shows details about the caller and call status, with Barge and Whisper buttons appearing for eligible users.
Using Barge
To join the call, click the Barge button. This action connects the supervisor directly to the conversation, allowing them to speak with the customer AND agent and provide live support alongside the rep.
Using Whisper
For private coaching, click the Whisper button. This connects the supervisor to the call without the customer hearing, and only the agent hearing, allowing discreet communication to guide the rep through the call.
How can agents use this?
For agents, admins can set user permissions to authorize access to barge and whisper in the users menu > profile. Read this guide on how to enable it.
Practical Use Cases
Training
New reps can receive real-time coaching, allowing them to handle calls independently with the reassurance that a supervisor is available to assist if needed.
Quality assurance
Supervisors can occasionally join or listen in on calls to ensure consistent quality, offering feedback directly or later.
Escalation support
When a call becomes complex or requires a higher authority, the supervisor can step in seamlessly using the barge function.
How does this relate to our other tools?
Barge and whisper integrate seamlessly with Aloware's broader communication and team management tools. They complement features like call analytics and the Wallboard, which help supervisors make data-driven decisions about when to monitor or intervene.