Use call listening to silently monitor live calls for training and quality management. From the same modal, you can also coach your teammate privately or join the call as an active participant. All three modes are available on the Expert plan.
Note: These features require the Expert plan and the 'Can listen on calls' permission assigned to the relevant role — see Enable call listening below.
Enable call listening
First, go to Settings > Channels > Phone and enable call listening by toggling on "Allow roles with this permission to listen in on calls".
If you're on the Advanced or Essential plan, you'll need to upgrade to Expert to enable call listening.
Call listening permission must then be assigned to teammates by navigating to Settings > Workspace > Teammates > Roles and selecting the specific role(s) who need permission.
From the Inbox permissions dropdown select the "Can listen on calls" permission. 👇
Scroll to the top of the page and click Apply changes.
All three modes are accessed from the same call modal once you're listening in on a call:
Mode | Who can hear you | Reversible? |
Listen | No one — silent monitoring only | Yes — click Stop listening |
Coach | Teammate only (customer can't hear you) | Yes — click Stop coaching |
Join call (Barge) | Everyone — customer and teammate | No — one-way escalation |
Listen to calls
For calls in progress, eligible teammates (for the role you enabled above) will see the option to Listen in when viewing the conversation in the Inbox.
Once you click Listen in, you will see the call modal change to "Listening mode". To stop listening to the call, click Stop listening.
While in listening mode:
In silent listening mode you can only listen — use Coach or Join call to engage.
Your workspace status will change to "coaching".
You can continue working in other parts of the Inbox while in listening mode.
Coach (Whisper)
Coach lets you speak privately to your teammate during a live call without the customer hearing. Use it to guide a teammate in real time without interrupting the conversation.
Start listening to a live call — see Listen to calls above.
Click Coach in the call modal.
Speak to your teammate. An audio cue signals to them that coaching has started — the customer isn't notified.
Click Stop coaching at any time to return to silent monitoring.
Tip: Coach is fully reversible. If you need to step up to a full conversation, you can escalate to Join call without dropping out of the call.
Join call (Barge)
Join call lets you become an active participant in the conversation. Use this when coaching isn't enough and you need to speak directly with the customer.
An audio cue plays for all parties when you join.
Start listening to a live call — see Listen to calls above.
Click Join call in the call modal. An audio cue plays for all parties.
All parties — the customer, your teammate, and you — can now hear each other.
Click Leave to exit while the call continues, or End to terminate the conference entirely.
Important: Joining a call is a one-way escalation — you can't return to silent monitoring once you've joined.
View calls in progress
To make it easier to access all calls currently in progress, create a specific view for those conversations in your inbox.
Click Create view in the "Views" section of the left-hand side menu.
Use the following filters for all in progress calls:
"Last inbound call state" is In progress
"Last outbound call state" is In progress
This view makes it much easier to navigate to all conversations that are available for monitoring.
Troubleshooting the "Listen in" button
If the Listen in button isn't working, it's most likely a microphone permission issue. Work through the steps below to get it sorted.
Note: Microphone access is required to use the Listen in feature, but your browser may not prompt for it automatically. Check your browser and operating system permissions if the button isn't responding.
Check browser permissions
Look for a camera/microphone icon in your browser's address bar and make sure access is allowed. If prompted, click Allow when your browser asks for microphone access.
Update browser settings
If the address bar doesn't show a prompt, check your browser settings directly. In Chrome, go to Settings > Privacy and security > Site settings > Microphone and make sure the site isn't blocked.
Check operating system permissions
Your operating system may also be blocking microphone access:
Windows: Go to Settings > Privacy > Microphone and make sure your browser is allowed.
macOS: Go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy > Microphone and make sure your browser is checked.
Check your device
Make sure your microphone is connected and working. Try unplugging and replugging it, or switching to a different microphone if you have one available.
Reload and retry
After changing any permissions, reload the page and try clicking Listen in again.
Try a regular browser window
Some browsers restrict microphone access in incognito or private mode. If you're using one, switch to a regular browser window and try again.
Still having trouble?
Try a different browser or device to rule out a local issue. If you're using an embedded webview (in a mobile app), note that some platforms don't support microphone permissions and if that doesn't resolve the issue, reach out to our Support team.
Need more help? Get support from our Community Forum
Find answers and get help from Intercom Support and Community Experts