Call Monitoring with Vanillasoft VoIP

The VoIP HUD (Heads-Up Display) gives supervisors a real-time view of all phone activity across the account. From the HUD, you can listen in on active calls, coach agents, and take over calls when needed, all without disrupting your team's workflow. Combined with VS Connect star codes, these tools give supervisors everything they need to manage call quality and support agents in the moment.

This article covers the three monitoring modes available: Spy, Whisper, and Steal, and how to use each one from the HUD or using VS Connect star codes. 

Before You Start

Supervisor access is required to use call monitoring. If you attempt to initiate a monitoring session and are unable to do so, contact Vanillasoft Support to have supervisor access enabled for your account.

Allow an Extension to Be Monitored

Before a supervisor can monitor an extension's calls, that extension must have call monitoring enabled. This is configured in the Vanillasoft VoIP portal by an Admin.

  1. Log in to the Vanillasoft VoIP portal as an Admin.

    • Note: This portal may display Cloudli branding because it is hosted by Cloudli. All configuration and support are handled by Vanillasoft. For assistance, contact Vanillasoft Support.

  2. Open the Telephony menu from the left navigation panel.

  3. Open the Extensions submenu.

  4. Select Extensions from the submenu.

  5. Select the extension you want to allow to be monitored.

  6. Select the Advanced tab.

  7. Click Edit.

  8. Scroll down and check the Allow Call Monitoring checkbox.

  9. When finished, click Save to apply the changes, or click Save and Continue to save your changes and continue editing the extension's settings.

Grant Supervisor Access to an Extension

To allow a user to monitor calls, their extension must be granted supervisor access. This is configured in the Vanillasoft VoIP portal by an Admin.

  1. Log in to the Vanillasoft VoIP portal as an Admin.

    • Note: This portal may display Cloudli branding because it is hosted by Cloudli. All configuration and support are handled by Vanillasoft. For assistance, contact Vanillasoft Support.

  2. Open the Telephony menu from the left navigation panel.

  3. Open the Extensions submenu.

  4. Select Extensions from the submenu.

  5. Select the extension you want to grant supervisor access to.

  6. Select the user's name in the User section.

  7. Select the Rights Management tab.

  8. Click Edit.

  9. Check the Call Center - Supervisor checkbox.

  10. When finished, click Save to apply the changes, or click Save and Continue to save your changes and continue editing the extension's settings.

Access the HUD

The HUD is accessed from within Vanillasoft, not the Vanillasoft VoIP portal. How you access the HUD will depend on your role.

Admins can access the HUD directly from the Vanillasoft Dashboard:

  1. Log in to Vanillasoft as an Admin.

  2. Navigate to Dashboard and select VoIP HUD.

  3. The HUD will open in your current window. To keep it accessible while working elsewhere in Vanillasoft, click Open in Browser Tab in the top right corner of the HUD.

Callers can access the HUD if an Admin has added it as a panel on the Contact page. If you do not see the HUD panel, contact your Admin. To add the HUD panel for Callers, refer to the Add VoIP HUD to Contact Page article.

For a full overview of the HUD interface, available views, and features, refer to the Using the Updated VoIP HUD (Heads-Up Display) article.

Listen In on a Call from the HUD

The HUD allows you to silently listen in on an agent's calls without the agent or caller being aware. The icon you use depends on whether the agent is currently on a call or not. In both cases, you can hear both parties but cannot be heard by either.

  1. Log in to Vanillasoft and open the VoIP HUD.

    • Admins: navigate to Dashboard and select VoIP HUD. Callers: open the CMV HUD tab on the Contact page if your Admin has added it.

  2. Locate the extension you want to monitor in the HUD and click the monitoring icon next to it.

    • If the agent is not on a call, the Spy icon will appear. Click it to begin monitoring. You will hear hold music until the agent places an outbound call, at which point you will be connected to the call automatically.

    • If the agent is on an active call, the Monitor icon will appear. Click it to join the call in listen-only mode immediately.
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  3. Click Yes to confirm and begin the session.

  4. Your phone will ring. Answer it. You will be connected in silent listen mode and can hear both parties on the call.

To end the session, hang up your phone.

Spy Using a VS Connect Star Code

Spy allows you to silently listen in on an agent's call without the agent or caller being aware. You can hear both parties but cannot be heard by either. Supervisor access and an active VS Connect session logged in to your Vanillasoft VoIP line are required.

  1. Open VS Connect and ensure you are logged in to your associated Vanillasoft VoIP line.

  2. Dial *05 followed immediately by the extension number you want to monitor (for example, *05101 to Spy on extension 101).

  3. You will be connected in listen-only mode. You can hear both parties on the call, but neither can hear you. To end the session, hang up your phone.

Whisper Using a VS Connect Star Code

Whisper allows you to listen in on an active call and speak directly to the agent without the caller hearing. This is useful for coaching agents in real time during a live call. Supervisor access and an active VS Connect session logged in to your Vanillasoft VoIP line are required.

  1. Open VS Connect and ensure you are logged in to your associated Vanillasoft VoIP line.

  2. Dial *06 followed immediately by the extension number you want to whisper to (for example, *06101 to whisper to extension 101).

  3. You will be connected and can hear both parties on the call. You can speak directly to the agent, but the caller cannot hear you. To end the session, hang up your phone.

Steal a Call Using a VS Connect Star Code

Steal allows you to take over an active call from an agent, removing the agent from the call and continuing the conversation directly with the caller. This is useful for escalations or situations that require immediate supervisor intervention. Supervisor access and an active VS Connect session logged in to your Vanillasoft VoIP line are required.

  1. Open VS Connect and ensure you are logged in to your associated Vanillasoft VoIP line.

  2. Dial *04 followed immediately by the extension number of the agent whose call you want to take over (for example, *04101 to steal the call from extension 101).

  3. The agent will be disconnected and you will be connected directly with the caller. To end the call, hang up your phone.

Dynamic Monitor Controls (DTMF)

When monitoring a call initiated through the HUD, you can change how you interact with the call at any time by pressing a number on your keypad. When a session starts, you are automatically placed in listen-only mode (DTMF 0). You can switch between modes at any point during the session:

  • 0 – Listen only. You can hear both parties, but neither can hear you.

  • 1 – Whisper to the caller. You can speak to the caller only. The agent cannot hear you.

  • 2 – Whisper to the agent. You can speak to the agent only. The caller cannot hear you.

  • 3 – Three-way call. You join the conversation as a full participant. Both the caller and the agent can hear you.

Best Practices

  • Use Spy for silent auditing of calls, such as during onboarding or routine quality reviews.

  • Use Whisper to coach agents in real time without the caller being aware. This is most effective during complex or escalating calls where the agent may need guidance.

  • Use Steal only when immediate intervention is necessary, as it disconnects the agent from the call entirely.

  • If you are unable to access any monitoring features, contact Vanillasoft Support to verify that supervisor access is enabled for your account.

With these tools in place, your supervisors have everything they need to support agents, maintain call quality, and step in when it matters. To review team performance data alongside your live monitoring, the Accessing Call Center Reports in the Vanillasoft VoIP Portal article covers how to pull queue and agent performance reports to give you a complete picture of your contact center. For additional support, contact Vanillasoft Support.

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