# How to Implement Conversation Intelligence for Coaching
In the fast-paced world of Australian small business, every customer interaction is a goldmine of data. Conversation Intelligence (CI) uses AI to record, transcribe, and analyse your sales calls and meetings, turning hours of audio into actionable coaching insights. By implementing CI, you move away from 'gut feel' coaching and start using hard data to help your team close more deals and provide better service.
Why This Matters
Most sales managers only hear about 1% of their team's actual conversations. Without CI, you are coaching in the dark. Implementing this technology allows you to identify exactly why your top performers succeed and where others are struggling, ensuring your Brisbane-based team is always improving.---
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have the following:- A CRM (like HubSpot, Salesforce, or Pipedrive) where your customer data lives.
- A video conferencing tool (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet) or a cloud-based phone system.
- A Conversation Intelligence platform subscription (e.g., Gong, Chorus, or HubSpot Sales Hub Enterprise).
- Clear internal policies regarding call recording and privacy.
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Step 1: Define Your Coaching Objectives
Before turning on the software, decide what 'good' looks like for your business. Are you trying to reduce the time it takes to onboard new staff? Or perhaps you want to increase the 'Talk-to-Listen' ratio of your senior consultants? What you should see: A simple document or spreadsheet listing 3-5 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) you want to track, such as 'Competitor Mentions' or 'Pricing Objections'.Step 2: Ensure Legal Compliance (Australian Privacy Act)
In Australia, call recording laws vary by state, but generally, you must inform the other party that the call is being recorded. Ensure your CI tool has an automated 'recording disclaimer' or that your team is trained to announce it at the start of every call.Warning: Never record a call without consent. Under the Australian Privacy Act, you must be transparent about how data is stored and used. Check your ABN-registered business details to ensure your privacy policy is up to date on your website.
Step 3: Connect Your Communication Channels
Log into your CI platform and navigate to 'Integrations'. Connect your email (Outlook or Gmail) and your meeting platform (Zoom/Teams). Screenshot Description: You should see a list of icons for various apps with 'Connect' buttons next to them. Once connected, a green tick or 'Connected' status should appear.Step 4: Map Your CRM Data
For CI to be effective, it needs to know who is talking. Sync your CRM so the software can match call recordings to specific deals and companies. This allows you to see the 'Conversation History' directly inside the client's file in your CRM.Step 5: Set Up Your 'Keyword' Trackers
This is where the magic happens. Program the AI to look for specific keywords.- Competitors: Names of other Brisbane or national agencies.
- Product names: Your specific service packages.
- Objections: Words like 'expensive', 'budget', 'too busy', or 'not interested'.
Step 6: Define Your 'Golden' Call Library
Identify calls where a sale was closed or a difficult situation was handled perfectly. Tag these as 'Exemplary' or 'Training Material'. This creates a self-service library where new hires can listen to what success sounds like in your business.Step 7: Configure the 'Talk-to-Listen' Ratio
One of the most powerful metrics in CI is the Talk-to-Listen ratio. For sales, the 'sweet spot' is often around 45% talking and 55% listening. Set up alerts so you are notified if a team member is consistently talking for more than 70% of a discovery call.Step 8: Invite Your Team and Set Permissions
Roll out the software to your team. Start with a positive framing: this is a tool for their professional development, not a 'Big Brother' surveillance tool. Ensure managers have 'Reviewer' access and reps have 'View' access to their own calls.Step 9: Establish a Weekly 'Film Review' Session
Just like an AFL team reviews match footage, schedule a 30-minute weekly session to review a specific call snippet. Focus on one theme per week, such as 'How we handle the pricing question'.Step 10: Use Scorecards for Objective Feedback
Most CI tools allow you to create digital scorecards. Instead of saying "You sounded a bit nervous," you can score them 1-5 on specific criteria like 'Opened with a clear agenda' or 'Asked at least three discovery questions'.Step 11: Automate Coaching Summaries
Set up the CI tool to send a weekly summary email to each rep. This email should highlight their top-performing calls and areas for improvement based on the AI's analysis of their speech patterns and keyword usage.Step 12: Review and Refine Trackers
After 30 days, look at your keyword trackers. Are they catching irrelevant mentions? Refine your 'Competitor' list or 'Objection' list based on the actual language your Brisbane customers are using.---
Pro Tips for Success
- Focus on the 'Middle 60%': Don't just coach your worst performers. Your biggest revenue gains come from moving your average performers into the 'top tier'.
- Self-Coaching First: Ask your team members to listen to one of their own calls and score themselves before you meet. They are often their own harshest critics.
- Celebrate Wins: Use the 'Share' feature to send a clip of a great call to the whole team to celebrate a win.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Using it as a 'Gotcha' Tool: If you only use CI to find mistakes, your team will resent it. Use it to find 'teachable moments' and wins.
- Ignoring the Data: Don't just record calls; you must actually set aside time in your calendar to review the insights provided by the AI.
- Over-complicating Trackers: Start with 5-10 key terms. If you track 100 words, the data becomes noisy and hard to action.
Troubleshooting
- Calls aren't recording: Check that the 'Recording Bot' (often named something like [Company Name] Notetaker) is invited to the calendar invite. If it isn't on the guest list, it won't show up.
- Audio quality is poor: Ensure your team is using high-quality headsets rather than laptop microphones. Poor audio leads to poor AI transcription.
- CRM sync issues: Verify that the email address used in the calendar invite matches the email address of the Contact in your CRM.
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