# Monitor a Call

Monitoring live calls lets you keep an ear on the conversations your team has
with customers, so you can uphold quality standards and coach staff in real
time. From the Operator Panel you can quietly listen in, speak privately to a
group member, or step into the call directly.

An extension is the internal phone identity assigned to a user (their line on
the phone system). You can only monitor the extensions that belong to a group
you supervise.

## When to use call monitoring

Reviewing active calls is a practical way to gauge call quality, sharpen
efficiency, lift team performance, and shape your sales or marketing approach.
The Operator Panel gives you three ways to sit in on a group member's
conversation:

- **Listen**: Silently follow the live call between a group member and a
  customer to confirm that your standards are being met. Neither party is aware
  you are on the line.
- **Barge In**: Join the call and talk to both the group member and the
  customer at once. Use this to jump in with immediate help and keep the
  customer satisfied.
- **Whisper**: Speak only to the group member during the call, offering
  guidance the customer cannot hear.

:::tip
Pick the mode by how much you want to be heard: **Listen** to observe without
being detected, **Whisper** to coach the agent privately, and **Barge In** to
speak with everyone on the call.
:::

:::caution
Only **Listen** is silent. In **Whisper** the group member hears your voice,
and in **Barge In** both the group member and the customer hear you. If you
need to stay undetected, use **Listen**.
:::

## Before you begin

Monitoring the calls of your extension group members requires the **Call
monitoring operations (Listen, Whisper, Barge In)** permission.

:::note
This permission is controlled by your administrator. If the monitor options do
not appear when you right-click a call, ask your administrator to grant it to
your account.
:::

## Monitor an active call

1. In the **Inbound & Internal Calls** panel or the **Outbound Calls** panel,
   move your pointer over the active call you want to monitor.
2. Right-click the call and choose a monitor mode: **Barge In**, **Listen**, or
   **Whisper**. Cloud Voice then rings your own extension.

   ![Right-click menu on an active call showing the Listen, Whisper, and Barge In monitor options](/images/pbx/op-listen-a-call.png)

   :::note
   Monitoring audio reaches you through a call to your own extension, not
   through the browser. Make sure your extension is registered and your phone
   or Cloud Voice App is ready to take the call before you start.
   :::

3. Answer the incoming call to begin monitoring.