In regulated industries, contact center agents only have seconds to get it right.
A misread disclosure, a missed verification, or a skipped line in a script can put organizations at serious risk.
That’s why real-time compliance monitoring is moving up the agenda. It is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have for frontline defense.
In a discussion with CX Today, Thor Mitskog, President at Cyber Acoustics, explained how the enhanced scrutiny surrounding compliance and security has made audits a critical part of the contact center space.
“Clients conduct them, call centers conduct them, and they all feed into continuous learning and improving KPI scores.
“If you don’t have the right tools, you can’t make those improvements in real time.”
Real-Time Compliance in Practice
Today’s monitoring environment goes well beyond after-the-fact call reviews.
Real-time transcription, keyword spotting, and coaching tools can flag issues as they happen – ensuring agents deliver the correct disclosures and appropriately handle sensitive data.
However, while most of this innovation is happening in software, Thor pointed out that hardware plays an equally vital role.
“If the headset isn’t delivering a clean audio stream, then the software’s alerts, analytics, and QA processes won’t be accurate,” he said. “Garbage in, garbage out.”
To close this gap, Cyber Acoustics has developed Agent Assist, a patented hardware solution designed to modernize compliance monitoring.
The idea builds on a practice that dates back nearly 40 years: plugging a second headset into an agent’s line via a Y-cable so a coach or auditor could listen in.
“That old technology was limited and only used during audits,” Thor explained.
“What we’ve done is take that concept, bring it up to today’s standards, and make it something you can use every day.”
Agent Assist allows supervisors, auditors, or even clients to monitor calls in real time – not just one or two agents, but entire campaigns.
Why Now?
The timing is significant. Remote and hybrid work environments have stretched compliance oversight, while regulators in finance, healthcare, and insurance have tightened their requirements.
Meanwhile, Fortune 500 enterprises are raising expectations for audio quality and coaching support, forcing BPOs and outsourcers to keep up or risk losing business, as Thor explains:
“For Tier one clients, the expectation is clear calls, no background noise, and tools that help make continuous improvements.
“If you don’t have them, you’ll be left behind. Expectations are only rising.”
Hardware as the Foundation
Software providers may promise real-time analytics, but if the hardware fails, everything downstream does too.
Thor draws the analogy with outdated computers:
“I’ve seen call centers use 15-year-old PCs. Software developed two or three years ago wasn’t designed to run on platforms that old”
“It’s the same with headsets. If the microphone is broken, crackly, or picks up extra noise, then all those expensive software tools are going to deliver a bad experience.”
That’s why Cyber Acoustics has focused on building USB digital headsets that process noise reduction locally, on the device itself.
By handling noise suppression in hardware, they minimize the risk of missed keyword triggers, false alerts, and failed audit trails.
Industry Adoption
While Thor declined to name names, he confirmed that adoption is growing across multiple verticals: from financial services and healthcare to travel, entertainment, and hospitality.
What they all have in common is environments where compliance is high-stakes.
“Clients are seeing our tools demonstrated at call centers and quickly adopting them because they solve real problems,” he said.
What’s notable, he added, is that Cyber Acoustics has positioned its premium headsets at a price point equivalent to mainstream competitors – making compliance-grade audio clarity and real-time monitoring accessible to the mass market, not just high-budget operations.
Compliance as a Daily Discipline
The lesson is clear: compliance isn’t a quarterly audit exercise anymore; it’s a daily discipline, built into every call, every disclosure, and every coaching session.
And while software has transformed the monitoring landscape, hardware still provides the foundation.
“Having good hardware will translate to better software and a better overall experience,” Thor argues.
“Clients need to focus on the hardware component, not just the software tool, because it makes a world of difference.”
For CX leaders in regulated sectors, the compliance equation is shifting.
Real-time monitoring is no longer optional, and the devices agents wear on their heads could prove just as important as the analytics platforms in the cloud.
To find out more about Cyber Acoustics and its President, Thor Mitskog, you can watch his exclusive interview with CX Today here.
For more information on the company’s headsets, check out this story on CX Today or visit the Cyber Acoustics website.
