To configure Krisp for live VoIP and softphone calls, customer support agents must set Krisp as the audio bridge between their physical headset and their calling software. In the Krisp desktop app, select your physical headset microphone and earphones, then toggle on both Noise Cancellation and Voice Isolation (Background Voice Cancellation). In your contact center softphone or CCaaS dialer—such as Genesys Cloud, Five9, NICE CXone, Amazon Connect, Avaya, or Cisco—change your audio input to Krisp Microphone and audio output to Krisp Speaker. Finally, turn off native noise suppression and aggressive Automatic Gain Control (AGC) inside your softphone to avoid robotic voice distortion.
Krisp processes audio locally on the agent's computer using lightweight on-device AI. Because it creates virtual audio drivers, it is softphone-agnostic and does not require complex backend telephony integration. Setting it up correctly ensures customers hear a clean, professional agent voice without contact center chatter or home office noise, while agents hear callers clearly even when the customer is calling from a noisy street or car.
1. How Krisp Fits into the Call Center Audio Architecture
Before configuring buttons, it helps to understand how audio travels through the system. Krisp does not run in the cloud or alter the SIP/VoIP signaling route. Instead, installing Krisp creates two virtual audio devices directly in Windows or macOS:
- Krisp Microphone (Virtual Audio Input): Intercepts raw audio captured by the physical headset microphone, runs on-device deep neural networks to strip ambient noises and nearby voices, and sends pristine vocal audio into the softphone.
- Krisp Speaker (Virtual Audio Output): Takes incoming voice streams from the softphone, strips customer-side background noises (honking, café clatter, screaming children), and delivers clear speech to the agent's physical earpieces.
Because all AI filtering happens on the endpoint's CPU or GPU, Krisp operates with near-zero latency and ensures voice data never leaves the agent's machine. This architecture makes it compliant with enterprise standards like SOC 2 Type II, PCI-DSS 4.0, GDPR, and HIPAA.
[Agent Headset Mic]
│ (Raw Audio: voice + chatter + keyboard)
▼
[Krisp App: Noise Cancellation & Voice Isolation]
│ (Cleaned Outbound Audio)
▼
[Virtual Device: Krisp Microphone]
│
▼
[Softphone / CCaaS: Genesys, Five9, Amazon Connect, Avaya]
│
▼ (VoIP / SIP Network to Customer)
2. Step-by-Step Configuration in the Krisp App
Contact center agents should start their shift by configuring and verifying the Krisp desktop application before opening their dialer.
Step 2.1: Pair Your Physical Hardware
- Open the Krisp desktop app from your system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS).
- Under the Microphone section:
- Click the device dropdown and choose your actual physical headset microphone (e.g., Jabra Evolve2 65, Poly Blackwire 5220, Sennheiser SC 165).
- Do not select "Default", "Stereo Mix", or another virtual driver.
- Under the Speaker section:
- Click the device dropdown and choose your physical headset speakers/earpieces.
Step 2.2: Activate Core Audio Processing Toggles
- Turn on Noise Cancellation (Microphone): Switch the outbound toggle to ON. This suppresses static and non-human acoustic disturbances, including mechanical keyboard clatter, paper shuffling, chair squeaks, fan hums, and dog barking.
- Turn on Voice Isolation / Background Voice Cancellation (BVC): Ensure Voice Isolation is active. Unlike basic noise filters that only mute steady background sounds, Krisp's deep learning voice isolation distinguishes the primary agent speaking into the near-field boom mic from co-workers speaking at neighboring desks.
- Turn on Inbound Noise Cancellation (Speaker): Switch the inbound toggle to ON under the Speaker panel. This cleans up noisy customer lines, allowing support reps to comprehend distressed or moving callers without requesting constant repetitions.
- Enable Room & Acoustic Echo Cancellation: Keep Krisp’s echo cancellation enabled to eliminate room reverberation and prevent caller voice bleed from circulating back into the mic.
3. Configuring Your Softphone or CCaaS Platform
Once the Krisp desktop app is running with hardware mapped, redirect your call center software to Krisp's virtual devices.
Step 3.1: Desktop Softphone Clients (Genesys, Five9, Avaya, Cisco, Nice CXone)
- Open your softphone application and go to Settings > Audio / Voice Devices.
- Locate Microphone / Audio Input and select Krisp Microphone.
- Locate Speaker / Audio Output and select Krisp Speaker.
- Secondary Ringer / Notification Device: Set incoming call rings or chat notifications to your Physical Headset or Laptop Internal Speakers. This ensures you hear ringtones even if virtual sound routing is momentarily paused.
- Save the settings and keep Krisp running in the background.
Step 3.2: Browser-Based WebRTC Softphones (Amazon Connect CCP, Salesforce CTI, Zendesk Talk)
Many modern contact centers operate dialers inside Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge:
- Open the browser and navigate to your softphone portal.
- When prompted by the browser for microphone access, grant permission.
- Click the lock/tune icon next to the address bar, select Site settings, and set the default microphone to Krisp Microphone.
- Inside the web dialer's gear or audio settings menu, explicitly choose Krisp Microphone for input and Krisp Speaker for output.
- (Optional Enterprise Add-on): If your organization deploys the Krisp CX Bridge browser extension, keep it enabled. It binds call state and caller metadata between your web CRM and Krisp for Agent Assist.
4. Critical Softphone Settings: Eliminating Audio Conflicts
The most common mistake support agents make is leaving native softphone noise suppression turned on alongside Krisp. This creates double processing, which can severely distort speech.
| Feature | Recommended Setting in Softphone | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Softphone Noise Suppression | Disabled (Off) | When two algorithms attempt to subtract background frequencies simultaneously, your voice will sound robotic, muffled, or "underwater." |
| Softphone Echo Cancellation (AEC) | Disabled or Low | Krisp handles acoustic and room echo locally. Double AEC can cut off first syllables. |
| Automatic Gain Control (AGC) | Disabled / Manual | Softphone AGC aggressively amplifies quiet passages, raising noise floors. Disable it and use Krisp's "Lock at optimal level" feature in Windows settings. |
| Microphone Auto-Adjust | Disabled | Prevents the dialer from abruptly changing your headset volume mid-call. |
5. Pre-Shift Audio Verification Checklist
Never jump directly into a live queue without checking audio quality. Complete this two-minute pre-call routine:
- Perform an In-App Noise Test:
- In the Krisp application, click Test Noise Cancellation.
- Speak a sentence while vigorously typing on your keyboard or speaking alongside background chatter.
- Listen to the playback with Krisp enabled. Confirm that your voice is natural and that ambient sounds are eliminated.
- Check Microphone Input Gain:
- Speak at your normal conversational volume.
- Watch the input volume meter in Krisp and your softphone. It should bounce consistently in the healthy green zone (-12 dB to -6 dB). If it touches red, lower your physical mic slider to avoid digital clipping.
- Optimize Headset Boom Position:
- Position your headset microphone one to two fingers (1–2 cm) away from the corner of your mouth.
- Do not position the capsule directly in front of your lips to avoid breathing and plosive pops ("p" and "b" sounds). Proper positioning helps Voice Isolation identify you as the primary speaker.
- Make an Internal Loopback / Echo Call:
- Place an internal test call to your softphone’s automated IVR line or an echo testing extension.
- Confirm both outbound delivery and inbound reception clarity.
6. Troubleshooting Common In-Call Issues
| Symptom | Probable Cause | Immediate Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Customer cannot hear agent at all | Krisp or softphone muted; input routed incorrectly. | Check if the Krisp mute button is engaged in the system tray. Confirm that the softphone input is still Krisp Microphone and Krisp’s input is mapped to your physical headset. |
| Voice sounds robotic, choppy, or cuts out | Dual noise cancellation or softphone AGC conflict. | Turn off built-in noise suppression and auto-volume in the softphone settings. Verify that computer CPU usage is under control. |
Krisp Microphone missing from softphone menu | Softphone launched before Krisp virtual driver loaded. | Close both applications. Launch Krisp first, wait 5 seconds, then reopen your softphone so it detects the virtual audio endpoints. |
| Adjacent agents' voices leak into calls | Voice Isolation disabled or microphone too far from mouth. | Toggle on Voice Isolation in Krisp. Move the headset mic boom closer to your mouth corner so the near-field acoustic model can isolate your voice. |
| Customer sounds muffled or faint | Inbound Krisp Speaker filtering a weak cellular signal. | Temporarily toggle off Krisp Speaker noise cancellation on the inbound channel to hear raw customer audio if their connection is severely degraded. |
Summary
Configuring Krisp for live VoIP and softphone operations requires treating Krisp as an indispensable audio conduit: physical hardware connects to Krisp, and Krisp connects to the softphone. By selecting Krisp Microphone and Krisp Speaker in your calling platform, disabling conflicting native softphone audio processing, and maintaining proper headset mic hygiene, customer support agents can consistently deliver calm, professional, noise-free customer conversations regardless of room conditions.