Unique Original Articles » Call recording for businesses – a general guide

What is call recording?

Call recording is exactly what it sounds like – a procedure put in place to record calls made into and out of a business. This could be done using classic cassette recording equipment, or digitally using a computer.

What are the advantages of call recording?

There are clear advantages for businesses in having call recording in place. Not only does it help to develop customer service through successful training and auditing, but it also gives legal protection for when organisations are communicating with both customers and suppliers.

Very much like email has helped firms monitor written communications, call recording charts all verbal contact between parties so businesses always have something to refer back to if needed.

Is it expensive?

Call recording hardware can be pricey, in particular for offices with multiple phone lines or for businesses making use of home workers. Standard tape recording systems can cost anywhere up to £200, with digital adaptors and the appropriate computer software costing around £150-£200. This is the price per telephone!

That’s fairly expensive – anything cheaper?

There are other options which are starting to appear on the market. For example, Axis Telecom is offering free of charge call recording with all of its business phone packages. The service, called Safeline, hooks your phones up to an external server which records all in- and outbound calls. All the equipment is held offsite, so no set-up or protection costs are necessary.

What’s even better about Axis’ system is that everything is archived and tagged electronically, so all customer records can be kept together for quick retrieval later. Users log into the system using a secure website interface and obtain the files they want as MP3s.

Are there any legalities I should know about?

If you are recording customers you have to let them know you are doing so and for what reason – “Your call may be recorded for training and monitoring purposes” is the most typical phrasing.
Mohammed M. Hanson is an expert in Telecoms, and endorses Axis Telecom for more advice about Telecom Consultants.
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