Call Recording – Not As Simple As It Seems
It may sound self-explanatory, but call recording has a lot more to it than a call recorder and a handset. Call recording for business purposes can be the recording of all phone calls, the recording of inbound calls or outbound calls or calls from certain extensions or maybe the recording of calls for an hour at 2pm every day – there are many possibilities. For different industries and different businesses, call recording can mean different things. One fact is certain though – call recording is no longer a luxury; if you are a business, call recording is a necessity. So, let us take a look at the different types of call recording and what makes call recording such a necessity.
The Six Circles Of Call Recording
Hardware Call Recording
Hardware call recording is the most common way to record calls and one of the most efficient too. With hardware call recording, all inbound and outbound calls from your company are recorded into a hardware system however, say you want to listen to the recorded calls made by one particular agent, hardware call recording grants you to separate those calls and listen to them separately. Or perhaps you only want to listen to inbound calls – hardware call recording allows you to do this too, which makes it a lot easier to manage your recorded calls.
Network Call Recording
Network call recording is a no-hassle way of recording calls. There is no need for in-house hardware, no need for on-site maintenance and recorded calls can be accessed easily through a web-interface.
Extension Call Recording
This is one of the simpler call recording solutions. Extension call recording allows you to monitor, record and save inbound calls made to your extension lines. For smaller companies that receive fewer calls, extension call recording is frequently the popular option.
On Demand Call Recording
On demand call recording can be delivered at network level or hardware level depending on what your business requires. Now, a lot of businesses record calls for compliance purposes but if you are in an industry that has no need of phone call recording for compliance then on demand call recording is often a better choice. You can simply record calls at the touch of a button, recording only what you need.
Bulk Call Recording
Bulk call recording does exactly what it says – it bulk records all calls, inbound and outbound. Recording every inbound and outbound call may seem inordinate but it means that you will never miss a thing and you will eternally have the calls that you need, stored.
Ad Hoc Call Recording
Recording your calls ad hoc is a good way to get a reliable, representative sample of your calls. Ad hoc call recording indiscriminately records a selection of your calls at unsystematic times, allowing you to receive a general overview of how your calls are being handled.
What Kind of Businesses Use Call Recording?
The easy resolution of course, is almost every kind of business. The main industries that typically use call recording religiously are: finance, legal bodies, call centres, emergency services and telecommunications. Recently however, more and more companies are seeing the benefits of call recording phone systems which means you can now find call recording in industries like retail, food, fashion and education.
Why Call Recording is Used
Call recording has become a necessity for a variety of reasons and each industry has its own specific reasons for needing their calls recorded. Let us take a look at what benefits call recording can offer and which industries would find them especially useful:-
- Compliance with Regulations;
This is one of the main reasons for recording calls. When dealing with high finance for example, there are a lot of rules and regulations surrounding business deals. As a lot of financial deals are done over the phone, it is important to have actual evidence to show that you have complied with regulations and also to prove your case if a matter goes to court as call recordings are generally irrefutable. Emergency services also use call recordings for regulation reasons. The police, fire service and health services all need to be able to prove that they have acted in accordance with regulations and call recordings are the best way to do that.
- Recording of Agreements/Meetings/Instructions;
For vital information, note taking is second best to recording calls – there can be no dispute or confusion over instructions given or agreements made. Or, if you have a conference call, recording the phone call rather than taking minutes can save valuable time. Motor companies such as the AA can use call recording for purposes such as checking instructions or locations, making their services more efficient. Again detailing the emergency services, call recordings are exceedingly useful. For ambulance drivers, emergency details can be quickly recalled via call recordings and passed on, allowing them to answer with more efficiency. With police officers, if a person ringing the police is abruptly cut off, call recordings can cater details sometimes missed during the phone call and can make all the difference in life or death situations.
Some customer calls can get quite abusive – it is sad but unfortunately true. With call recording, members of staff who take abusive calls or who have pain in the neck callers can record the calls for litigation purposes or such. This also works the other way around. Staff members who are abusive to customers can be caught out if their calls are recorded.
- Training and Monitoring Purposes;
Call recordings can be a good way of training staff, particularly call centre staff. By using good and bad call recordings as an example you can quickly and easily train staff in call etiquette. Call recordings are also the best way of monitoring performance and customer service. By checking your inbound and outbound calls you can identify any problems or ways of improving services or staff training.
Just as an Added Extra…
Call recording is not a one trick pony. Yes, call recording is about recording phone calls, but most call recording software also offers functions such as call reports. Call reports allow you to see where your calls come from, how often you are called, call peaks and troughs and how long calls are lasting for amongst other things. Add this to the benefits offered by call recording and you can truly begin to manage your calls.
A Little Recording Goes a Long Way
Call recording has never been so popular. Rather than it being a simple, self-explanatory process, call recording can actually be accomplished in different ways such as recording all or only part of your calls. Many businesses now record their calls, whether it is for regulation purposes, training purposes or other more wide-ranging purposes. Call recordings can save you time, trouble, money and training – which is the reason why call recordings are now more necessity than nicety.