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Systems may come in a wide range of shapes and sizes, ranging from single line analogue boxes that record directly from handsets on the desktop to industrial-strength, rack-mounted systems that straddle multiple PRIs (ISDN30 channels) and capture thousands of calls a day. It is important that you choose the right recorder for your requirements and that means understanding how your needs might change – you might for example add more extensions to your PBX or swap out your traditional telephone system for a Voice over IP ( VoIP) solution.

However large or small the system, certain requirements remain the same – call recorders must be robust, easy to use and must provide the user with a range of call data by which to search and archive their calls. These include:

• Calling Line Identifier ( CLI)
• Called number
• Time and Date
• User or Extension Information
• Call Duration
• Customer specific information such as case numbers, tickets etc.

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Who needs to record calls and why?

Not so long ago the use of call recording was largely restricted to banks, financial institutions and government agencies. While these still form a large part of the call recording market, the use of recorders has grown significantly over the last few years into other market areas such as retail, insurance and healthcare.

There are many reasons why an organisation might decide to record their calls, here are a few;

Compliance

Recent changes to FSA regulations have meant that call recording is becoming increasingly commonplace within all companies subject to FSA regulation. This extends now to mortgage and insurance brokers.

Telephone Transactions

It has long been the case that any organisation making financial transactions over the telephone have recorded their calls. The recent growth in telephone sales has been a major driver to call recording.

The growth of the Call Centre has been another major driver for call recording. Most mid-large call centres will have a call recorder (and possibly agent Evaluation Software) in place to help with training and development of call centre agents.

Security

Many public institutions, particularly those with a high profile or controversial reputation opt for call recording.

In short there are a huge number of reasons why an organisation might consider call recording – if there is an opportunity for fraud, compensation or illegal activity, there is a need for call recording.

In all circumstances it is crucial that calls are securely encrypted for storage, this means that calls cannot be tampered with or amended. Please note: Call recorders that do not provide secure encryption cannot be used for evidence.