CALL recording provides many benefits to companies and organisations in today’s competitive environment, and for some, this service is essential for legal and compliance reasons.
In previous years, the ability to record calls was geared towards larger companies with big budgets, but more recently the service has become affordable to SMEs due to the increasing number of excellent, cost effective, yet fully functional call recording systems now available that can be added to existing cloud telephony solutions.
Call recording provides users with a host of benefits including dispute resolution as calls can be found and listened to again; calls can be reviewed to ensure that clients have been dealt with professionally; it can aid performance improvement as the recorded calls can help staff to develop their telephone and telesales techniques and it helps to demonstrate compliance as it is quick and easy to show that compliance rules have been followed.
This useful service is no longer limited to the office. With the increasing number of employees working remotely or on the go, the use of mobiles in business has grown rapidly. There are a number of solutions for mobile phone users to record calls, either through mobile network or via various Apps.
Demand for call recording on mobile devices has increased since the Financial Services Authority enforced the recording of all transaction conversations in the equity, bond, derivatives market, and in autumn 2010, removed the exemption on mobile phones.
But companies need to be aware of the guidelines and laws relevant to the recording of calls. Under the Data Protection Act, an organisation must let employees and customers know that their calls are being recorded and why. The line most used to cover this - ‘calls are recorded for training and monitoring purposes’.
In terms of what calls or part of calls must be recorded or not, are laid out by two central bodies; the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates firms and financial advisers so that markets and financial systems remain stable, and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), which is concerned with any business that handles card payments.
Call recording has become both easier and more cost-effective for businesses of all sizes. It provides a number of benefits to organisations when used correctly.
However, if your organisation does use this service, it is imperative that you follow the strict guidelines and laws to ensure you follow the correct procedures relevant to your business.
:: Eric Carson is director of Rainbow Communications and can be contacted via www.rainbowcomms. com. Rainbow Communications can also be followed on Twitter - @ Rainbow_Comms.
