Your New Phone System Includes Call Recording—Great News! Or Is It?
If you’re in the process of purchasing, replacing, or upgrading your phone system, you’re likely doing everything possible to ensure you get the most “bang for your buck.” PBX vendors are providing more and more added features to differentiate their offerings, and for many, that includes call recording.
If you’re not happy with your current recording system, that’s one thing. But if you already have a call recording system in place, does it really make long-term sense to switch to built-in PBX recording? Here are some points to consider when evaluating your call recording options.
Initial and Long-Term Costs
Why spend money on something new when you already have a system that does the job? Most recording systems, including those engineered and supported by Sound Communications, are designed to grow with you…and that includes growing with changes to your phone system. While some PBX vendors say recording is included “for free”, it is unlikely that installation, configuration and training on the recording module will be.
Features and Functionality
Be sure to do a feature-by-feature comparison of the recording option…it’s rare that a “free” option will offer the same functionality as a dedicated call recording system. We partner with many phone vendors who include our call recorders with their PBX sales for this very reason, even when the phone system includes a recording feature.
Also, be sure you have a complete understanding of everything that is being recorded by your current system, and how those recordings are being stored. Phone switch recording is typically limited to the phone switch, as you might expect, but your current recording system may be capturing radios, intercoms, analog trunks, and more. Dedicated recorders also typically support storage on removable media or on your network; phone system recording systems may not offer these options.
Learning Curve
Your staff will already have a learning curve with the new or upgraded phone system. Why add to that with a new recording system as well?
Flexibility
Technology changes rapidly, and it’s very possible that the phone switch you choose today may itself need upgrade or replacement in the future. What happens to your call recording then? An independent call recording system offers you greater flexibility since it is switch-agnostic. For example, the call recorders offered by Sound Communications support Avaya, Cisco, Aspect, Siemens, and many more.
Dedicated call recording systems also offer flexibility in terms of advanced applications. For many organizations, call recording is simply the foundation for initiatives like quality monitoring, speech analytics and workforce management. If you currently use, or anticipate using, any of these features it is unlikely that a phone system-included recorder will support them.
The Bottom Line
Choosing a PBX-included recording system over a dedicated recorder may seem like a money-saving move – but it’s often a false economy. At Sound Communications, we don’t sell or install phone systems because we’re subject matter experts on recording with a dedicated team in place to help you…just as your phone switch vendor is a subject matter expert on your PBX. For more information on our area of expertise, click here or give us a call.