What is the Value of a Phone Recorder

The value of a phone recorder can only be decided by the individual recording the phone call. Therefore, the question becomes – what is the value of the phone call?

Phone recorders come in all sizes and shapes, from single line to multi line recorders. Not only call centers and financial institutions are recording phone calls, small business and individuals are realizing the importance of phone recording.

The recording serves a useful purpose for all parties, everyone is protected and it avoids the possibility of disputes at a later time regarding any type of transaction.

Here are some items to assess when choosing a phone recorder.

• Number of lines to be recorded
• How long do you want to store the calls
• On demand recording or automatically record all calls
• Do you need to notify the other party, i.e. beep tone
• Who will wire the phone recorder
• What type of recording is required – station side, trunk side, random or sampling, all calls recorded

Phone recording systems for home office or small business is relatively simple, especially if only one to two lines are being recorded. Some single line phone recorders are small devices, dimensions similar to a credit card, that connect to the phone jack (analog) on one end and another cable connects the recording device to the USB port on the computer. Simple to install and setup. The software that is provided with the phone recording device is used to manage the calls. The recorded calls are stored on the hard drive of the computer, and in most cases can be sorted by date, time of day or other notations made to the recordings.

In business applications, the installation and setup may require a little more configuration. If there is a small office with a few phones that are close in proximity to each other, then it is possible to locate the recorder centrally and use long cables to connect the phone sets to the recorder. If this is not possible, the best way to configure the recorder is locate it close to the PBX phone system and hire a professional to do the wiring from the recorder to each individual station (telephone set).

Taking extensive notes while on the telephone is no longer necessary when phone recorders are readily available, easy to setup and affordable. Pricing ranges from as low as $130 for quality single line phone recorders, and even two and four line recorders can be purchased for under $500. While price is always a concern, the value of a call far outweighs the possible losses of the unrecorded call.