Best Business Phone System for Recording Calls
For companies that need to record calls, the best most affordable
and flexible option is choosing a cloud based PBX phone service that includes automatic call recording.
Not all providers do, and not all providers that offer call recording do so
with each of their plans. Employing the right cloud VoIP provider, both
reduces the need for equipment, reducing expenditures and simplifies the
management of recordings.
Companies that record calls do so to ensure quality service, resolve disputes, thereby reducing risk, verify orders and regulatory or internal processes compliance.2
Call recording no longer represents an expensive add-on feature with many cloud based VoIP services. However, it remains a steep option for most older legacy PBX systems. Many traditional earlier business phone systems require specifically compatible hardware to record calls and then manage those calls. Adding the equipment can be costly.
For business that determine a need to record their calls, it's essential to choose the right hosted VoIP service.
Best Cloud PBX Companies for Recording Phone Calls
1
Ooma Office Pro- Best for Small Professional Businesses that require Call Recording
Ooma
Office Pro at $24.95/month/user comes with Call Recording. It includes two
types of call recording, Persistent Call Recording which allows you to
record all calls, or On-demand Recording. On-demand will only record when
you activate it; however, it is remarkably straightforward, press *52 at any time to
start recording and *53 to stop. Therefore, if you’re a lawyer having a phone call with a
client, you can easily record specific calls conveniently. Its use provides a superior way to easily
maintain records and ensure all information is accurate. This is partly
why Ooma Office Pro has become the leading choice for many professional
businesses.
Pros
- Call recordings are held in the Call Logs section of the Ooma Office dashboard, making them easy to manage and use.
- Ooma Office Pro includes intuitive call recording that's simple, easy and powerful.
Cons
- Not HIPAA compliant.
2
RingCentral MVP- Best for Businesses that Want Affordable "On-demand" Call Recording and those that Record All Calls and require Multi-platform Communications
RingCentral
MVP offers 4 plans
with the Essentials Plan at $19.99/user/mo. (paid annually for 2-20 users)
the only plan that does not include call recording. The
Standard plan $27.99/mo. includes On-demand recording. On-demand
represents a straightforward
and effective solution that's great for a company that only needs to
record calls occasionally. Once enabled, users can choose which specific
incoming or outgoing calls to record by pressing *9 to begin recording,
then press *9 again to stop recording.
For those that want Automatic Call
Recording, the
Premium plan at $34.99/mo. delivers a slew of features, including video
conferencing for up to 200 people per meeting. Automatic recording can be
enabled for one or multiple users or can be setup to record all inbound
calls to specific departments. You can subsequently choose between a
default or custom announcement for both inbound and outbound calls, which
will ensure recordings are lawful and that callers have indicated their
consent.
Pros
- Can quickly select incoming and/or outgoing calls to record. It’s one of the easiest on-demand call recording solutions and can be done from any device.
- The Premium plan includes additional sophisticated features including video conferencing and unlimited Internet fax.
Cons
- Users must pay annually for best pricing.
3
8x8-
Best for Businesses that Want a Flexible App, Easy to Use Right from
the Phone
8x8 offers a
straightforward and flexible recording system where users can
choose between Always Record or On-demand Recording at the
extension level. Using the carefully designed Virtual Office
Online dashboard is clean and simple. With one quick click,
you're recording the call. After which you can review,
download or delete call recordings. They additionally include an option to automatically
announce to the other party that the call is being recorded, a
very nice feature, especially for some. Storage is ample at 1
GB, after which you'll want to delete or download recordings
or pay for storage.
Pros
- Virtual Office app is very handy and quick and easy to use.
- Users can enable a built-in call recording announcement before recording begins.
- Supervisors and other authorized users may record employee calls for training purposes, individuals can record their own calls.
Cons
- No ability to encrypt call recordings.
4
MightyCall- Best Affordable very Small Business Service that offers Call Recording.
MightyCall offers
Call Recording in two of their Virtual plans, Business at
$20/month/user and Enterprise. MightyCall’s Call Recording
feature can automatically record and save your incoming and
outgoing calls in a conveniently accessible place where they
are kept for one year. They can be exported at any time for
permanent storage for future reference. An included feature also automatically lets
callers know that the call is being recorded, making it
perfectly safe from a legal point of view.
Pros
- One of the more affordable providers with plans that include call recording.
- Integral feature included that automatically lets callers know the call is being recorded. This can be a significant advantage in some states.
Cons
- The Business plan requires three users minimum.
Top hosted VoIP Providers and Call Recording
- 8x8- Includes call recording with their X Series plans starting with the X2 plan at $24.00/mo. Includes 1 GB storage, extra storage costs more.
- RingCentral MVP- On-demand Call recording is included in their Standard plan for $27.99/mo. and Automatic with their Premium plan at $34.99/mo.
- Nextiva- The Enterprise plan at $32.95/mo. includes unlimited video conference recording & call recording.
- VirtualPBX- Call recording is included in their Flex plan at $18.00/mo. and the Advanced Plan. It is not included in the least expensive Starter Plan.
- Ooma- Offers call recording as part of their Office Pro plan at $24.95/mo. Our top pick for professional offices like attorneys, accountants or financial planners.
- Grasshopper- Doesn't offer call recording.
- MightyCall- MightyCall offers three plans, two of which the Business and Enterprise include Call Recording.
Final Notes & Conclusion
32% of companies not already recording calls responded that they expect to capture and archive voice call information within the next 2-5 years.1
Call recording no longer remains a costly feature and can
promptly be adopted by even the smallest of companies. Currently,
numerous employees are working from home and that trend is likely to
accelerate going forward in 2022. Phone calls and/or texting are routinely
replacing face-to-face communication. Call recording for all businesses
has now become increasingly indispensable. One survey from a broad range of
industry professionals showed 69% use call recording to ensure quality
service and access agents.2
Ooma Office Pro receives
outstanding reviews from their users and maintains a superior solution
for most professional offices that use desk phones, like legal,
engineering and architects, for example. RingCentral MVP performs effective
multi-channel communication that integrates with a multitude of CRM
applications and can scale to any size. 8x8, a well-established contact
center VoIP provider, should represent a leading choice for companies that
engage in significant International calling. MightyCall's virtual phone
system prevails as a popular choice for micro-businesses that require call
recording.
Many
businesses that engage in financial transactions can lower their risk and
liability by recording calls for accurate and irrefutable documentation.
Recordings are time stamped and become excellent evidence for handling
possible disputes. A recorded conversation eliminates ambiguity as to which
person might have said what and what was discussed. To a great degree it acts to safeguard precise instructions and ensure proper
protocol was followed.
Not all states have the same laws governing recording calls3. To ensure recordings are lawful and that callers have indicated their consent, announcements should be played before automatic recording begins.
Some instances where call recording has improved business efficiencies are:
- For retail establishments and supply houses, recordings can be implemented to assure that part orders are correct.
- For use in identifying system breakdowns and failure of business processes.
- For engineering and project management companies to record calls rather than taking notes while on the phone is a preferred and smarter arrangement.
This article was updated on January 5, 2022. About the author.
Reference and Sources
1Voice Call Recording – Latest Market and Compliance Trends
-Telemessage
2Why do Companies Record Customer Calls?
Call Recording eBook-OrecX
3Laws on Recording Calls in all 50 States
mwl-law
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