Recorder Selection Ask yourself 1. How many phones to record 2. How long do you want to save your recordings 3. How frequently do you want to search recordings 4. How many people need to have access to recording

Recorder Selection Let us know 1. Describe your recording application (911, taxi, call center, etc) 2. How many phones to record or how many lines to record 3. What kind of phone system and is it analog or digital 4. What kind of connection to the phone system…T-1, CO-POTS 5. Do you ever plan on expansion 6. Want to play back over the LAN 7. Do you have Caller ID service 8. Does your switch have CTI and software or SMDR-CDR 9. Do you have call conference service available VLR Communications

Recorder Selection Options that may be available 1. Play back calls over the web 2. Call evaluation software 3. Instant recall client 4. Direct digital recording for most telephone systems 5. Archive calls on your servers 6. Expansion options must be considered 7. Archive to DVD or CD 8. Start and stop calls with signals from your computer workstation

Recorder Selection Things you may need 1. UPS, un-interruptible AC power for the recorder 2. Analog phone line for PC Anywhere support 3. LAN connection with a static IP address

Common things to keep in mind for recording phones When installing a recording system, we have always found that if management tells the employees that they plan to record, and why they are going to record, there is a much better chance of employee acceptance. There should be some benefit for the employee being recorded.

Common things to keep in mind for recording phones Most states require that someone, at least one of the parties, be notified of the recording in process (this is known as single party consent). The single party consent originated when lawyers wanted to record their own personal calls, sort of an easy way of taking notes and documenting a conversation. Single party consent has evolved into common practice in most states. In a few states both parties must be informed of the recording. Check the table in recording regulations at this web site. Notification can be given in 3 ways. First, just inform the caller that this call may be recorded, if the caller stays on, then they have given consent to be recorded. This is easy on inbound calls because the phone system can make the announcement but is more difficult on outbound calls. Second, simply put a beep tone on the line, a tone every 15 seconds is universally accepted as a warning that the call is being recorded. Beep tone is easy to install on POTS lines but more difficult on T-1 and digital telephone systems. And third, have a prior signed agreement that your calls are going to be recorded. This agreement is commonly found in broker-client agreements in the futures financial industry. In either case, where it is required for both parties or single party consent, while recording your people just for internal reasons, it would be helpful to keep the employees informed that you are recording and consult with your legal consul to prevent future problems. I always say that you should never play a recording to someone who didn’t know that the recording had taken place, even if it was legal because of single party consent.

Common things to keep in mind for recording phones When recording digital phones, recording the handset to get an analog signal to the recorder is inexpensive and practical. However, this may allow the microphone on the phone to be live even when there is no call in progress. In other words, you will be recording the operator talking to people in the room which will be considered violating their personal privacy. Direct digital recording will assure privacy and record only when the handset is off hook and connected to the phone system. There are a handful of different solutions to recording digital telephones.

Applications where special considerations are suggested Telephone answering service, TAS, where recording is done in states where both parties must be notified: A beep tone in the operators ear, every 15 seconds will drive the operators nuts. Voice activated digital recorders may not be able to detect when changing from one client to the next and the recording would go on with several calls combined. With regard to the VOX problem, the old continuous recorders like the TEAC CR-320, worked out great. More elaborate recording systems where the recorder gets a start and stop signal from the operators workstation is recommended. Put the notification of recording in the agreement with your client and don’t use the beep tone. Don’t play calls to the client’s customer and always consult with your legal consul before recording.

Applications where special considerations are suggested Call Centers, where the calls may be recorded based on the CSR’s needs. Once a call is in process, it is difficult to say that it should have been recorded from the start. Our suggestion, record all the calls. If you rely on the CSR to start and stop the recording, there will always be important things missed. Asking permission to record the close part of the call will allow you to play back the close to that party at some later time. There is no need to play the part of the conversation that had not been invited to be recorded.

Applications where special considerations are suggested HIPAA may require recording and saving calls for 7 years. There may be some additional considerations regarding access to the recordings so password access to the recorder for playback and monitoring may be required.

Applications where special considerations are suggested 911 recording may require ANI (enhanced 911-Automatic Number Identification) information to be included with the recorded call. ALI, Automatic Location Identification should present the caller ANI to the recorder, too. Beep tone is not required for emergency calls but when recording the city hall and police department office phones the beep may be required.

Applications where special considerations are suggested Sea Tow and other 24 hour service applications may have their calls forwarded to a cell phone when no one is in the office. We offer a call handler that will conferences the cell phone and the office telephone recorder allowing recording of that complete call, from start to end, even as it is connected to the cell phone.

Applications where special considerations are suggested Recording a radio may require assistance of your radio-man. You need to hear both sides of the conversation, the TX and RX on a single channel of the recorder. Trunked radio may be used in a few public safety centers and some utility companies. Trunked radio recording may require an elegant software and hardware interface to capture all the conversations.

Applications where special considerations are suggested As a small commodity broker your calls to the exchange floor will be recorded at the exchange floor end. You can request the call to be played back to you but that may take valuable time. If you recorded all your calls, then you could immediately verify your trades and mistakes saving untold money as the market moves.