Types of Mobile Phone Recording Solutions: Pros and Cons

There are various techniques we can use to record mobile phone calls, and different mobile recorder solutions might offer different methods.

07:52 08 November 2021

Recording mobile phone calls can provide so many benefits for businesses, including but not limited to:

 

• Recording evidence of transactions can potentially protect your business in the event of legal disputes
• Helps you identify other issues related to phone calls

 

With that being said, there are various techniques we can use to record mobile phone calls, and different mobile recorder solutions might offer different methods. 

 

In this guide, we will discuss the different types of mobile phone recording solutions available, as well as the pros and cons of each type. 

 

Let us begin with the first one.

 

Different Types of Mobile Phone Recording: Pros and Cons

 

1. Station-Side Recording

The station-side recording method will allow you to record calls to and from a selected pool of phones within your network only. The phone numbers must be known and available to the recording solution, and the recording device provided by the service provider must be compatible with your existing IP-based phones (if any).

 

Pros:

• Versatile data storage, data can be saved in any desired destination simply by defining archiving path
• Live monitor function, allowing you to playback two phone calls simultaneously (and four agents’ activity)
• Comes with a web-based, intuitive user interface
• Integration with popular CRM solutions
• Immediate replay, allows you to replay calls even when the call is still ongoing

 

Cons: 

• Can’t record mobile phone calls that are outside the selected pool
• When the call is transferred to a phone that is outside the pool, recording will stop

 

1. Trunk-Side Recording

This method allows us to record all calls without using an independent recording channel for each phone. Meaning, if you have 50 phones in your customer center receiving 50 calls, then you won’t need 50 different recording channels. 

 

Will record incoming and outgoing calls completely, but will not record station-to-station calls within your network (i.e. between agents). 

 

Pros: 

• Versatile, compatible with any type of switch
• Captures all calls including transfers and hold
• You don’t need a separate recording channel for each phone

 

Cons: 

• Can’t record station-to-station calls since the recording device is positioned at the front of the switch

 

1. Outbound Recording

A popular method for businesses and call centers with a dialer. The recording device is directly connected to the dialer (not just the switch), which will allow calls to be recorded separately. Without this, all calls from all mobile phones would be saved as a single continuous file, which can make monitoring and analysis difficult. 

 

Typically combined with either station-side or trunk-side method, but more commonly with station-side configuration. 

 

Pros: 

• Allows us to selectively choose which phones are recorded
• Only calls from phones that are connected to the recording device will be connected
• Can mark and filter certain calls to track and access later on, useful for monitoring and evaluation

 

Cons: 

• Will need a dialer call recording system

 

1. Random Sampling Recording

A popular method used for businesses and call centers that only focus on monitoring the quality of calls (not for recording transaction proofs, etc.) As the name suggests, will only record random mobile phone calls from clients who call your service. 

 

By only recording random calls, this method is often thought of as the most cost-efficient method, but obviously, it will have many limitations. 

 

Pros: 

• Cost-efficient
• Minimal hardware required, can be very effective for monitoring purpose
• Can index more comprehensive call data with CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) packages

 

Cons: 

• You’ll need to have a switch that provides CTI to take full advantage of the system (additional cost)
• Limited implementation outside monitoring call quality

 

1. Business Rules Recording

In this type of recording, you’ll be able to define specific conditions that would require recording live mobile phone calls. Finance call recording solutions like Truphone for Finance offer this feature, allowing you to reduce the cost of data storage and recording by ensuring you are only recording mobile phone calls that are relevant to your needs. 

 

In this method, additional business-specific applications may be used to define the recording requirement, such as requiring a specific data field to be filled in the form submitted prior to the call. Thus, when looking to use this method, it’s crucial to choose a solution that offers integration with the required application. 

 

Can be combined with the station-side or trunk-side method, and in some cases can be used together with the random sampling method. 

 

Pros: 

• A high amount of customization to suit your business’s needs
• Cost-efficient once you’ve defined the right parameters
• Very detailed for specific business purposes

 

Cons:

• Can be challenging to implement when defining the initial parameters
• Expensive upfront investment

 

Do You Need a Mobile Recorder Solution?

Recording mobile phone calls can provide the following benefits for your business: 

 

Improved service quality

By monitoring the quality of your phone calls, you can more effectively train your customer support and sales reps. Supervisors can be more productive in monitoring calls quality. 

 

Accurate identification of issues

With an appropriate mobile recorder solution, you can more effectively identify the causes of inefficiencies and low call qualities. 

 

Protecting your business

Mobile call recording can potentially protect your business from liability claims and miscommunications that may lead to legal disputes.

 

Higher customer satisfaction

With the ability for monitoring how your employees interact with your customers, you can be more effective in addressing performance issues, which can translate into happier, more satisfied customers. 

 

Improved employee morale

By effectively identifying performance issues in your team, you will improve transparency and accountability, eliminating confusion and conflicts, which can help in maintaining your team’s morale. 

 

Closing Thoughts

Above, we have discussed the different types of mobile phone recording solutions, as well as their own pros and cons. 

 

Choosing the right type of mobile recording solution is crucial so you can get the most of your investment. Mobile phone calls recording allows your business to more effectively address performance issues and decrease the likelihood of miscommunications.