VoIP call recording is considered fundamental by many businesses that depend on it particularly for compliance purposes. Apart from preventing legal inconveniences, the process also offers a host of other advantages.
In this quick guide to VoIP recording, we explain what it is and why it’s crucial to record business calls. We will also show you how to remain PCI compliant when recording your VoIP calls.
What is Call Recording?
Call recording makes it possible for a business to tape voice conversations that take place through the company’s phone system. Active calls, constituting internal and teleconference calls, can be recorded and listened back to at a later time. Today, nearly all of the best business VoIP services include call recording.
Reasons Businesses Record VoIP Calls
Recording calls benefits a business in several ways as follows:
Training employees
This applies mainly in the case of sales calls. Call recording makes it possible for your business to listen back to calls received or made by employees. Based on this, you can identify areas that need improvement, additional direction or support.
Encourage professionalism
Employees in businesses that use call recording are more likely to be professional. This is because they know every word is being recorded. Even when a client is being difficult, they are likely to remain calm.
Enhance customer service
Call recording helps businesses that collect customer data provide more personalised experiences. The collected data is automatically stored in the appropriate customer file for future references.
Preventing legal issues
Complaints arise even in the most successful businesses. Voice recordings make it easier to go back to conversations in case a client has a complaint. This way, it’s possible to establish if the case is genuine or not and take the right measures to avoid legal disputes.
Marketing
Call recording enables the marketing and communications team in a business to understand the customers better even without directly interacting with them. Marketers can easily listen to the recorded calls and identify key issues highlighted by customers and use them in their publications and advertisements.
Is it Legal to Record Calls in the UK?
The law allows businesses and individuals to record calls in the UK. However, disseminating this information to a third party without consent is a breach of this law. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was formed to govern the safe sharing of information.
According to the Telecommunications Regulations 2000, a business may record calls without consent for the following reasons:
For proof of business transactions
For quality review
To secure adherence with regulations
To protect business against criminal activities
To detect any illegal use of a network
When recording calls for your business, focus on the purpose of doing so. This will ensure that your phone recordings comply with GDPR rules.
Below are three simple tips to guide you and help you stay compliant:
Consent
It’s crucial to notify your customers any time you are recording phone conversations. Even under the circumstances that the law allows you to not ask for consent when making recordings, we find it a good practice to still ask.
Most importantly, if you plan to share the data gathered with third parties, you must ask and inform your clients first.
Train staff members
Training staff members on GDPR essentials is another necessary step if your business is to remain compliant. While at it, don’t forget to reward, correct, and punish accordingly to make the process as smooth as possible.
Store data in a secure and encrypted place
Always ensure that sensitive data, including call recordings, is securely stored. This will protect your business from data theft and remove liability.
PCI Compliant Call Recording
Whether your business operates a formal call centre or not, it is important to be cautious when making sales on the phone. The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) regulates the handling of all payments made using credit or debit cards.
The PCI DSS was first introduced in 2004 in an attempt to prevent credit card fraud. The PCI represents not only the leading card brands but also the banks that issue the cards too.
When it comes to call recording, there are several sensitive issues around storage of private data. Fraudsters need the card number and the CV2 security number to successfully carry out. They also need other identifying information like name and address.
To curb fraud, businesses are required by the law not to record three-digit CV 2 security numbers. Here are some of the ways you can exclude CV2 security numbers from your call recordings:
Pause and resume
This can be done manually or automatically where you pause and unpause call recorders when a customer is providing card details.
Mute or mask
This task involves revisiting recordings after calls and muting or masking the section of the audio where card details were read out.
Keypad payment
This solution entails the customer entering the card details on a telephone keypad instead of reading them out.
Stay Compliant With Metrotech’s VoIP Services
Your choice of VoIP call services can make or break your business, which is why you need to be extra cautious when selecting your provider. At Metrotech, we offer you the latest in hosted phone system technology that supports call recording while staying compliant to both GDPR and PCI.
Couple this with our unmatched customer support and assured uptime and you have a VoIP service provider you can fully rely on for high-quality services.
Get in touch with us today to get connected!