Some enterprise-class call recording solutions are affordable enough now that even small businesses can afford to employ them.  Primarily software-only based, these applications provide the full functionality of their hardware-based counterparts but at a fraction of the price and with minimal maintenance requirements.

This means that even the smallest of law offices, insurance brokers, mortgage brokers, doctor's offices and any other small business can now tap into the value of call recording, which was previously reserved for only the largest of businesses - one's that could afford that previous hefty price tag.

Value of Call Recording

• Verify orders - Have a stored record of every call in case you need to go back and verify any purchase details or authorization, for example.
• Protect your business from he-said/she-said disputes that can otherwise cost you a lot of money if you are unable to prove what was actually said by the customer.
• Verify customer service levels by reviewing select calls to understand how well your staff is servicing your customers.

Here are some key features to look out for if you are a small business considering a call recording system:

• Easy and quick installation with no additional implementation costs required. Some vendors charge you for the software and then require you to pay a separate installation fee. Avoid these providers.
• Open API for fast and easy customization and interoperability. You will undoubtedly like to make some custom changes to the call recording system to best meet your needs. This shouldn't require a forklift effort.  It should be quick and easy to tailor the software to your requirements as well as integrate it smoothly into your existing environment.

• No proprietary hardware required. You want a call recording system that can run on an existing server or at the very least a commercial off the shelf (COTS) server.

• Recordings portable in MPEG format - You want to be able to playback your recordings without needing a proprietary player or converting the files into a format anyone can use.  You want your recordings to be available to you in standard MPEG format. This way you could even email them to a partner (or someone else outside the organization), for example, if you needed to. 
• Minimal if any maintenance required - Some solutions can be a headache to maintain and troubleshoot. Stay away from these complex systems. You want a solution that requires essentially no maintenance and will give you zero problems.  Even ask to speak to one of the vendor's existing customers to validate such maintenance requirements.