ORECX CALL RECORDING BLOG

The results from the annual Future Of Open Source survey are in, and they confirm everything we already knew: Open source is now the default.

The survey reports that 78 percent of its respondents are now running their businesses with open source software, and two-thirds are building software for their customers that’s based on open source software. More significant, the percentage of respondents actually participating in open source projects has increased from 50 percent to 64 percent, and 88 percent say they expect to contribute to projects within the next three years.

Click here to read more of this article ("The Rise and Rise of Open Source") from InfoWorld.

There are as many call recording solution providers out there as there are letters in the alphabet, with a large revenue disparity between the top two behemoths and the rest.  With regard to this bifurcation of the brand name players and all the others, the question becomes:

Does it really matter if you buy call recording software from a big guy or a small guy?  The short answer is a resounding "No".  Why do I know this?  Because I've worked for over six call recording companies including the number one provider, and I can tell you that customer after customer comes to the smaller guys following a dissatisfying experience with a big guy.  It happens all the time!!

Behind my nine-plus years in the call recording industry, I believe buyers of call recording systems sometimes play it safe by purchasing a system from one of the 800 pound gorillas, when in fact they could be just as well served (or even better served) spending far less by going with a smaller provider. At the end of the day, call recording systems really come down to four components which all vendors have some flavor of:

1. Call capture software - the software that actually records the call/screen and puts it in a storage location.

2. Logging hardware - the physical hardware that stores the recording(s).

3. Call query software - the software you use to go back and find and call up the calls you want to listen to.

4. Quality monitoring software - the software that lets you filter out a select number of calls for evaluation purposes and then facilitates the assessment process with reports, forms, etc.

The dirty little secret in the call recording industry is that most solutions offered by the various call recording companies all do the same thing - with a handful of bells and whistles bundled in to spice up the offering.  In most cases, these added features aren't even necessary or used.

To ensure you have or are purchasing a good call recording system, be sure you can answer "Yes" to the following questions:

A. Can you capture incoming calls and the computer screen activity of your call center agents?

B. Can you choose to record all calls or just a sampling of calls?

C. Can you query recordings for select calls based on agent, phone number, customer name, time of day, etc.?

D. Can you/did you implement the solution in two days or less?

E. Do you have to perform little to no maintenance on the system?

F. Can you easily customize the solution to your needs without asking for professional services help from the vendor?

If you answered "No" to one or more of these questions, you really need to think hard about the solution you have or are considering.  The truth is, there are very similar options out there for you to select, which are easier to install and maintain, are offered at a much lower cost and offer essentially the very same core functionality.

The word "free" certainly comes with many red flags today, doesn't it?  After all, nothing of value can really be free, right?  While this is certainly the case in most instances, there is room for viable free call recording software in the market.  You just have to know what to look for:

Here are some good rules to go by:

1. It should be offered by a reputable company, not some independent software developer with no credibility.

2.The software provider should list at least some of its other customers and partners.

3. You should not have to give your credit card number.

4. If it's based on a free trial, you should have zero obligation to pay at the end.  If you want to simply let the trial expire, you should be able to - no questions asked.

5. There should be a more robust version available if you want added functionality - even if you have to pay for it.

6. The software should have testimonials behind its use.

7. You should not have to talk to a live salesperson before downloading the free call recording software.

8. The software should have some awards under its belt.

9. The software should have solid documentation to explain how it is installed, used and what type of features/functionality it has.

10. There should be someone you can contact directly for support - at no charge.

So if you're thinking of evaluating some free call recording software, be sure to consider these 10 rules before downloading it.  It could save you a lot of heartache in the long run.