Selecting a compliant Microsoft Teams recording solution can be confusing. Microsoft Teams has undergone a rapid adoption, boosted in part by the enormous Office 365 customer base.  Multiple vendors have put in long hours to get their call recording solutions to accommodate Microsoft Teams. I know you are expecting me to tell you why our solution (Atmos by CallCabinet) is the right choice; instead, I will highlight some of the issues or questions you should ask your Microsoft Teams call recording vendor.

1. How long has your cloud solution been on the market?

Why is this an important question? A working call recording solution is something many companies could quickly get to market in a short period of time. Compliance recording, on the other hand, is not easy. A working call recorder may not compliantly handle security, storage, transcription, redaction, data sovereignty and a host of other issues. In other words, anyone can give you a recorder, but an established, mature product with years of development under its belt from a company with roots in compliance is ideal.

2. How flexible is the solution’s deployment model? 

One size most certainly does not fit all when it comes to the deployment style of a call recording platform. It would be best if you looked for a solution that serves your needs instead of one that forces you to adhere to a set deployment model. Many businesses would be fine with a 100% cloud-based model, but some need an on-premise deployment. You’ll know you’ve hit the jackpot when you find a solution that can deploy in the cloud, on-premise, or even a hybrid of both. 

3. Does this platform support multiple technologies?

Your call recording platform should be able to collect your call recordings regardless of the different types of phone networks you may be using. Maybe you have more than one location, and those locations use different phone sets, or different PBX’s, or different UC platforms. Or perhaps you have onsite agents and others that work remotely on mobile devices. Ask your provider if the solution can support the different technologies you use, unifying all call data into a single access point with a common set of security controls. 

4. Does the vendor have a global infrastructure with global support?

More specifically, does your call recording solution exist resiliently and redundantly across the globe? A number of compliance regulations require that all collected customer data is backed up redundantly. Other regulations mandate that your call recording apparatus have a fallback system if your primary system fails. These requirements can be very difficult to achieve with a solution that uses on-site hardware only, or with a provider without a global cloud network. This is a feature you should insist upon when choosing a call recording platform. 

5. Is the pricing per user or per device?

Many employees utilize Microsoft Teams on more than one device throughout their workday (mobile device, desktop phone, computer, etc). Being charged per device could cost you three times more than being charged per user. The whole appeal of a Unified Communications platform like Teams is that it will work per user on all devices. Prioritize finding a recording solution with per user pricing. 

6. Does the vendor require annual payments in advance? Do they charge more for monthly payments?

Legacy call recording companies knew they had their clients in a headlock before cloud call recording came along. They offered expensive, inflexible service contracts that their clients had very little choice but to sign. The cloud absolutely shattered the need for these contracts, yet many companies still pay through the nose, year after year, to maintain obsolete systems. Other call recording providers charge a premium for a month-to-month commitment and provide a slight discount for an upfront, annual payment. As a rule of thumb, anytime you pay more, it should be for an added feature, and not just for a choice of billing cycles. 

7. Who owns the call recordings?

It might seem like a strange question, but with so many of our assets digitized and stored in the cloud, there are issues of ownership emerging.  Let’s get more specific with two related questions. This will really get you thinking about how your call recording provider treats your data. 

8. Can I easily access my call recordings?

It may seem like you should obviously be able to access any data you collect, but it’s not that simple. When your call recording company uses proprietary and restrictive file formats that require unlocking through their platform, then The answer is no, you cannot access your data easily. 

Compliance laws like GDPR may require you to present or delete customer interactions in a timely fashion at your customer’s request. That can become costly If your call recording company charges you to convert data into an open format, or to delete it on demand. Find out if recordings are available to you free of charge in open (non-proprietary) file formats, and if you can move and delete the data at will. 

9. What happens if I delete a user?

Turnover rates in call centers can be very high. However, just because an employee no longer works at your Institution, you may still be required to keep a copy of their phone interactions for years. Phone call recording companies and services will require you to purchase a “playback” license to listen to the deleted user’s calls.  This is another instance where not owning your data can cost you money. 

Look for a Microsoft Teams recording solution from a company that believes your recordings belong to you, not one that puts fees and roadblocks between you and your data.