Analog trunks

By splitting the phone line and having one split go to a recording device and the other to a telephone, the recording device will record both ends of the conversation. Without any integration to the phone system, this method is susceptible to recording any phone noise that is produced on the line when the phone is not in use. I have seen phone lines that are so noisy that a recorder using voice activation can record consistently for hours or even days. The only way to get around this without integration is by detecting the line voltage. When a phone line is idle, there is usually a voltage of -48V (more or less). When the line is in an off-hook condition, the voltage changes to -6 (again more or less). I have seen this work seamlessly, and also problematically, depending on the consistency of the voltages.

T1/E1 Tap

You can also split the signal of a T1/E1 by using a T1/E1 tapping card. This configuration is also best with integration with the phone system. Usually an incoming call on a T1/E1 can be answered by anybody. Without integration it would be difficult to tell what agent answered what call.

The biggest danger in recording trunk side is that the call will come into the general number and be transferred to customer service who’s trunks are recorded. If the general number is not recorded, the transfered call is NOT recorded. In order to record every phone conversation you would need to record every phone line. You would also need to have the recorder integrated with the phone system if you want to listen to the calls by the person who took the call and not by the phone line it came in on. The best way to do this is to equip your phone system and recording system with CTI (computer telephony integration). This will allow the phone system to tell the voice recorder what person took the call and the recorder will store that information in a field for easy retrieval.

T1/E1 Term

Some phone systems can provide a T1/E1 output to be recorded. This means that the phone system and recorder talk directly through a T1/E1 interface. Usually the first phone on the card goes to the first channel of the recorder, the second to the second, etc.. However, if you only want to record the first, third, fifth, etc.. you need to Groom the T1/E1 before it goes to the recorder. Grooming means you take all the T1/E1 connections you have and plug them into the groomer. Then the groomer is programed for the configuration you need (the first phone on the first T1/E1 goes to the first channel of the recorder, the fifth phone of the second E1/T1 goes to the second channel of the recorder, or any configuration you want). With this type of recording you have static channel assignments (the same phone is always on the same channel) so no integration is necessary to find a conversation from a particular phone.

Service Observe

Another way of utilizing T1/E1 term environment is to use them like phone lines coming into the recorder. There is a CTI link connecting the phone system and recording device. When a call comes in for a station you want recorded, the recorder receives the information from the phone system, picks one of the lines, and dials an observe code to record the phone. In most phone systems there is a feature that allows a supervisor to monitor a persons phone call. Some recorders can utilize this feature to record the phone conversations. In most cases you loose the ability to live monitor since the conversation can only be monitored by one thing at a time. But if you have 100 people to be recorded, but no more than 50 are on the phone at a time. Utilizing this method would allow you to record all 100 people, but only pay for 50 recording channels.

You can also connect analog station ports from your PBX to your voice recorder. Utilizing a CTI link, the phone system will tell the voice recorder what station is receiving a call, the voice recorder will pick one of the pooled ports, go off hook and dial the service observe code and station number to record the call. When the PBX sends the information that the call is over, the voice recorder will go on hook. This is an excellent way of purchasing less channels than you have agents. The only problem is there is no guarantee that all calls will be recorded. Great for Quality Assurance recording, bad for mission critical recording.

VoIP phone recording.

For VoIP services like Vonage, Cablevision, etc,…  You can unplug the phone from the device they give you, plug in a splitter and plug the phone into one end of the splitter and the recording device into the other.  This will work for cordless phones as well as corded phones.  This is very useful to record work at home agents. Utilizing a recorder that uses some sort of removable media, That media can be removed from the recorder, inserted into a computer, and sent to the home office utilizing a VPN (virtual private network) connection.

For VoIP phone systems, since the IP is decoded in the phone you would need a VoIP recorder to sniff the IP packets and decode the IP stream.  You can program the recorder to sniff the IP stream and only record certain extensions.  Be advised that the IP stream that is sniffed by the recorder must contain the IP information of the phones you want to record. This all depends on your infrastructure. Sometimes its easy to place the recorder in one location and record multiple locations. Some times its not. You need to consult your IT department before any decision can be made.

As an alternative, you can split the handset on some VoIP phones as described below.

Handset

By unplugging the handset from the phone and plugging in a handset splitter, plugging the recording device into one split an the handset into the other, you can record both ends of the conversation.  This works great with most phones and is very efficient if you want to record a conversation and the phone is not recorded full time.  Say you are traveling and are staying in a Hotel.  You call your client and strike a deal for x amount of product.  You could record that call so there is no dispute later.

Analog set tap

You can split the output from your phone system and have one output go to an analog recorder and the other go to an analog phone.

Digital set tap

There are special cards that can be used in a computer to decode the digital signal that is sent to the phone.  This would be connected at the MDF (main distribution frame) at the same connection where the port from the phone system is connected.  It goes in series with the phone connection.  On most systems, these cards can read your display and provide the caller ID (if it is displayed).  They can also read the lights of the phone and record when any light is lit, or only when the first light is lit, but not the second, giving you a non recorded line on a recorded phone. I believe this to be by far the best way to record without integration.

Please keep in mind that in order to record phone conversations One or All of the parties on the phone MUST BE INFORMED they are being recorded.  This depends on the state
that the phone call takes place in.